176 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 



plished by its use in keeping the expenditures relatively in line with the 

 amount of revenue easy of access. 



To my mind there is no doubt that the principles involved are sound and 

 will ere long become the permanent law of our state and nation. Keeping 

 in mind these beneficient results I have seriously considered if some good 

 cannot be accomplished in the application of this system to the business 

 end of county and district fairs or is it possible there can be any serious 

 opposition or objections to its use through jealousy in the different depart- 

 ments of fair management. 



To premise my advocacy of this system as a workable one and as a 

 safety valve which I think you men ought to consider I want to state a 

 historical fact in regard to revenue and expenditures. In young and grow- 

 ing countries showing any degree of prosperity the revenues rapidly in- 

 crease relatively far beyond the expenses. In such instances the burden of 

 taxation is not pressing and consequently there is little, if any, evidence of 

 agitation about excessive governmental expenses. But on the other hand 

 in older and more developed countries the decrease in revenue in relation 

 to expenditures becomes more and more apparent to the point where in 

 many instances the expense far exceeds the normal revenue. Where these 

 conditions exist every expedient of government is invoked to replenish the 

 treasury with the least possible annoyance to the people. But any long 

 continuance of this burden breeds dissatisfaction among the people and in 

 many cases financial disaster and revolution follow. Now applying these 

 recognized facts to fair management in general we find a striking analogy 

 in the comparison. From the published financial reports of the fair secre- 

 taries we find at a glance that some of them are growing and should with- 

 out any question be reasonably ambitious of greater achievement because 

 they have not yet exhausted the assets of their territory, while many 

 others may possibly have garnered the almost full purchasing power of 

 their communities. Now this classification may not be exactly correct in 

 all cases but I think the records will show it is substantially true. Of the 

 ninety-two fairs in the state I would place in the former class some fifteen 

 to twenty, leaving in the latter seventy to seventy-five that have approxi- 

 mately reached their expected development as shown by the record. Now, 

 of course, I am going to be very careful and not name to which class your 

 different fairs belong. After you get home take the record of all the fairs 

 and figure it out for yourselves. It will be more illuminating to you and 

 much safer and possibly less embarrassing for. me. 



Practically, then, eighty per cent of our fairs show an almost equal 

 yearly average in total receipts during a period of five years, weather con- 

 ditions considered. It's on this large percentage of fairs where the receipts 

 are less speculative that the budget can be utilized and the expenditures 

 based on the average known receipts of each individual institution. There 

 is no hope, there can be no hope, held out to the business man or institution 

 where the expenses continually exceed the earnings. Particular emphasis 

 should be stressed on this point for it is so easy and natural for fair man- 

 agers to cross this line of safety. The management, of course, should leave 

 nothing undone in the effort to excel and surpass, if possible, previous 

 records in exhibits, attendance and receipts. That ambition is justified 



