TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 165 



There is just one other matter I would like to call your attention to 

 before I close, and that is of a combination which has been worked out 

 successfully in this state and has probably brought the greatest results 

 cf any one example in this state during the past few years. Early last 

 spring a group of men got together in one of the towns in the middle of 

 the state and decided they were going to have a fair in September, and 

 this is the process of the work which was carried out along that line: 

 They first obtained an option on a tract of land comprising 56 acres; 

 they had plans drawn of the layout of the grounds, and also a bird's-eye 

 view of the buildings they could place on the ground. With this as a 

 basis, they sold something over $50,000 of stock to over 400 subscribers, 

 giving an interest in the fair association to that many men and women in 

 and around their county. Starting with this last season, a race-track 

 was bu It, grandstand and amphitheater was constructed, stock sales pa- 

 vilion was constructed, stock barn was completed and hog pavilion was 

 built, and the grounds decorated and dressed up, and a successful fair was 

 held in September of this year. 



It seems to me that is one of the best examples of quick results; that is 

 pushing by a group of men who knew what they were going in and getting 

 results on a modern fair, and it is an example that is not far from Des 

 Moines. It shows a practical demonstration of cooperation from be- 

 ginning to end, and it is simply an example of getting results on a mod- 

 ern fair. (Applause.) 



The President : The next topic for discussion will be the Forum 

 Meeting, Increased State Aid, led by Mr. E. W. Williams of Man- 

 chester, Iowa. 

 Mr. President, and Brother Secretaries: 



The subject that has been handed to me to open the discussion of this 

 afternoon is increased state aid. I don't mean to take up very much of 

 your time here. I think it is a settled fact that the men represented here 

 know that is what we need, and taking that as a basis, the next thing is 

 how to get at it. It is the concensus of opinion that this is the opportune 

 time to get after it. I think all of us know our conditions of finance, 

 and without going into them specifically I want to draw a few conclusions 

 that you might refer to. 



The fairs throughout the state of Iowa are a great asset to this state. 

 It is a great thing, and it causes us all a burst of joy for speakers to come 

 here and relate to us the great things that Iowa has accomplished. Not 

 only is Iowa the greatest agricultural state in the Union, but she also has 

 some of the largest manufacturing concerns in the country — the gypsum 

 mills at Fort Dodge, the great sash-and-door factory at Clinton and Mus- 

 catine, the great furniture factory at Burlington, the great calendar fac- 

 tory at Red Oak, the great pearl button factories along the Mississippi 

 river; and when these things are mentioned it gives us a burst of pride 

 in the accomplishments of our great state, and I think we are worthy 

 of all the fine things said about us. At the same time Iowa receives rec- 

 ognition on that point, she also stands as one of the greatest states in the 



