TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 167 



state aid received two years ago, which barely met the expenses of 

 the fair? Today we have the chance of taking rain insurance, and it will 

 help a great deal. On the other hand, you must take into consideration 

 that in past years some of you, and most of us, have arrived at the peak 

 load of admission prices — you cannot go any higher, no matter what show 

 you can give. I think many of us have arrived at the peak of admission 

 state aid received two years ago, which barely met the expenses of 

 world, as well as in fairs. Next year can we give the people of my county 

 and your county the fair that we want to give them, in view of the in- 

 creased cost? 



This association should offer and approve resolutions requesting and 

 approving an increase in state aid, and in doing that we must take into 

 consideration that each one of you men will have to take it upon your 

 shoulders to assist the committee to help in every manner to put it logic- 

 ally before your people in your community, before your representatives 

 and senators, just why you demand state aid. You must be prepared with 

 arguments based upon certain fundamental ideas in convincing this man 

 or that man why you require this assistance. Fair managers have had a 

 great load in a majority of cases in making their fair pay out. If you 

 stop to consider the matter a moment, you will readily see that that is 

 the fact. 



The first argument to advance is that you must overcome the idea that 

 the fair does not appeal to the majority of the people. Just in a few 

 estimates here I will nail that thought, and then I am through. There are 

 91 fairs, county and district, in the state of Iowa. Now, I don't, as I said 

 before, wish to detract in the least from the state fair, and the figures I 

 shall give you are given simply to show you that the argument that the 

 county fairs do not reach the people is erroneous. The total attendance 

 at the county fairs in 1919 was 1,560,643, and in 1918 it was 1,150,461, 

 while in 1919 those that attended the state fair numbered 408,147, leav- 

 ing a difference of 1,172,496 people who visited your fair and mine that 

 were not able to get to the state fair. This is meant in no way to detract 

 from the value or the worthiness of the state fair. It simply shows you 

 that you are accommodating the people of the state. Lots of them cannot 

 go to the state fair — it is impossible. The state aid in 1919 given to the 

 county fairs aggregated $90,508.50, or $39,460.14 more than was paid to 

 us in 1918; but through Mr. Corey's figures in the Year Book it shows 

 there was an increased expense of $430,182 to the county fairs, due to the 

 increased cost of different products which the fairs had to buy. The aver- 

 age state aid in 1919 was $973.61 to each fair. There were 21 fairs that 

 drew $1500, the limit that year, and I believe it is greater this year. I have 

 not seen the 1920 Year Book so I am not prepared to say. The expense of the 

 fairs in 1919, notwithstanding the fact that we received $90,508.50, was 

 33 per cent higher in 1919, and I venture to say that the increased ex- 

 pense this year is 50 per cent higher. Now, there were 73 fairs that 

 showed a profit and 20 fairs that showed a loss. Mr. Corey showed a little 

 table therQ which indicated that if state aid was eliminated entirely, 43 

 fairs would have shown a loss in 1919. 



