72 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III. 



At this time last year deflation had reached its lowest ebb; values 

 were affected in every line, things were running against the producer; 

 prices of farm crops were especially low; selling was admittedly at a 

 loss to the farmer. It looked very doubtful if this class of people would 

 be in the mood or could afford to spend the time to attend the fair. 



Other lines of industry it is true suffered untold distress, but the 

 farmer because of his inability to dispose of his products through an 

 effective selling organization, and forced to sell at ruinous and un- 

 profitable prices to meet his pressing obligations, was unquestionably 

 hit the hardest of all our people. 



This was the situation at this time among the people who make the 

 state fair and the county and district fairs successful. So, for the 

 board, it seemed largely to be a guess which way to turn. It was a 

 question as to the best thing to do in planning for the 1922 fair. You 

 may be sure that there was plenty of discussion and there were differ- 

 ences of opinion, but on one point at least there was immediate and 

 harmonious decision, "In All That Is Good Iowa Affords the Best," and 

 the proud position of the Iowa State Fair at home and the enviable 

 reputation it holds as a leader among similar institutions in the nation, 

 was not to be surrendered or abridged, but maintained at all costs. 

 I want you to remember that the 1921 fair barely played even, exclusive 

 of maintenance. Since that time the office expense and the maintenance 

 of grounds and buildings, besides other necessary and incidental items 

 of expense were rapidly eating up the surplus carried over from the 

 previous more prosperous years. To keep the fair going with its old 

 time prestige, to offer and to pay the usual quota in premiums and to 

 carry out a program in keeping with the past record of the institution; 

 to do all this, and in addition to reduce the admission at the outside 

 gates to the popular pre-war price of fifty cents would assuredly mean 

 that expenses must be cut somewhere along the line. It had to be cut 

 to the amount of thirty-five or forty thousand dollars if the total re- 

 ceipts and expenditures of the 1921 fair were used as a basis. This was 

 the situation that confronted the board when they faced the problem 

 of finding ways and means for financing the 1922 fair. 



After some reflection the board became convinced that a sharp de- 

 crease in expenditures was absolutely unavoidable. Where to make this 

 cut in expenses without impairing the worthy features, was the all- 

 important factor to be solved. The action taken by the board to meet 

 this unusual situation worked out so successfully that I am pleased 

 to inform you that this great saving was accomplished through the 

 practical application of the budget system to all departments of the fair. 

 I am sure that you will be very much interested when I tell you 

 that this was effected without any perceptible reduction in premiums 

 or in any of the features that add to the educational and permanent 

 value of the fair. It was to a great extent deducted from the features 

 that are termed recreational, such as amusements, attractions, racing and 

 also through a very substantial reduction in the number and daily wage 

 of all the assistants, helpers and employes. There existed some opposi- 

 tion and minor objections to such drastic action, but the board seemed 



