188 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



specific levy for state support of fairs, these shopworn answers will have 

 no weiglit, as tlie money will be there, and can be used for no other 

 purpose than the specific one for which it was levied and collected, namely, 

 the support of county and district fairs. In this way the fairs will re- 

 ceive sufficient aid to place them on a sound financial footing and allow 

 them to continue their work, now so well established, and which must 

 suffer or fail unless relief comes in some form. 



Gentlemen, I have briefly given you some of the many reasons why the 

 fairs of the state are asking for larger aid, and one plan by which the 

 desired end could be accomplished and now leave the subject to you for 

 further consideration and such action as you may deem best to take. 



Mr. Clark, continuing: In connection with this I will say I 

 would also like to see a tax levied and collected from year to year 

 for the support of the state fair that they might accumulate funds 

 for necessary buildings as they are needed. I presume they are 

 not needed at the present time. I believe a fund could be col- 

 lected in that way by a general tax and as often as $75,000 or 

 $100,000 would be accumulated it might be turned over to the 

 state and they could use it to good advantage for the state fair. 



DISCUSSION. 



Chairman : Has any one anything to offer on this subject, or 

 any discussion in any way? 



Mr. Bradley, Rock Rapids: Mr. President: In regard to this 

 question of state aid, I am of the opinion that the fair that de- 

 pends on state aid, or any other voluntary aid from anybody is 

 a nuisance. They are all the time trying to get at that money. 

 The fair is a show that the people make good by their attendance, 

 and therefore it is necessary to get the people interested in it and 

 working for it. If you get them to do that it will be successful; 

 and I don't believe in any aid to state, district or county fairs. 

 We run the fair in our county for $13,000 to start with, and we 

 have increased our improvements to $27,000 all from earnings and 

 have $4,000 on hand. Why, we do not know what to do with our 

 money, we have so much of it. 



In Minnesota I believe that the state pays the majority of the 

 premiums, and I don't know of a single fair in that state that is 

 one-two-three with the Iowa fairs. If you depend on somebody 

 to give you a donation, or anything of that kind, you will never 

 make any money yourselves. It is like the old veteran soldiers 

 drawing pension; they depend upon that. I don't believe there is 

 any county fair in the state with the right kind of people behind 



