16 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



night of August 5th and the next morning a gang of men were on the 

 works. By August 20th, the opening day of the fair, the barn "was com- 

 plete and occupied by the horse exhibit. 



To provide temporary barns for 120 head of horses it would have neces- 

 sitated an expenditure of from $1,000.00 to $1,500.00, practically all of 

 which would have been a loss at the close of the Fair. Furthermore the 

 temporary quarters would have been unsatisfactory for exhibition pur- 

 poses and would have resulted in the loss of exhibitors in the horse de- 

 partment at succeeding fairs. I will leave this to the committee whether 

 or not this was good business management. 



"During the twelve months ended November 30, 1912, amounts ag- 

 gregating $1,861.16 were realized at an auction sale of certain lots and 

 houses, and amounts aggregating $1,444.33 were realized on the sale of 

 part of the power plant. A further amount of $1,066.47 was also realized 

 on the sale of part of the power plant during the twelve months ended 

 November 30, 1911. We are informed that the prices realized on the 

 power plant sales were in accordance with the valuation made by a local 

 appraiser. As the records do not disclose the cost of the specific lots, 

 houses and power plant disposed of, no adjustment has been made for the 

 difference between that amount and the sums realized as stated above. 

 The power plant which we are informed, is no longer used, is represented 

 in the permanent improvements as at November 30, 1912, at the sum of 

 $14,748.70, but as no inventory has been made of the machinery, etc., 

 remaining in or belonging to the power building, it is impossible to even 

 estimate the loss arising through the dismantling of this property." 



Regarding the item of $1,861.16 realized at auction sale of houses and 

 lots referred to above we wish to say no lots were sold by the depart- 

 ment for the reason that the law does not permit the management of 

 the Iowa State Fair, nor the Executive Council, to sell real estate after 

 title to same has once been acquired by the state, without legislative 

 action. Consequently I am at a loss to know where the engineers got 

 their information as to lots sold by the department. The houses which 

 were acquired with the lots purchased through our agent, and condemned 

 by the Executive Council of the State of Iowa, for an addition to the 

 state fair grounds were sold at public auction on May 31, 1912, after 

 being duly advertised in all three Des Moines daily papers. The amount 

 realized at the auction on each house is made a matter of record on 

 page 87 of the minute book; in the record book showing receipts of the 

 department, and by duplicate of receipts issued to the parties who pur- 

 chased the houses. All of this evidence was submitted to the engineers 

 for verification of these receipts. As I stated before the houses sold 

 were on the lots purchased or condemned, and if there is any way to 

 determine what the houses alone cost the State of Iowa we should be 

 pleased to be enlightened. 



Regarding the dismantling of the light and power plant on the grounds 

 and the sale of salvage derived therefrom we bog to advise that in 1910, 

 or the last year the plant was in operation, the expense of producing 

 the current for light and power amounted to $1,641.65. The amount of 

 current produced was equal to approximately 2,500 16-candle power lamps, 

 which was about one-half needed to furnish power and properly light 



