266 TOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



good our promise that ample and comfortable accommodations would 

 be provided for all state fair visitors who secured the services of the 

 bureau. 



If there were hold-ups, they were due to persons accepting the services 

 of solicitors on the streets and ignoring the bureau. The effort to acquaint 

 people with the bureau, its location, rates, etc., included the insertion 

 of advertising in the state fair literature, in the farm papers, in the 

 American Press Association service, the sending of bulletins to railroad 

 agents, the calling of the location of the bureau on all incoming trains 

 and the displaying of cloth and printed signs around all of the depots. 



The strongest endorsement the bureau received, however, was in the 

 fact that each day hundreds of persons came to the attendants with 

 cards that were issued from last year to inquire if the same lodging 

 would be available again this year. Some were the same persons to 

 whom the cards were issued and others were friends of the visitors of 

 a year ago. In but few cases were we unable to give the accommodations 

 called for by the old card. 



The representative of the Iowa Homestead has this to say in regard 

 to the efforts made to regulate charges: 



"Both the state fair management and the city of Des Moines profited 

 by the experience of former years and dispensed with the grievous 

 overcharge practice which was one of the well founded complaints of 

 visitors to former fairs. Supt. W. C. Brown, of the concessions depart- 

 ment, revoked the license of one or two refreshment booths which were 

 found charging visitors more for the meals than the price quoted by 

 the announcer, while the Commercial Club of Des Moines refused to 

 send prospective roomers to private houses which charged more than 

 the price which the club had set as reasonable. It is an indisputable 

 fact that in former years Des Moines has taken unfair advantage of 

 state fair visitors and charged exorbitant prices for ordinary, routine 

 service. The city has learned, however, that this policy would not only 

 redound to its own disadvantage, but, in the course of time, would cut 

 down the attendance of the state fair so that monetai*y loss would be 

 inevitable. With the single exception of the Greek proprietors of the 

 shoe shining parlors, no class of public providers acted in unison in 

 raising prices. State fair visitors leave large quantities of money in 

 Des Moines, both for their expenses during the week and on shopping 

 tours, and Des Moines showed this year that it appreciates this patron- 

 age and liberality and does not propose to take unfair advantage of its 

 visitors." 



In the following article The Waterloo Courier acknowledges that 

 much has been done to correct these evils: 



"The Courier congratulates Des Moines and the State of Iowa on the 

 success of the greatest fair ever conducted in the State. Undoubtedly 

 it was the best, as well as the largest, and will have resulted in a great 

 benefit to the state at large as well as to those who saw the exhibits. 

 The Courier indulged last year in a little of what might be called 'muck- 

 raking' in regard to the treatment of guests at Des Moines. The charges 

 were resented in the capital city, and even some outsiders called the 



