SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART I. 15 



no mistake in following the policy of providing good, clean amusements. 

 This policy is being carried out by all of the leading fairs of America. 



IMPROVEMENTS. 



Thousands of dollars were paid out for improvements on the grounds 

 the last season. While no appropriation was made by the Thirty-first 

 General Assembly fcr buiMiiigs, the Board went ahead and made improve- 

 ments with what available funds were on hand. The policy of erecting 

 nothing but permanent brick and fireproof buildings has been adopted 

 in so far as possible. This we believe to be an excellent idea, and if ad- 

 hered to will in time give the State an excellent equipment at the State 

 Fair grounds. In keeping with this policy a large, fire-proof brick res- 

 taurant building was erected at an expense of a little less than $10,000. 

 This building is divided into four apartments, each apartment having a 

 large dining room 30x80, with a kitchen 20x30, and a cellar of the same 

 size under the kitchen. The building is equipped with a steam boiler 

 which furnishes all the steam necessary for steam cooking, hot water, 

 etc. A brick cattle barn with metal roof, 60x20, was bull at an expense 

 of about $4,700; $200 additional was added to this item in the financial 

 statement, being the amount expended in removing the old barns and 

 fitting them up so that they might be used for a few years more; $2,500 

 was used to install show cases in the exposition building, $1,700 for 

 painting and $700 for a refrigerator and fixtures in the dairy building. 

 Additional fencing was built at an expense of about $800, and landscaping 

 to the amount of $345.00 was added. About $600 was expended for in- 

 creasing the lighting facilities in the camping grounds; $1,000 was used 

 in building and refitting barns to accommodate the large horse exhibit, 

 and about $1,445 in rearranging and adding to the swine barns in order 

 that the greatest number of pens possible could be provided for the 

 swine show; $1,200 was expended in the amphitheater in repairing floors 

 and putting in reserved seats. These seats can be taken out and used 

 in the new amphitheater when built. About $2,900 was spent in mis- 

 cellaneous improvements and repairs, bringing the total amount put into 

 improvements and repairs on the State Fair grounds fcr the season of 

 1906 up to $30,035. 



NEW IMPROVEMENTS. 



As shown elsewhere in this report, the amount available out of the 

 money on hand for the expenses of the department, preliminary expenses 

 of the State Fair of 1907, and improvements for the next year will be 

 about $35,000. Out of this amount it will require from $20,000 to $25,000 

 to put in the water supply system, two or more additional closets and 

 increase the lighting facilities. The fair ground 'property has never had 

 any fire protection, only such as could be had with chemical fire ex- 

 tinguishers. Further than this the Board has had to face an inadequate 

 water supply during the fair week. Arrangements have now been made 

 with the Des Moines Water-Works Company whereby the company is to 

 extend their water mains out to Thirtieth street, where the State can 

 make a connection for the water distribution system inside the grounds. 



