304 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



railroads have granted a three cent round trip rate to the fair, and 

 we expected the same this year up to three weeks before the fair. We 

 could not, as we have done for twenty years, advertise a reduced rate 

 to the fair. The patrons of the fair, especially those from a distance, 

 say, "Well, no rates this year. Guess I will not go." This did not 

 make so much difference to the people living within a radius of forty 

 or fifty miles from the fair. As I have said time and again, I would 

 rather have the attendance of one person who lives one hundred miles 

 from the fair than three who live only forty or fifty miles distant, for 

 those who live the long distance when they come will stay three or 

 four days, while those who come the short distance will come in the 

 morning and return home that night. V/e have tried in every con- 

 ceivable way to show the railroads of the state that our interests are 

 mutual. We are building up the resources of the state, and when we 

 do that we build up every industry in the state; and there is no one 

 industry that is more benefited by the upbuilding of this state's great 

 resources than the railroads. Then why should they not be co-workers 

 with us in building up this great educational institution. We had 

 a meeting in Chicago last October with the members of the Western 

 Passenger Association to lay before them that the future success of 

 these great fairs depends largely upon what the railroads are going 

 to do. This me-eting was attended from Iowa by Clifford Thorne, State 

 Railroad Commissioner, Geis Botsford, Secretary of the Des Moines 

 Commercial Club, H. W. Byers, city corporation counsel for Des Moines, 

 A. R. Corey, Secretary of the State Fair, and myself. And I want to 

 say right here that in matters where the interests of the state fair 

 are at stake you can always depend upon the city of Des Moines doing 

 her part. We had a very agreeable meeting in Chicago; they treated 

 us very nicely and heard our side of the story — and, in fact, that is the 

 only side you will hear. They are the best listeners I have ever met. 

 They simply said they would take the matter up and let us know later. 

 I feel that we have a good case; and if the railroads are not willing 

 to do something to help along a cause that is helping them, then 

 I think it would be within the power of the legislature to put in the 

 hands of the railroad commission of this state authority to deal with 

 just such cases. 



I will not go into the details of the last fair, as our Secretary, Mr, 

 Corey, will give you a complete statement of the receipts and disburse- 

 ments. There was expended for permanent improvements on the 

 grounds the last year something like $71,000.00, all out of the profits 

 of the fair for the last two years — a new cross section of the horse 

 barn, a street car station, cement floor in the agricultural and machin- 

 ery buildings, new speed barns, cement walks and gutters. The Des 

 Moines City Railway Company treated the fair very nicely this year 

 by moving their tracks to the new location at a cost of twelve thou- 

 sand dollars, while they still had ten years of the old lease to run. The 

 land purchased from the appropriation by the last legislature opened 

 up some very desirable ground; in fact, it looked as if a new fair had 

 started in the southwest part of the grounds. This relieved th© con- 

 gestion we have always had in the center of the grounds. 



