18 



Supervision and State Associations. 



I am a strong advocate of States having supervision of all 

 fairs presented within their borders, even though some fairs 

 may be owned privately and operated on private capital. 

 Proper State supervision not only insures right moral tone and 

 direction along desirable educational lines, but it insures for 

 the struggling smaller fairs assistance greatly needed. 



Each State should have a staff of expert fair men and 

 women for the purpose of assisting in the organization and 

 direction of its fairs. No State has as yet reached this point 

 in its fair supervision, but it is coming, and soon. Every 

 State should have an association of fairs which conducts each 

 year a convention during which questions vital to fair work 

 are discussed thoroughly. Several States have these asso- 

 ciations, which not only provide solutions of many serious 

 questions of management, but they serve to obtain proper 

 recognition for fairs from State and the national governments. 

 When a committee representing every fair in a State appears 

 before the Legislature it commands immediate attention, for 

 members of the Legislature know this committee has the power 

 of a giant at its disposal. Search through the fair personnel 

 in any community, and it will be found that the best men 

 and women are identified with the fair. Members of Legis- 

 latures know this. If any State is suffering for want of proper 

 legislative recognition of its fairs, it is because the fairs of 

 the State have been lax in organizing. 



The State Department of Agriculture is the logical organi- 

 zation to have supervision over fairs. If fairs of a State are 

 organized, they also will be in shape to combat any unfair 

 supervision that may be exercised by departments of agricul- 

 ture, or other supervising authority, which may be experienced 

 in remote instances. 



Reorganize when Found Necessary. 



This discussion, it may appear to some, is chiefly along lines 



of aid to the newly organized fair. What about the small 



agricultural fair that has been in existence for many years, 



and which is found not to be as progressive as it should be? 



