Report of Board of General Managers. 29 



people to lay aside any feeling of indifference which they may entertain 

 toward the World's Columbian Exposition and to recognize the fact 

 that New York cannot afford to be anywhere but among the foremost 

 participants in the great national success which the exposition is destined 

 to be. 



Intending exhibitors from New York will stand on equal terms with 

 earlier applicants from other States if they ai-e prompt in responding to 

 the appeal which will be made to them by the commissioners of their dis- 

 tricts. It will greatly facilitate the work to be done if all applications for 

 space are addressed to the president of the board of commissioners of the 

 district in which the intending exhibitor's place of business is situated. 

 No positive assurance can be given to any applicant that he will have the 

 space he asks for; but it will be one of the duties of the representative ■< of 

 the State to insist on New York having, in all the great industrial depart- 

 ments of the exposition, the relative allotment of space to which the mag- 

 nitude and variety of her products entitle her. They have a record of all 

 the applications already made, and are in daily communication with the 

 exposition authorities in regard to new applications. Prompt attention 

 will be given to all inquiries addressed to any of the district managers, the 

 location of whose headquarters will shortly be made public. The mana- 

 gers and commissioners of the State exhibit begin their work profoundly 

 impressed with the greatness and brilliancy of the achievement which the 

 civilized world will be invited to contemplate at Chicago next May. It 

 will be their earnest endeavor to see that New York secures her full share 

 of its lustre. 



Signed by the Board of General Managers and the Judicial Distiict 

 Commissioners. 



At the date of the issue of the foregoing address the number of 

 applications for space at the exposition received from the State of New ■ 

 York did not greatly exceed 400. After the time fixed for filing 

 applications had expired the number of New York applications was 

 found to be 2,486. These were for purely commercial or individual 

 exhibits, and did not include the contributors, numbered by thousands, 

 to the various exhibits installed under the direction of the State, whose 

 cost was defrayed from the appropriations disbursed under the author- 

 ity of the board. The personal applications which passed through the 

 hands of the board, and which were for the most part collected by tlie 

 district commissions, were distributed as follows among the tliirteen 

 great departments of the exposition : 



