68 New Yoek at the Wobld's Columbian Exposition. 



nearly as large as that occupied by the Electricity and Mines and Min- 

 ing buildings combined. In round numbers the space set aside for the 

 United States at the exposition was 3,000,000 feet, of which New York 

 occupied nearly 500,000, or one-sixth the entire amount. In the Agri- 

 cultural Building New York had one-tenth of the total space granted 

 American exhibitors ; in the Machinery Hall two-fifths ; in the Manu- 

 factures Building one-fifth ; in the Fine Arts seven-twelfths. In the 

 Forestry and Fisheries alone is New York's proportion small, but in 

 each case all the space asked for was granted. This table should for- 

 ever kill the two hydra-headed rumors so often ciubbed into silence by 

 this board : one that New York took no interest in the fair, the other 

 that New York was discriminated against by the fair authorities. 



The Second Appeopeiation. 



It became evident in the latter part of 1892 that the State could 

 not make a display commensurate with its first rank as a Common 

 wealth without an additional appropriation. The rivalry had become 

 so intense between the different States that the prestige of New York 

 was seriously threatened, while the work of preparation was seen to be 

 far greater and more complicated than presented itself the year before. 

 To keep the same proportion between its exhibits and those of other 

 States, as actually exists in the commercial world, required the develop- 

 ment of comprehensive plans for which both time and money were 

 necessary factors. As the former element was limited the emergency 

 could only be met by a greater use of the latter. Many absolutely 

 necessary features could have been prepared at half the cost had six 

 :Tionths or a year's more time been at the command of the commission. 

 Furthermore, in seven of the thirteen departments of the exposition 

 the Board of General Managers were compelled to assume the prepara- 

 tion of a collective exhibit, as in no one of them was there a commer- 

 cial re1;urn. large enougli to warrant intrusting the display to private 

 enterprise. A statement of the case was made to the public through 

 the press and a bill introduced in the Legislature when it met in 

 January, 1893, asking for $300,000 more to complete the work. 

 The almost unanimous opinion was that it should be granted innnedi- 

 ately and no effort be spared to insure New I'ork's supremacy at the 

 fair. It was conceded by all that the total amount was not large in 

 consideration of the fact that New York could not afford to make an 

 inadequate display of her varied resources at a fair subjected to the 



