THE PERGHERON REVIEW 
7 
Two Good Pairs 
our appropriations to all state fairs. I think it possible to main- 
tain our present appropriations to state fairs and I believe we 
should, in addition, feature two great breeders' shows — one in the 
East and one in the West, so located as to be most accessible and 
most beneficial to the largest possible number of Percheron 
breeders. I am not prepared to suggest which fairs should be 
selected, for this is a matter for your board of directors to decide 
in January and the directors ask for the advice and co-operation 
of any and all breeders in this matter. We only want to do what 
is best for the breed. 
At the Ohio State Fair in August, 1919, the greatest Percheron 
show ever held at any state fair in America, was successfully 
staged. 
There were exhibitors from as far west as Illinois, as far east 
as Pennsylvania, and as far south as Virginia. What was done 
last year at Ohio can be and, I think, will be done at Iowa. Then 
comes the great International Live Stock Exposition where exhib- 
itors from all states can exhibit and where the East and the West 
can meet. 
The great curtailment in the breeding of grade draft horses is 
reflected in our registrations as 2,083 less stallions than mares 
were recorded this year. This has curtailed our revenues and as 
our expenses have increased, due to advances which you have 
knowledge of, our expenses have exceeded our income by approx- 
imately $3,400. 
You all know that the cost of living has greatly increased and 
we have been compelled to increase salaries, not the salaries of 
your officers, but salaries of your clerks. The work has been han- 
dled with less help during the last year than before, but increases 
in salary which were necessary have increased our total clerk hire 
by about $1,800. It also costs $800 more to publish the Percheron 
Review than it cost heretofore and about $800 more for printing. 
These three items alone amount to about $3,500 and account for 
the deficit. That a deficit exists is greatly regretted by your of- 
ficers and by each member of this society. Recognizing that still 
further retrenchment in expenditures was an imperative necessity 
until the tide turns and the revenues of your society are increased 
by improvement in the horse business, I appointed a committee 
"On Ways and Means of Retrenchment" composed of Directors 
Dunham and Danforth to examine into every detail of the cost of 
operation of the Percheron Society and to ascertain if there was 
any way to reduce our expenses, because something has to be done 
when a business is running behind. No individual or firm can 
continue in business unless they at least break even. There are 
only two ways to meet a deficit. One is to increase your income 
and the other is to decrease your expenses. There is only one way 
to increase our income and that is to raise the charges for the 
service which the society renders to its members. That, none of 
your officers wish to do, especially under present conditions ; so we 
pursued the course that I have just outlined of trying to ascertain 
just where we could reduce expenses. 
You all know that the expense of running everything has 
greatly increased. Your society is no exception to this rule. Sal- 
aries have had to be increased — not to your officers (for the salary 
of the Secretary and Treasurer have not been increased) but on 
account of the high cost of living, the salaries of the clerks had 
to be increased if we were to keep them. We spent a lot of money 
in advertising, in paper, in printing; and all that has gone away 
out of sight. 
I owned a little newspaper in the country in which I live, or 
did owm it. I have sold it, I am glad to say. We used to buy 
paper at two cents a pound and they are asking us eight now — 
eight cents a pound for paper. That is not all. They tell us "if 
you do not want to close down, you had better buy your next two 
years' requirements now because it is probable that if you do not, 
you won 't be able to get it .at any price. ' ' I won 't dwell on this, 
but I wiU say that the committee on Ways and sMeans of Retrench- 
ment made a most exhaustive survey and report, and your direc- 
tors feel after reviewing same that we can reduce the expenses 
about $6,000 a year, or about ten per cent, without materially crip- 
pling the efficiency of your office or the services to be rendered to 
you gentlemen. 
I have explained this in order that you may realize that under 
these conditions we cannot increase appropriations to all state 
fairs, but it is my opinion that we should try to spare enough 
money to feature two great breeders' shows. I am not speaking 
officially as the board has not taken action, but this is my persona] 
opinion. These should be so located as to accommodate at min- 
imum expense the people living east of the Mississippi River and 
the people living west of the Mississippi River and they can later 
culminate in a great show at the International. 
I think that nothing happened during the last year that helped 
the Percheron horse situation more than the success of that great 
Percheron show at Columbus, Ohio. I know it has enthused a 
whole lot of people. It has gotten more people into business. It 
has kept some very important breeders from going out of business. 
It has caused some Eastern men to come west and get acquainted 
with our Western Percheron men. One man has, since that show, 
The Off-Horse in This Team — a Stallion — Is Earning His Way in 
the Collar 
A Handy Pair of Percheron Mares 
