Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-03-28
THE STATE RESOURCES
AN INTERESTING CHAT WITH SECRETARY
HOOK
About the Coming Exhibition in Connection With
the State Fair-Soms Salient Points
Regarding the Matter.

chow are you coming on with the Grand
Exhibition of the Resources of the State,
by counties, which is to take place here
August 9th next?" asked q reporter Of
Secretary George Hook, yesterday.
"Oh, we have been corresponding with
the ffty-four counties in our State ever
since the booming Convention adjourned"
was the reply. Some of the counties
have already appointed their commission
ers, and a msjority of the county courts do
not meet until April, and 1 am informed
that they win all fall right into booming
their respective counties. If they do not
they will never have another opportunity.
The counties that exhibits their resources
with US, and appoint a commissioner to
represent them at our annual Fail, will show
their resources to the forty or fifty thou
sand visitors that attend our Fair annual
" from the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New York, and the New England States.
Thousands of peopledo not know the great
agricultural and mineral Of our
State. Sections having manufactures, tim
Der, &c, will be the counties that will reap
the advantage of new settlers, and they
will come to develop our rich State"
How about the expense each county
will be undel?"
"Why the expense will he but a trile.
- ~, aoNh onnnNu nna1c 90 ON nnrnnIInlinn nt
$50 or 800 for the purpose Of paying
transportation for the exhibit to the Fair,
and the expenses of each Commissioner for
one week ut the Fair, for the purpose Of
giving statistics and general information
10 visitors. The exhibits can be gathered
during the year from persons residing in
their respective counties, by the Commits
sioner, at a very little expense. A great
many people who have lands, &c, for sale
will give the Commissioner a specimen OF
the resources of their lands TO exhibit,
and through that method you will get n
grand exhibit of the resources of each
county, with a very small expesse. And
say that if each county only gets one new
new settler, with som capital, at such a
small expense it will be that much of a
gain, and the prospect Of getting many
more by her resources being thoroughly
advertised TO the whole world"
docs the State Fair charge anything
for space, &c.?"
"No, sir; the Board Of Directors have
erected a building for the grand exhibition
OF the resources OF the State by counties,
which will be no expense to the counties
making their exhibits, except as stated
above, for transportation OF the exhibit and
the ex pensss of the Commissioner.
"What do you intend TO do with the ex.
hibits after the FAM"
why, sir, each county has charge Of her
own exhibit through her commissioner,
and if be thinks it advisable TO exhibit mt
any other Fair he can do so and then re-
turn the exhibit to our city, and we will
have a building for n permanet exhibition
during the balance of the year, under the
supervision of the Fair Association, and
open all the time. When Our Annual
Fair takes place, we will remove the exhibit
to the Fair Grounds, then each county can
add from time TO time new specimens,
ETC."
How do you think that this plan of a
State exhibit by couuties will work."
81 think it will be one of the greatest
Improvements in showing the resources Of
the State. 1t will lie one hundred per cent
bstter than the old plan which has been
used all over the United States, called
State exhibits Why you 20 in to ole Of
the State exhibits at an exhibition and
yor will see a State exhibit of one Of our
States. kuowbOdy there can tell you
where such and snch an article is from.
They FAY it is from West Virginia,
but what county nobody knows,
and by this old system you
travel all over the State to find the county
in which the that you have seen
at a State exhibit that you wish 10 pur-
chase.
But by our plan we have set aside
space in n building for each county to ex.
hiblt separately. Now when you 90 into
that building the first thing you will see
will be all the fifty four counties with their
respective names over their exhibits, and
their commissioners ready to give statistics
OF thsiU&peGfTSE- CS9atjes tapersons v1s7f
ting. The visitoN Ike their selec-
ton of the county by the exhibit, which
one they intend TO visit for the purpose of
making an investment or to settle in"
"Now you SEQ the advantage of having
a grand exhibition of the resources of the
State by counties over the old plan Of State
exhibits. All we wish is that each county
take advantage of this grand opportunity
10 boom themselves with very little ex-
pense, and they will find that their popu-
lation will increase to such an extent that
they will receive a thousand per cent. on
their investment, and say hurrah, huTrah
for the State Fair, boom, boom the rich
State Of West Virginia.