Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-01
Some Points as to How il
Was Managed.
An Interview With the Ladies
Annex President.
The Exposition Building People Con-
trOlled Everything.
They Took in the Tickets, Kept Back Two
Days Receipts and Ran Things to
Suit Themselves.


nival was published in the HERALD the
general public has been wondering what
could have become of the enormous
amount of money expended. There has
been no charge of crookedness against
the managers, but pretty general sus-
picion that there was mismanagement
on the part of some party or parties, to
the public unknown, and that big
lump of money had disappeared some
where whereiit should not have gone.
Gradually rumors began to circulate of
bills paid for preposterous amounts, and
as new arrivals from Chicago appeared
people heard now of man who was
paid SO per night for lighting
the gas, then of an electric
light bill of $500, next of bill for the
removal and return of lot of booths in
the south wing of the exposition build
ing at an expense of $405, and finally it
began to be generally stated that the ex-
position building people had handled
both money and tickets and had practi-
cally merely turned over what they
pleased to the orange carnival, and had
retained all the receipts until the pre-
DUSbtIOuS plllo dlOlC6eiO WOiO paul. lHc
first positive information as to these de-
tails was obtained last evening from
Mrs. D. r. Wilder, the president of the
Ladies' Annex, who accompanied the
exhibit of that organization to the car
nival and returned on Friday.
The HERALD reporter who called upon
Mrs. Wilder was kindly received and all
questions asked were very readily an
swered.
Mrs. Wilder said that she had enjoyed
her visit to friends in Chicago, but did
not enjoy the trip as a whole, and
thought she could get along very COM
fortably without visiting the worlds
fair. The orange carnival she considered
a success in SO far as advertising South
ern California was concerned. The Wis
itors to the carnival were in
tensely interested in the exhibit
and asked great many
intelligent questions; some of them were
repeated so many times that the attend
ants became weary of answering them.
There was great deal of trouble
about getting the exhibition hall pre-
pared for the carnival. The exposition
people would permit none but their own
men to work about. the building, and
these men were slow and inefficient, yet
no one dared to object to anything these
employees did, because they all belonged
to union, and any objection might lead
to a strike. which would cause still fur
ther delays. The man who lit the gas
was the only man the exposition people
would allow to do the work. No one
knew how much he was to be paid until
the last, when his bill came in for SO a.
night. Mr.. Hanchette and the others
objected, but it was said that he always
received that, so it had to be paid.
''1he booths that were moved belonged
to private parties, who gave their per-
mission for their removal, if they were
put back again in position. The exposi-
tion men charged 1925 for moving them
away, and $3.50 for putting them back.
don't remember how much the electric
light bill was, but it was enormous, and
l remember that Mr.. Hanchette went
up to headquarters, and the secretary
up there threw off 1920.
"The tickets were taken up and sold
by two exposition employees, and every
morning the ticket box would be opened
in the presence of Mr.. Wells and Mr..
Hanchette, and the tickets counted.
Mr.. Wells said that it was impossible
for any cheating to be done at the door,
as he carried the key to the ticket box
himself, and no one else could open it.
The ticket collector was only watched
the first few nights.
"The exposition building folks held
back the receipts of the last two days
until the bills like these were paid.
They got all the money they could out
of the carnival folks. / think that
money could be saved another time, but
l don't think it has been wasted at all
this time, for the effects OF the advertis-
ing will be felt "a long time: but don't
care to have anything to do with anoth-
er carnival very soon. l don't think l
could stand it."
Mr., Frank Virgins in an interview
regarding the facts just elected, stated
that the gas lighter was paid SO per
night instead of SO, but that the work
he did was worth about As cents. The
gas company would permit no other man
to do it, however, and as the meters were
all under lock and key the gas could not
be lighted until an employee of the
gas company came and unlocked
them and turned on the gas. In regard
to moving the booths, the carnival folks
had demanded the refunding OF the $3.50
for the return of the booths, as the city
council had forbidden their erection in
the building again.. 1t was expected
that the money would be refunded, as
the work paid for had not been per-
formed. AS to the electric light bill, the
excess of 1920 was due to misunder-
standing, the company having made a
charge for material used, which they
had no right to do, and which part of
the bill was promptly crossed off on an
appeal to headquarters. AS to the
ticket collector, private watch was
kept on him for sometime, but nothing
discovered wrong about him. These
bills came up after the contract was
made, otherwise the contract would not
likely have been made at all. Mr.. Han
chette and Mr.. Truman both had far
different idea of the nature OF the con-
tract than that taken byethe exposition
authorities, but it did no good to make
objections, as the thing was without
remedy after the carnival opened.
Mr.. @. M. Wells said that he had
heard good deal of objection made to
the bill for advertising, but he consid-
cred that the least vulnerable point in
the committees armor, as it had been
very carefully and successfully managed
throughout. AS to the details OF the
finances it had been agreed by himself,
Mr.. Cook and Mr.. JONES' that nothing
was to be given to the public until after
the meeting of the general committee on
Wednesday next, when an itemized re-
- <.:x,o,, ,uhfoh will he fI1rppd