Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-26
SOME MONEY SPENT
By the Worlds Fair Commission in
Attending to Its Business, but
THE LOCAL DIRECTORY SAILS II
And Incurs Expense to Which the Former
Is Not q Circumstance.
COMPARATIVE FIGURES ON FAIRS

being in Pittsburg last night, was taken to
ask him concerning the charges of extrava-
gances which have been made against the
managers of the Worlds Fair by Congress
man Gamblers committee. Asked regard
ing the meaning of the charges Mr.. Brewer
said:
"They mean that Mr.. Gambler, like a
great many other people outside of Chicago,
and some even there. is entirely ignorant of
the amount of work necessary to organize a
great International Exposition, and greatly
mistaken as to the people who are doing the
work, just now most important. Mr.. Cand-
Ter probably voted for the Worlds Fair bill
without reading 1t, and although he has had
an investigating committee out at Chicago,
and has prepared a report charging extrav-
agapce on the part of the managers, there
was nothing about his method of inquiry,
nor is there anything in his report to indi-
cate that he knows what the provisions Of
the act of Congress are.
''The privilege of holding the Worlds
Columbian Exposition was eagerly sought
by number of cities, and it was not the in
tent of Congress to confer that privilege
without exacting some guarantee that the
fair should be thoroughly international in
its scope, and a credit not only to the city,
but to the entire country. To make the at
tainment of this end more certain, Congress
provided that the fair should be held under
the management of National Commission,
which was directed, by the terms of the act,
to select officers and go ahead at once to
make an international Exposition.
Chicago Made Little Jealous.
1t occasoned considerable disappointment
in the Chicago local corporation, which had
pledged S10,0O0,O0O in aid of the fair,
to see that the National Commits
sion interpreted its duty strictly,
and proposed to represent the fair before the
nation and before the world. But that feel
ing soon subsided, when the entire good
faith of the commission and the ability of
its executive officers were demonstrated by
the kind and amount of work which they
have done in aid of the Exposition. The
two bodies are now working IN entire har-
mony, under plan unanimously agreed to
by both, and Candler's report represents
only some of the friction and jealousy which
necessarily marked the initial stages of so
great and complicated an enterprise. His
investigation at Chicago took place about
three months ago, and no one there paid any
attention to it until it was rumored that the
report would embody the peculiar animosity
which Congressman Flower. of New York,
and Frank. OF st. Louis, have manifested
toward the Exposition project since Chicago
captured the prize.
"When it was understood that the report
would be hostile. the officers of the Commits
sion, President Palmer and Director Cen
eral Davis, who had not been invited before
the committee when it was in Chicago, asked
to be heard before the report was adopted.
They went to Washington for that purpose,
expecting the ordinary courtesy OF an inter-
view, at least, with the committee, but Mr..
CLndler refused to hear them, and had his
Eport adopted by the full committee while
these gentlemen were waiting in an adioin-
ing room for chance to say something
about the actual state of affairs"
"Is 1t true that the Commission voted its
officers extravagant salaries?"
Salaries of the Officials in Charge.
''That is entirely matter Of opinion. The
Director General gets $4,000, and is the
chief executive of an enterprise in which
about S15, ,000 900 will be expended, and in
which probably 10000 exhibitors will be
cared Tor. Each one will require about as
much attention as deposition in bank.
There are plenty of banks which pay their
chief officers as much, or more, but none in
which the work or the responsibility is
nearly as great The Frenchmen had three
directors general for the Exposition of 1889,
at $40, 900 each, and they regarded them as
having plenty of work and not too much
pay.
president Palmer was voted S12, 900, and
only uses as much as will pay his expenses.
II -. ia Il
tinction during the time when the Fair is
open, and to pay for it out of his S12, 1000.
The official head of the Paris Exposition
had over 100000 given him to be
spent in entertainments. The Secretary gets
SIC. 600, and the additional expenses of his
office force do not exceed 81 800 a year,
though they were somewhat larger during
the period Of organization. when he did the
| clerical work for the Commission and all Its
other officers The total salary list of the
| Commission, with all its officers and subor-
dinates, does not exceed $50. 900 year."
"What salaries are paid by the Chicago
| directory?"
''They are exactly in the same proportion
| for the chiefs. but very much larger in the
| aggregate. The regular pay roll now
amounts to about S75, 900 a year, and will be
largely increased when the executive depart t.
ments are organized. The Chicago corpora
ton agrees to pay the expenses of these de-
partments, which will not be less than
$3.50, 900 year. They have also under pay
at the present moment ten architects, FORM
ing consulting board, each one of whom
receives $40, 600 a year and expenses when
away from home.
One Case Not Yet Complained of.
81 see it stated, by the way, that one of
these ten-thousaad-dollar architects is q
| nephew OF Congressman Gambler; but Mr..
Gambler is not charging any extravaganza
against the Chicago local board.
"The fact is, that you cannot get men
capable OF doing the work required in an in
ternational exposition for salaries less than
are paid by the National Commission to its
officers. In other callings, and in perma-
nent places, men of less ability get more
money, and at no other International expo
sition ever held has SO much real executive
capacity been secured for SO small an aggre-
gate of salary"
"What are the chances of Candler's re-
port being adopted?"
mo chance at all, am glad to say. 1t
| is not even likely that he can get it before
the House. II is only one of the numerous
and annoying complications which have
arisen to make little delay in the complete
organization of the Exposition work, and
will not impair the final success of the en-.
terprise.
NEXT Sunday THE DISPATCH will be-
vip uublication of a series of South Sea Let