Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-11-24
WORLDS FAIR STATISTICS.

WORLDS FAIR STATISTICS.
From Treasurer SEEBERGER's report,
the Philadelphia Record gathers some
interesting figures regarding the mag
nitude OF that grandest and most I'm
pressive of expositiOns.
Omitting for the sake Of simplicity
any account Of the $1,000, 600 debenture
bonds issued and sold by the Exhibit
ton Corporation, all of which have been
redeemed, the receipts from all sources
have amounted to S2s, 926, 967. OF this
amount the sum Of S5,512,972 was re-
ceived from stock subscriptions; and
SIS, COS. 726 represents the amount real
lied from the bonds issued by the city
Of Chicago The total gate receipts
were SO, $40, 2OS; the amount re-
ceived from concessions was S.
3O5, COB; interest and other mis-
cellaneous sources of revenue
footed up S1,s1s.73s; the amount
realized from the sale Of souvenir coins
was s., 474,O75, and the souvenir coins
still on hand (at their face value) will
yield S214, S72. The total cost of the
Exposition in laying out the grounds,
erecting the buildings and for running
expenses reached the magnificent total
of see, $50, 600. The available balance,
therefore, amounts to So, 800, 95S. The
amount still due from concessionaires is
about $500, 900, most OF which is regard
ed as colectable There will, conse-
ouently, be a substantial dividend for
distribution among the stockholders.
The instructive feature of the inan-
cial results of the Exposition, and one
to be- borne in mind in future enter
prises of a similar character, is the enor-
nous amount of money realized rom
the sale of privileges 20 tho concession
aires. The receipts from this source
will be nearly four times the amount
that had been estimated. This result
has been ascribed to the system adopted
Of charging the concessionaires a per-
centage of their gross receipts, rather
than fixed rental. Very few OF these
persons would have taken the risk of an
agreement to pay the sums actually
turned in by them to the Bureau
of Collection. Take the Ferris
Wheel, for instance, which has paid the
administration of the Fair over $780,
600. There would have been no Ferris
Wheel at all if even one-half of that
sum should have been demanded in ad-
vance from the projectors of this
unique enterprise for the privilege Of
erecting aud running it within the Ex-
position Enclosure. A similar remark
might apply to most of the concessions
which have yielded a large profit,
notably the Cairo street. which paid
during the last three months of the
Fair in perez ntages TO the Bureau Of
Collection an average OF over $1,000 a
day, and on one day yielded over 81, 900.
A comprehensive idea Of the magni-
tude Of the Worlds Fair may be OBJ
tanned when one remembers that, great
as was the outlay Of the Board of Di-
rectors, the sum expended by them was
only one of three aggregates Of ex-
penditures equally large. By the side
OF the 500, $50, 900 expended by the tx
hibition Corporation must be placed the
cost of transporting, installing aud
caring for exhibits incurred by individ-
uals, corporations, States and nations.
This represents an outlay which the
best judges place at higher figure
than even $4,000, 600.
But the money expended by visitors,
exclusive of gate money, sums up
total almost as great as either Of the
two items above mentioned. Taking
the average taxes on sales, admission to
"villages, " etc, at 90 per cent, an in
come Of $4,000, 900 to the Exposition
obviously called FOR total outlay on the
part Of the public within the grounds
OF $50, 600, 600. Add to this the amount
received by the administration from the
sale OF souvenir COINS about $780,
OOO), aad allow a similar amount for
uneuumerated minor items, we have a
grand total of s25,OOO,OOO expended by
the visiting public for food, drink, en-
tortainment and souvenirs Of the Expo.