Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-10
PEOPLE WILL NOT GO.
Sunday Attendance at the Chicago
Fair Steadily Dropping.
HALF RATE ADMISSION PROPOSED.
Local Directory to Hold a Special
Meeting.
MANY EXHIBITS NOT ON VIEW.

WoRLD's FAN GROUNDS, CHICAGO, July
10.-sincs the attendance Of paying visitors
at the fair began to dwindle below the
80 900 mark the directors have been doing
considerable thinking as to the best course
to pursue in the interests Of the. exposition
aud the wage-working multitude for whom the
officials have borne the denuncistiou Of Sab
batarians. The principal reason for the de-
creased attendance on Sunday Is the
discovery on the part Of the working
people and others who have time
only on Sunday to see the fair that they
cannot see more than half the show for the
same price Of admission charged on week days
when every section Of the fair is open to
the public. The people have decided to
stay away altogether on Sunday and try to
see the fair on other days or they are waiting
for the directors to reduce the admission fee to
25 cents on Sunday. Many Of the broad
minded directors have come to the con-
clusion that the people will come with
their families in larger numbers than Oh
week days if the uniform price Of admission
Sunday is fixed at % cents. The Chicago press,
which is favorable to Sunday opening with one
exception, Is advocating half price for half q
show.
Yesterdays stir smaller attendance OF a., 500,
in spite Of the fne weather until evening, will
bring the directors to the acting point this
week.
THE DIRECTORY TO MEET.
A special meeting Of that body will be held
it is understood, before next Sunday. The
whole Sunday opening situation will be dis
cussed and the financial aspect considered.
Some directors will be in favor of closing the
gates Sunday because they believe Sunday
fair is failure not from any fault Of
their own, but because the exposition company
cannot compel state and foreign commission
ers, individual exhibitors aud the United State.
government officials to keep their exhibits
open to the public on Sunday. The men in
charge Of buildings and exhibits need q rest or
Sunday, and their employers viii not engage
help specially for Sunday work
For this reason many Of the exhibits are
closed. Pressure viii be brought to bear on
the directors also from the concsssionaires on
the Midway Plaisance, who are complaining
more vigorously than last month that they are
losing money and cannot continue to pay the
rs per cent Of gross receipts to the exposition
These concessionairss viii meet some tims
today to present an ul,imatum to the dir.csers
They say that they viii practically close theiI
attractions il they do not get reduction in theil
percentage, but il is probable they would
compromise II. the directors would make tn,
Sunday admission Is cents, bringing two Of
three times as many people into their section
OF tne PARK. which 10 tne Ietorlte Ieeort 10
most Of the Sunday crowd
NOW OPPOSES SUNDAY OPENING.
Mr.. E. L. Roche, alternate national commits
sioner from South Carolina, has always sdvo
Gated Sunday opening, but he told . Unitet
Press reporter this morning that he has
changed his mind.
lit seems to me-" said the southerner, "tha
after the fight that was made in the com
mission to secure the Sunday opening thai
people would show their appreciation by com
ing to the fair on that day. The attendance
however, is growing smaller on the Sabbath an.
I feel much chagrined over the failure Of Sun
day opening. Everybody that comes in tn
grounds goes right to the Plaisanc'
to spend the day. The visitors OF
Sunday seem to be pleasure seeker
rather than sightseers. l hope the nations
commission will request the local directory I.
act in the matter some time during the week
We should have. think. 26-cent admission
1t would pay, in my opinion, to have the Plat
tance only open and charge an admission fee o
% cents to that part Of the fair"