Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-13
FAIR FINANCES.
Some Interesting Figures on
the Great Worlds Fair.
Centennial Attendance Was 0utdone
the First Of This Month.


WORLDS FAIR. Sept. ia-tSpeciall l.
1t is now in order to make few compari-
sons, as the attendance has far outrun
that at the Centennial and is reasonably
certain TO exceed that at the Paris exposi-
Zion of 1889. Here, too, the admission is
80 cents children half price,, while at
Paris ii was but franc, less than
70 cents Of our money, and every hotel,
,manufactory aud other big institution
IN that city bought great packages of
tickets and pushed them at a discount, 50
that many poor people went in for locents
pr less. In May the Centennial barely
got started, and the tickets used were 42s,
$50; in Chicago they were 1916. 500. and in
Paris 2,slo,sls In June the attendance
at Philadelphia was 1905, $50, and here
tpaid admissions) a,675, ,il3, and so the In
crease goes on, July showing 2.s6l, ,a,3 and
August 3,5ls, ,ea3 here. and this despite the
fact that on July there were 2s3, ,273 ad-
missions. which exceeded those OF any day
in August.
On the first of this month this exposi-
ition had, as aforesaid, outdone the Cen
seminal and was good second to Paris;
but it is now certain that the admissions
will average I'D. coca day or more through
September and probably to the middle Of
October. So the money question comes
up again. Director General Davis has
figured that the total cost of the fair, not
counting the articles exhibited. is S33, ,2is,-
p30. Surely nation can not be ''desper
ately hard up" when it can spend that
much money on big show But the ma
tion as such did little. The states put III
u, OK. $50 and foreign governments $d,57i,-
527. OF the rest the national government
81, ,50O,0O0 outright, g., 500, 900
in souvenir coins, sl03,0O0 for bronze
medals and diplomas, s559. .ooO for expense
Of the government board. s346. .s15 for the
national commission. So the government
has trife over 10000 in this thing.
which. like all government advances and
such, may be looked ON as permanent
| believe there is talk of
some ''pull' on it in the law; but we re-
member the Pacific railways, and we have
read OF the "distribution" in Jackson's S
and we know what we
know.
The governments, state, national and
foreign. having put in nearly SIS, ,o0, 600,
there are still about SIS 000, 600 to account
for. OF this Chicago put in s., ,ooC, 600 and
does not expect a cent Of it back. but Incl
dentally is getting it out of us fellows
The gate receipts down TO opening day
~
ton fund. The debenture bonds sold
amounted to a ,09i 500 and every cent VIII
be paid Miscellaneous receipts which
went to the construction fund amounted 10
1884, ,557.5 All the rest is represented 10y
the subscribed stock, paid in dollar for
dollar; it amounts to sJ,J53, 1do. 50, and the
burning question Of the hour and the
place is, will they get it2 OF course they
will not get all of it, As all other claims
are preferred. and only a little while age
% cents on the dollar was the quoted rate,
hut hear the stock is going up little.
Some oi the figures on state buildings
are Of great interest. Illinois led oil by
putting s-JO, ,G0u On and in her building
and other exhibits, and So that building
IS quite creditable fair in itself. The
structure cost but ESQ, 600 and it has per
haps the most commanding position or
the grounds. Next came New York
with an expenditure of 500, 600 and Cali
fornia with s5j0. COO, and then there isa
great drop to Pennsylvania with stsl.
Michigan with s275,000 and Wisconsin
with S2i2, 800, and after that the drop is
continuous and pretty rapid to Nevada
the lowest state, with $4,000, and Okla
homa, the lowest territory, with 81 so,
All the New England states together put
in less than half as much as Illinois, and
all the sixteen southern states only Sloi,
900 more than she, However, this Is IL
some sort an Illinois affair.
The So, ,2.e, $50. as aforesaid, does not in
clude any cost Of the exhibits, and in any
attempt to estimate their value the i'm
agination is soon fatigued. Here, foi
instance, are some 2co paintings ano
statues Of the first class and 5000 other
works of fine arts, worth dare not say
how many millions, but running far into
the tens, of course, as many are from tht
worlds greatest collections and only
loaned for this occasion as rare act o.
courtesy to the United States. For this
reason the Art Palace is guaranteed as al
solutely fire proof and the regulation
there are rigid to a military degree. Anc