The Van Buren press., 1896-06-13
THE WORLDS FAIR OF 1900.
How the French VIII Raise tho Twenty
Millions 1t Is to Cost.

How the French WIN Raise tho Twenty
Millions 1t Is to Cost.
In spite of the opposition of the prov,
1nces and a certain amount of protest
from Paris on the score of the defaee-
ment of the Champs Eiysees, the
French exposition of 1900 will certainly
be held. The government of the renub-
lie will contribute $4,000, 900, which has
already been voted, and the city of
Paris is not likely to give less than So
100000. But, as the exposition is to cost
S2O, 900, another 1900, 900 will still
have to be provided. 1t is not the Gus,
tom In France to wait for the returns OF
gate money to make up the deficiency
remaining after payment of the subven-
tions. The exposition of 1859 was paid
for, and there was money in hand for
the cost of administration, before the
gates were opened. This was done by
II very ingenious scheme of issuing
bonds for 25 francs each. each of which
bore 25 coupons which were receivable
as admission tickets. The extreme pc
riod of payment for the bonds was rs
years, but, beginning with the expo
sition year, there were to be 81 draw
ings of the numbers of the bonds to be
paid off, and the first two or three num-
bers drawn were to be entitled to lot
terry prizes. The holder of each bond
thus acquired lottery ticket, 25 adj
mission tickets and the certainty of get
I'm
within time which might be anywhere
between a few months and rs years.
The scheme was brilliant success,
and had this, among other unexpected
results, of giving the pulHie the benefit
of considerable reduction in the price
of admission. The amount paid to the
exposition by the syndicate of bankers
who took the bonds, after providing a
sinking fund, for their gradual redemp-
ton, was $4,000, 600, which, added to the
receipts from concessions and priv
tleges, the returns from the sale of old
materials and the amount contributed
by the state and the city of Paris,
brought the total revenues of the expo.
sition up to very nearly S1O,000000. Az
the exposition cost less than So, 100000,
there was a surplus of about 81, 800, 900
to be divided in the ratio of their con.
tributions between the state and the
city of Paris. The problem of 1900 is
n more difficult one. 1t is not question
of getting S5,000,000, but of raising
twice that amount, on the pledge of en-
trance tickets. Profting by the eX-
ample of Chicago, which collected near
ly ten times as much from concessions
and privileges as Paris did in 1889, it
is probable that the managers of the
show of 1900 will extract a great deal
more than $500, 000-the amount re-
ported by their predecessors - from
that source. But, even if it were 3d.
000, 1000, there would still remain $1O,-
100000 to be raised mainly on adinis-
sions. 1t will be found good deal easier
to double the size and cost of the ex-
position than to double the number OF
its visitors.
The indirect gains of the enterprise
are less open to question. The prov.
inces argue from experience that it
will draw a great deal of money from
them, ever as the states of the central
west found the Columbian exposition q
severe drain on their current cash.
But the exposition of 1889 brought the
government an increase of SIS 100000 in
receipts from customs and other taxes,
while In the increase of octroi duties
the city of Paris received $1,S00,000. In
the half year in which the exposition
was open the six great railroads lead
ing into Paris had an increase of pas
senger traffic amounting to S9,000,000,
due solely TO the attraction of the show.
OF the 10000 exhibitors it was esti-
mated that each spent on his exhibit
an average of 5000, making a total OF
$36,0o0000, mostly spent in France.
Then there was, during the whole 1876
days of the exposition, an average adj
dition of 100000 persons to the popula-
ton of the city of Paris. If each OF
these spent, on an average, for board,
lodging and cab hire, Sc a day, there
was, taking no account of the cost of
S,eir amusements and the purchases
they made. total of $4,000 900, which
would not otherwise have been eX-
pended in the French capital. 1t is
hardly to be wondered Mt that the argu-
ments in favor of the exposition have
proved stronger than those against it.
Boston Herald.