The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-11-19
THE GREAT FRENCH FAIR
How the Money for the Huge Un-
dertaking Will Be Raised.
Twenty Million Dollars IL the Amount
Estimated to Be Necessary for
tho Mammoth EXPOSE
tion of 1900.

In spite of the opposition OF the prov
inces and q certain amount of protest
from Paris on the score OF the deface-
ment of the Champs Elysees, the
French exposition of 1000 will certainly
be held. The government of the repub-
lie will contribute $4,000, 900, which has
already been voted, and the city of
Paris is not likely to give less than $3,-
100000. But, as the exposition is to cost
0,OOO, 900, another S12, 900, 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 subveu-
tions. The exposition of 1889 was paid
for, and there was money in hand for
the cost of administration, before the
gates were opened. This was done by
n 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 IS
years, but, beginning with the expo
sition year, there we're 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 a lottery ticket, Is adj
mission tickets and the certainty Of get
ting his money back, without interest,
within time which might be anywhere
between a few months and IS years.
The scheme was brilliant success,
and had this, amoug other unexpected
results, of giving the public the benefit
of a considerable reduction in the price
of admission. The amount paid to the
exposition by the syndicate of bankers
who took the bonds, after providing
sinking fund, for their gradual redemp-
ton, was 81, 300, 900, which, added to the
receipts from concessions and priv
ileges, 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 s10,000:000. As
the exposition cost less than Sc, 100000,
there was a surplus of about 81, 100000
to be divided in the ratio Of their con-
tributions between the state and the
city of Paris, The problem of 1900 is
a more difficult one. It is not a question
of getting $5,O00,000, 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 great deal
more than S4O0, ,000-the amount re-
ported by their predecessors - from
that source. But, even if it were s2,-
100000, there would still remain $1O,-
100000 to be raised mainly on admis-
sions. It will be found good deal easier
to double the size and cost of the ex-
position than to double the number of
it's 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, even as the states of the central
west found the Columbian exposition
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 81, 100000. 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 100000,
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 $500, making total of
| sac. .0Oo,o 900, mostly spent in France.
Then there was, during the whole 1so
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 day, there
was, taking no account Of the cost of
their amusements and the purchases
they made, total of ss16, 900, 600, which
would not otherwise have been ex-
pended in the French capital. 1t is
hardly to be wondered at that the argu-
ments in favor of the exposition have
proved stronger than those against it.
Boston Herald.