The age-herald., 1900-01-14
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES
History of. the Association from Its Inception Set Forth in Detail. An Open Letter to the
 Press of Alabama.

The status of affairs of the Alabama State Fair and Agricultural association, about which so much concern has been ex- | pressed, has at last been made public. The failure of the fair association to pay certain debts and premiums incident to the 1 exhibition recently held has been severely 1 criticized. especially by the weekly press of tine state, which holds several hundred l dollars worth of those celebrated checks" | At a recent meeting of the board of di- rectors report was submitted by secreta- ny Rountree, giving a complete history of l the association from its inception to the present day, together with statement of | the receipts and disbursements, as follows: l The Report
 To the Board of Directors Alabama State Fair
 Gentlemen:-As secretary of the Alabama State Fair and Agricultural Association I desire to submit the following report as tc the inception, progress and work of the 1 State Fair:
 On July s, 1899, at regular meeting of 1 Vue 1O11l1neTcldl CiuD, 1IeSlutul l. | Anderson. in his first monthly message, | said as follows: Many of our leading 1 merchants have called my attention to the | importance of having established annually | the Alabama State Fair. The annual State l Fairs heretofore held at this point, con ducted as they were on a moral plane, free l from gambling and other objectionable fea- l lures, proved great benefit to the farm l CTS throughout the state. It furnished an | incentive to the growth of better crops l and to the raising of better grade of stock. It brought them into fellowship | and competition with each other, thus l enabling those who were behind to catch l up by gathering valuable information, and | those who were ahead to push on to | greater improvement. A state fair held l here each faTl would add much to the busl- | ness of our merchants and help our people | generally This be easily understood l when I state, by actual count 35,000 people | passed through the gates in day dur | ing the holding of one of our State Fairs in
 this city,
 After President Anderson's address was | read a motion was made that commit | tee of nine be appointed to cooperate with | a committee of three (Messrs. John w. | ONell, 5. H. Barron and D. J. Fox) ap-
 pointed by J. L. Chalifoux president of
 the Board of Trade to inaugurate the | State Fair movement. On the evening of
 July 16, President Anderson announced in
 the Daily News and Daily Ledger the fol- | lowing committee: J. A. Rountree chair
 man; Webb Crawford, M. V. Joseph R.
 E. Kolb, Jacob Fies, Robert Jemison, J. B.
 Morson, P. G. Bowman and Otto Marx l On July 19, 1899, the joint committee met l in the Commercial club rooms and discussed
 the movement in all of it's phases and de- | cided unanimously to organize and hold a | state fair. At said meeting it was stated l by MT. John w. O'Neil that the merchants | of Birmingham wanted a state fair and | uonld SnhsprhQ Hhara1Iv he l Committees were appointed on subscrip- | ticns, donations and location, etc.
 | The movement was launched with the ex- | pectations that il would receive the hearty | cooperation of the business men of Bir- l mingham. The press of Birmingham and the entire south took up the question and 1 enthusiastically advocated the movement l and so much encoura cement was received | that the joint committees called a meeting l of interested parties from all parts of the J state to meet in Birmingham on August 1 and fairly launch the enterprise. This
 meeting was held and it was the unanimous
 opinion that the fair should be organized.
 A committee was appointed to get out in
 corporation papers and proceed with the | organization of stock company, with a | capital stock of $15 000
 | On August 15 books, of subscription to the
 capital stock were opened. Over 20 per cent
 of the capital stock was subscribed and
 paid in. On August 16 a meeting of tine
 stockholders was held and the following
 directors were elected: J. B. Morson, P.
 G. Bowman. T. F. Parker. T. G. Hewlett, 1 l.. A. Stubblefield, J. A. Roundtree, A. E.
 Caffee, w. F. Garth, T. w. O'Byrne. After
 which the following officers were elected:
 A. B. Caffee, president; P. G. Bowman,
 vice-president J. A. Roundtree, secretary;
 Henry B. Gray, treasurer.
 | The fair was fairly launched, and the
 next movement was the selection of a To- cation and erection of buildings and track
 Smith park was selected and a lease for
 building committee consisting of T. c. | Hewlett. chairman; T. F. Parker and J. l A. Roundtree, advertised for bids for the
 erection of a grand stand, exhibition hall l and 300 stalls. Five sealed bids were re- | ceived. On August 22 they were opened and
 the contract was awarded to Mir. J. l.. | Burns, who was the lowest responsible bid
 der A contract was signed with Mir Burns i! and he made bond to perfect the work of
 completing the buildings not later than
 November 1. Mir. Richard Randolph was
 selected as building supervisor, and no man
 ever discharged his duties more faithfully
 The work of erecting the buildings was | pushed forward with astonishing rapidity I and was completed on time, and Mr. Burns
 Is to be congratulated on carrying out his
 contract, considering the action of the labor unions with which he had to contend
 Finances In regard to the finances of the associa.
 tionrI desire to state that of the capital | stock of $15 000 SS S94 was fully maid m Ot