The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-06
FAIR ASSOCIATION
THE BODY HELD A BUSINESS
 MEETING LAST NIGHT.
Heard Report from Secretary Gil bert and Decided to Raise Cap tain Hobson's Masts on
 Capitol Grounds.

The Board of Directors of the Street Far Association held a meeting last R.ce Vice-Presideiits H. c. Davidson and C. G. Abercrombie, Secretary l.. l.. Gill bert and Directors J. P. Bullock, C. F.. Moritz. John Tullis, Jr., Phares Cole | man, E. Meertief, F. F. Chaffee and Lee Veil.
 ! The General Manager submitted his re- | port in writing as also did some of the various committees. The financial state shows that the affairs of the Association has been most economically conducted, and that there is a balance left in the treasury. The Board decided to go ahead | and erect the flag pole, presented by Captain Hobson to the State of Alabama | on the Capitol grounds and to have the formal exercises attendant upon its pres entation at some favorable time in the future, the matter being left to the dis erection of President Rice, General Man ager Gilbert, and A. G. Forbes, Chair ] man of the Flag Committee.
 | The balance in the treasury will be | kept as a nucleus of fund for giving | some future entertainments by the Street Fair Association and advertising Mont | gomery by bringing people here from sur | rounding sections.
 | A number of bills are yet outstanding | which will somewhat reduce the balance in the treasury of the Association but | the Fair management is certainly to be I congratulated upon the financial outcome. l The report of Secretary Gilbert fol- lows: .,
 l Tn my report made one year ago to I the officers and Board of Directors of the Street Fair Association, there was incor- porated the following paragraph; |. I about three years. No more successful | fair can be given. We cannot hope to se- Il cure a combination of weather. high favorable again. would respectfully | suggest that while we are at the zenith | of our success we would rest on our laurels, and next year attempt something | of a different character. An entertain ment of some kind should-be held each year. Of that there Is no doubt, but of what character I cannot suggest. Per | haps a Committee might be appointed to- night, charged with the duty of investi- gating and planning some form of an en- tertainment, in lieu of Street Fair, witt instructions to report back at some fu- ture meeting."
 "The suggestion made in that report was adopted by your honorable body, and a Committee was appointed, on the lines suggested. After deliberating foi some months. corresponding with other cities. and interviewing large number of our merchants. it was at last agreed to leave the question of fair or no fair, to vote of those who had subscribed loeS Some replies were received opposing the suggestion of another fair-a large num- Der replied heartily endorsing the idea o1 I d spond at all. Having left the matter to vote, the Board of Directors felt bound to be governed accordingly, and though loath to undertake the burden of con- ducting another Street Fair for Mont gomery the members of the Board of Directors, yielded to the decision regis tered in the vote of the subscribers, and Vigorously prosecuted the work for an- other year.
 "Equipped with the experience of the two previous years, the Board was en- abled to do in one week what would have taken in experienced hands ont month to perform, so that the actual number of Board meetings and Commit tee meetings was perhaps less than II previous years.
 "The same plan was adopted in the management of the Fair that had proven so successful in previous years, so that each Committee. though working in a ? separate and distinct department. so ad- justed its relations with the other de- partments in reporting to central au' thority, that the entire enterprise was carried along smoothly and exReditiously | to a successful conclusion.
 Many obstacles had to be met ant overcome, among the foremost of which was the falling off in the subscriptions of over $. 900 as compared with the pre- which to conduct the Fair, the Board cut its cloth accordingly. determined not to incur obligations in excess of its reason | able ability to pay.
 ''The management this year, arranged for all their percentage shows with the Bostock- -Ferari Carnical Company, re- ceiving a somewhat smaller proportion of the gross receipts from entrance fees. but at the same time. being relieved oi an immense amount of detail work in the , way of securing good shows and saving large item in the expense of free shows on the street
 Tn one matter We were seriously dis appointed. Tuesday of the Fair week, had been designated as Flag Day. al l -I, u.z fC Af the Oquendo and Don Juan de Austria, gifts of Captain Richmond P. Hobson to the State of Alabama. was to be located on Capitol Hill, and the first flag raised fthereon. For this event, the Committees had secured from General Wheeler the loan of the first United States flag raised over Santiago. Owing to the delay in the l shipment of these maSts from the Brook lyn Navy Yard. it was impossible for the ceremonies to take place during the Fair week.
 Extensive and varied forms of adver- Using were prosecuted. reduced railroad rates from large territory were se- cured, two of the best musical organiza- tions of the South were engaged deco rations and brilliant illuminations made beautiful the Fair district, an immense military pagent was arranged a superb display of fireworks was provided. the first. river regatta ever held in Alabama created an epoch in the history of South crn athletics, and one of the best and most expensive vaudeville entertainments ever given in the South provided inno- cent and pleasing entertainment to the thousands gathered here. -
 Thanks are due to the executive otf-