The San Francisco call., 1904-09-11
Prominent Men From West
Appointed to Judge the
Merits of Various Exhibits
FAIR DEAL is ASSURED
Great Demand for Wine of
the Golden State Is Made
by Visitors to Exposition
BY PAUL EDWARDS.

ton and Henry Lachmann of San
Francisco on the wine jury is very
satisfactory to California. They will
not endeavor to give the Golden State
any the best of the decisions, but will
be alive to her interests. Professor
Wylie has intimated that he may not
accept the appointment but pres
sure enough can be brought to make
him accept 1t, it is hoped.
Where" asked one of the Califor-
MIA county commissioners of another,
can 1 get two cases of California
wine for lady who wants them right
away?"
Why, over at the Wine Temple.
suppose was the reply, "or at some
OF the houses downtown"
We'll, can't" said the man who
had first spoken. II have tried at the
Wine Temple and have asked at a
good many places downtown and the
best l can do is to leave an order at
the Wine Temple and get the goods
III two weeks.
The lady who wanted the wine rep
resented prominent concession in the
Palace of Agriculture where the us
ing of the wine would have been a
good advertisement for the product
as we'll as a matter of profit to the
producer. She came to the California
section, thinking she could get all she
wanted at once, but found she could
not buy any at all. She sent down
town and bought two cases of Ohio
wine.
A comparison of notes among the
county commissioners brought to light
the fact that efforts to buy California
wine are constantly being made at the
various booths in the California Sec
ton by people who want it at once.
They are always referred to the Wine
Temple, where they are told by Com
missioner Haber, in charge there, that
he will take their orders and SEND to
California for the wine they desire.
The county representatives are conf
dent that had a concession been OBJ
tanned to sell wine in the Palace OF
Agriculture many hundreds of cases
would have been disposed of, the
buyers being people from many sec
tions of the Union. There are a great
many visitors who wish to try Cali
fCrnia wines and would buy a few bot
ties to take with them could they get
them while here. Many concessions
and State and foreign buildings would
probably buy some of the wine were
il convenient to do so. There is said
to-be one large house in st. Louis that
represents three California wine firms,
but it has not made itself known at
the fair and the wine is certainly not
advertised. by il. $50.
WINE BY THE GLASS.
Austria, Italy and Germany have
concessions to sell wine in the Palace
OF Agriculture and they dispose of it
by the bottle or glass, even selling
single drinks of champagne. Many
people of a good class who would like
to sample California wines fail to do
so, as they do not like to in any way
put themselves in the position of
"sparring for a free drink" and know
they cannot buy at the Wine Temple.
Whether it is better to let these go
their way without sampling or to
strike a blow at California's firmly
rooted and ancient principle of hos
pitality by substituting for it a spirit
OF commercialism is a problem that
Will hardly be solved at this fair.
Il asked Superintendent Taylor of
this building about a concession to
sell wines,' said Haber, land he told
me it couldn't be granted, because it
would open the way for every dis
tiilery in the country to sell liquor on
the grounds. l told him ours was
state and not an individual exhibit
and he said it made no difference.
Foreign countries were granted con-
Cession to sell, he said, because they
had gone to such great expense to
bring their goods here. 1 spoke to
Commissioner Filcher about getting a
concession, but have heard nothing
from it,
The foreign countries were granted
concessions to sell wine because they
made that a condition precedent to
their making exhibits said Commits
sioner Filcher. II asked about getting
one for California, but was told 1t
couldn't be granted. I am not sure,
anyway, that the wine men would care
to charge for their goods at the fair"
Whether it is better to give pro-
ducts away or to charge a nominal
price for them to cover the cost is a
question that is coming to the front
and will probably be considered by
those interested in making California
exhibits at coming fairs. Commis-
sioner Filcher is of the opinion that a
charge should be made to cover cost
and will try to carry out this idea at
the Portland Fair. Many California
representatives are firmly opposed to
this idea, as they say the fair fame of
California would be damaged by in
PRODUCING commercialism into the ad-
vertising of her resources and that a
great State cannot show better the
prodigality of her products than by
free-handed hospitality, which brings
thousandfold better returns than
would come from a display which 1t
was intended should pay for itself.
GIFTS ARE TABOOED.
Los Angeles takes middle ground in
this matter 1t gives away nothing to
visitors, not as much as a peanut, but
it sells nothing. A beautiful exhibit is
erected and the people pass by and
gaze upon it.
The question is one that Is certain
to be brought I'm for col11ffoy,