The Pensacola journal., 1906-08-21
Benefits Derived
from the State Fair.

Several of the newspapers OF the
state having contended, in recent as
sues. that the Tampa State Fair is
beneficial only to the city of Tampa
and that the various counties of the
state received lilUe if any benefit
from exhibits made there, The Tampa
Herald publishes the following in de-
tense of the fair, under the caption,
''State Fair and the Benefit Derived"
which seems to answer all the Ques-
tions thus far raised:
The Herald has on numerous occa-
sions endeavoped TO impress the ne
cessity of working for the state fair
which is to be held in November. Too
much could not be said or written re-
garding this great event. 1t means
great things for the state in general,
as well as much for this city.
There are q few people throughout
the state who, through some process
of reasoning, claim that Tampa re-
CeiveS all the benefit from the fair and
that the counties that exhibit are
eft, and are only building up Tampa
by aiding in bringing the thousands
OF visitors to the fair.
Tampa receives benefit from the
event. 1t it natural that she should
receive it. But because this city reaps
much good, 1t does not necessarily fol.
low that the counties that are repre-
sented by exhibits do not receive ben
eft. The towns throughout the state
which are placed in the list of the
progressive, are organizing board of
trades, and II is supposed that these
organizations are for the purpose of
building up the cities In which they
exist, mainly through advertising the
advantages that the town may
possess. The organizations are impor-
tant-perhaps esSential-but an eXhi-
bit at the fair, setting forth the re-
sources of THE county and the advar-
tages of the town and cities of the
counties, will advertise more effective
ly than board of trade can expect to
do, no matter how much money they
eXpend. Thousands of people are
reached at the fair. They are here
many Of them, TO investigate the ad-
vantages of Florida They will 10
cate permanently in some section of
the state and aid materially in the up
building OF the section in which they
settle.
Aside from the individual good that
the COUNTIES of the state will derive
florida will be the recipient Of untold
benefit. The state fair has come to be
iooked upon as state institution, and
as such should be supported.
It is gratifying to note that the
press Of the state is taking up the mat.
ter and Is giving it the advertising
that 1t deserves. The papers of the
state are deserving of great praise for
the manner in which they have support
ed this institution. The editors real
lie that the fair is the greatest devel.
oper that Florida has ever known,
and, as such they are willing to give
dt space in their publications.
There is now no reason for any
county In Florida to feel that it will
not receive justice at the hands of the
committees that will be in charge of
the awarding of the various prizes
The new system OF awarding the
prizes will eliminate any disadvan
tages that scme counties were put to
at the past fair. There was reason
for complaint, to some degree, last
Eear. The system OF points was a
good one, but 1t worked a hardship
on some of the counties that were
represented. This year the state fair
is divided into four sections. Zach of
The sections produces practically the
same products. 1t is evident that each
county i'm the section will have an
equal chance to win the first prize
South Florida will doubtless have the
best exhibit of citrus fruits. Some Of
the counties in this section will have
a diversified exhibit of products. Polk
county, which has had an excellent ex-
hibit every year, will bring an exhibit
that will represent many industries.
This county can have no cause of
complaint this year if it exhibits.
The Herald believes, IL the counties
OF the state will enter the list of com
peting counties, that there win be 70
cause of complaint. Justice will be
done every one of them. The benefit
derived will more than remunerate
for the eXpending of the funds which
will be necessary to place an exhibit