The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-16
NEWMAN TALKS Of
KENTUCKY AIR
State Appropriates $4,000
for Fair Annually
EDUCATIONAL PHASES
Secretary of Kentucky Fair Thinks
More Attention Should Be Given
That Part of ShOw-More At
traction for Farmers Needed

Stating that the state of Kentucky
gave to the Kentucky state fair $4,000
annually and that the educational
phase of the Alabama fair was lacking
more than anything else. J. w. Newman
of Louisville made some interesting OBJ
servations at the State Fair last night.
Mr.. Newman is president of the Ken
lucky State fair is commissioner of ag-
riculture, labor and statistics of the
state and is being boosted by the farm
ers of the state for the next governor
of the Blue Grass state.
In some things your fair is better
than ours and in others it is not so
good" said President Newman last
night when asked for a comparison.
The Kentucky fair was held at Louis
vile last month. Your amusements
are far better and on a larger scale
than ours, but your educational and
agricultural departments are not so
good. You have show here for the
city people and the city people are
largely your crowd; we have fair for
the country people and the country
people make up by far the greater part
of our attendance.
Get State Appropriation
In our state We receive $4,000 from
the state every year to aid our state
fair; $4,000 being given in premiums
and $4,000 for maintenance. We give
away $4,000 every year in premiums
in the agricultural department alone.
Since l have been connected with the
state fair we have erected a $11O,000
pavilion and a reinforced concrete
grandstand. which cost $4,000. That's
what you need here, is permanent build
ings, and that's what we also need
more of.
But as l have said, for your fair
to become permanent, you will have to
play more to the educational and agri-
cultural end of it. Make 1t more a show
for the farmer than for the city dweller.
1t in reality ought to be a place for
these two classes to meet on an equal
basis and exchange ideas and get closer
related. You say that Birmingham is
not located in a farming section, but
neither is Louisville. Louisville, where
we hold our fair. is in the center of
the blue grass section of Kentucky,
and the farmers who come to our fair
come, speaking generally, from a dis
tance of as or 100 miles. Within that
radius here you also have your farm
ing districts on both the northern and
southern sides OF you and If you make
the change gradually you will see that
the farmers will gradually come more
and more. To make the change in one
season no doubt would bankrupt you.
Develop Through Fairs
Alabama is just as great an agri-
cultural state is Kentucky if the
agricultural districts were better de-
veloped. The way to develop them is
through your State Fair That's where
you have the greatest opportunity for
your educational work. I'm for the
farmer every time and | can't believe
that until you make your fair more of
a farmers show you cannot secure the
complete success you deserve.
You cannot work too hard for the
state appropriations. 1t is a great help
TO us and know it will mean just as
much to the Alabama Fair Any state,
and especially a state with such an ag
ricultural future as Alabama. ought to
aid its state fair very substantially"
Secretary j. L. Dent of the Ken
tucky fair was with Mr. Newman They
stated thht they just "snealxed Off for
a little vacation and would return to
Louisville today. Mr.. Newman is very
modest about his gubernatorial chances
He states that he's just Country fell
low and that the farmers of Ken
lucky think good deal of him and
1t is these farmers who are boosting
him for the next governor. The election
will be held in 1915.