The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-01
OF BOSTON
 PURE FOOD SHOWS
Indications Are Chamber of Commerce Will Accept
 Invitation

Thursday of this week the special committee appointed by President Shook of the Chamber of Commerce to decide on the invitation extended to Birmingham and Alabama through the chamber to take part in the Boston pure food exposition this fall in the interest of bringing New England cap ital to Alabama farms will hold meet ing and will probably decide the ques- tion. Indications are. it is said, that the invitation will be enthusiastically ac- cepted
 Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana will be the only three states having indi- As many local Chamber of Commerce members feel that the invitation ex- tended last week is the opening to a tremendous opportunity for Alabama. the following information regarding pure food expositions in Boston is given:
 The first food fair ever held in Amer ica was given by the Boston Retail Grocers' association in Mechanics building in 1891. This first effort dem onstrated the possibilities of this type fairs were given successfully. At the first fairs food manufacturers, believ- ing that exposition advertising re- quired the lavish distribution of free samples. gave-tons of food free to vis- itors. and the daily newspaper adver- Using of the fair stated the fact, the consequence being that enormous crowds attended.
 Along about 1904 manufacturers dis continued the free distribution of sam ples on account of the enormous cost, as this item alone totaled many hun dreds of dollars. so to offset this change. good music was the attraction substituted. Sousa, Creatore, United States Marine, Salem Cadets and other national bands were engaged, and for time the attendance was maintained.
 The fairs up to 1906 and the one held in Park Square in 1908 were given and managed by the Boston Retail Gro cers' association. In 1907 Green & Rowe, who up to that time had man. aged over 40 successful food fairs in AsCW tnC cdSt, tHtSicu tlt Boston field and managed the New England food fair for the massachu- setts (State Retail Grocers and Pro- vision Dealers association. This fair, notwithstanding the so-called panic, was extremely successful, as well as two which followed in 1908 and 1909. Since then various means were resort
 ed to in fairs in other New England cities to secure the interest and at tendance of the better class of house. wives. Expensive attractions were se- cured but these drew the same some thing for nothing class as did the free samples of the early fairs.
 Then in 1912 new plan was tried, first
 at Worcester, Mass. Elgen J. Rowe, for
 merly of the firm of Green & Rowe. in-
 vited the cooperation of the club women
 in the Worcester Domestic Science and
 Pure Food Exposition, given by the Wor-
 cester Retail Grocers and Provision Deal
 CTS association. Five fairs had previously been given in Worcester by the grocers under the management of Green & Rowe,
 and as the attendance of the better class
 of housewives had seemed more difficult
 to secure here than in any other New
 England city. it was decided to try the
 plan of directly interesting. actively and financially, the Worcester Womans club.
 A progressive president, Mrs. George A. slocomb. grasped the possibilities and promised that If food purity would be made the aim she would recommend the
 matter to her board of directors. The plan was accepted and the fair was an in- stantaneous success, securing the atten- dance of the best class of housewives in Worcester, many of whom had never at tended the previous expositions.
 Domestic Science and Pure Food expo sitions followed in Providence, New Haven, Manchester, Lowell and Portland. all given by club women, and recently one in Fall River, given by the grocers and club women, all under the experienced guidance of MT. Rowe. Manufacturers who had not exhibited in years secured exhibit space and gave intelligent and practical demonstrations of their proc- ucts. but no samples were given. Cook ing demonstration lectures. chemical analysis of foods, illustrated talks or home topics. good music, educational moving pictures, and the exhibit and demonstration of absolutely pure foods were the only attractions.
 The success of these pure food exposs- tions prompted the Boston Retail Gro. l cers a association to again take up the mat. l ter of fairs and their eighth exposition will be given in Mechanics building, Bos- ton, from October 5 to 31 -four weeks), 1914