The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1916-02-12
FAIR DIRECTORS ELECTED.
Annual Meeting of stockhoh
ciationFinancial Stat9
ably in Excess of Liabis
ate Indebtedness. q

S@A -
The annual meeting of the stock.
holders of the South Louisiana Far
Association was held at the headquar-
tiers of the organization in this city
last Sunday, with the following pres
emit: Evan j. Mccall, R. S. Vickers,
Joseph P. Thiac, Walter Lemann,
George H. DeRussy, Frank Ayraud.
NJ. f. Bloomenstiel, J. W. Supple,
Myer Lemann, R. A. Singer, J. E.
Blum, Lewis e. Murrell, R. E. Noel
and John F. Truxillo.
Secretary Manager r. s. VIckers
submitted the following report, which
was read and received:
81 beg to submit herewith finan-
cial statement of the condition OF the
South Louisiana Fair Association as
shown by the books of the assoe1a-
ton on January 81, 1916. Analyzlng
this statement it will be seen that we
have invested in buildings and per-
manent Improvements the total sum
of $19,918.99. Our total receipts
from all sources amounted IN 1913 to
s3387.23, in 1914 to $8319.18, and
in 1915 to $11,498.54, or a grand to-
tai of $23,204. Our expenses for the
same period have amounted to $751;
IO51.77, leaving an Indebtedness on
the plant of S6847.77. There IS due
us from appropriations, stock sub
seriptions and other sources the sum
of S1047.60.
an defence Of what may appear to
you at first glance as an unreasonably
| large deficit, permit me to say that
our budget of expenditures for the
past year was justified by the reason
able expectation of much larger rev.
enues than were realized. The legls-
lative enactment providing for an ap-
preparation of $3.50 for each parish
belonging TO fair association should
have given US $4,000 for premiums,
had not the great increase in number
| of fairs necessitated the reduction OF
the pro rata of each parish to the sum
of S195. Second, the destructive hur-
ricane which swept over the country
two weeks before the last fair not
only caused us property damage OF
more than six hundred dollars, only a
little more than half of which was re-
covered through insurance, but the
loss and suffering resulting from the
storm prevented several parishes from
/ participating in the fair after active
preparations to that end had been
made by them. It is impossible to es-
/ innate to what extent our total at
tendance was affected by this storm,
but that it meant difference of sew
Il III 70 /
we can conservatively claim. In the
case of O efferson, for example not
only had the progressive people of
| that parish been making great efforts
for some time previous to exhibit on
large scale in practically every de-
partment of the fair, but they were
already making arrangements with
the Texas & Pacific Railway for an
excursion train to take hundreds OF
their citizens to the fair on Thursday,
Oct. / Jefferson Day.
ssThird, to crown our misfortunes,
a hard rain fell on the entire day and
night preceding the fair and even the
morning of the opening day, entaiIlng
unexpected expenditures and delaying
the arrival and arrangement of the
exhibits. The rain and the condition
of the roads prevented many from at
tending who wished to be present on
the opening or New Orleans Day, as
well as those who expected to hear
the JOINT debate by Messrs Parker
and Pleasant the same afternoon.
Furthermore, it is hardly eheces-
sary to remind you that every enter
prise such as a fair must of necessity
anticipate in some measure It's reve-
[nues. That this is true is borne out
by the fact that only in rare IN
stances are fair associations in any
part of the country free of debt, and
/ this applies to those receiving state
assistance, that is, the so-called state
fairs, as well as to others. Our first
/ fair in 1913 was called financial
success, but with little more than
$4,000 in appropriations and stock
subscriptions the management went
ahead and put on fair that cost
over $4,000. The gate receipts of
l$1568.1o pulled us through.
after all, we can safely say that
we are in a perfectly solvent condl-
ton, as our assets exceed our ilabll-
tiles in the ratio of more than three
to one. Our plant next to that of the
Shreveport fair is by far the largest
and best in the state. Although some
new buildings are needed, such as an
educational, floral and an agricul-
ftural building, they are not absolute
lly necessary at this time. Last year
Iour building construction and other
permanent improvements such as wa
ter and lighting equipment, walks,
etc., amounted to more than $4,000,
In view of the fact that it is unneces-
|sary to spend cent in buildings
this year, taken together with the in
fcreased mileage Of gravel roads being
CONSTRUCTED, with the growing reputa-
ton of the fair, with the prospect OF
more nrosnern11s general conditions