Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-07-12
MAKING FAIRS FIT THE WAR.
BY JOHN r. MCMAHON In The COUNTRY
GENTLEMAN.
why a fair 7"

Yes, that great American institution ha!
had question mark seriously TAGGED or
to it. Millions of hands in the nationa
schoolroom wave in token of ready an.
swer. Well, don't tell it to me; tell it to
Washington. They want to know down
there-some of the officials. you under
stand. Seems they never heard of ouI
state show And our county show You
wouldn't believe it.
That Washington does not quite appre-
ciate the fair is largely because the men
behind the institution have not explained
it enough and advertised it away from
home and demonstrated its worth.
The fair is so widely known in America
that hardly anybody knows anything about
1t. 1t is as common as the climate and as
little understood. Everybody knows some
thing about his own show and practically
nothing about the other fellows. Just re-
Gently the Department Of Agriculture dis
covered that the fair existed and was a
subject OF scientific study. 1t has barely
started to explore the terra incognita of
fairdom. The Department kindly allowed
me to peek into its fair piseonhole, and,
eking out this slender store of knowledge
with other information, reach the follow
ing conclusions:
There are over 1900 fairs held in the
United States every year.
About 100000 people. or almost one
out of three of the total population, attend
American fairs every year.
The fairs cost $l7.00O,OOO year to
operate, or an average of $10.625 each.
About all the money that comes in spent
on the show; profits are few and rare.
SOME BIG FIGURES.
II the visitors spend an average Of only
two dollars apiece for railroad fare, ad-
mission, lunch, popcorn. souvenirs and a
look-in at the Midway. the total exceeds
$60,000,000. 1t is probable that a sum
as large is spent directly or indirectly in
purchases of merchandise. farm imple-
ments and livestock exhibited. making a
financial total of s137,000,000 a year
involved in the fair business.
And we may add that the fixed capital
in buildings and equipment amounts to
something like $65.00O,00O.
"All your figures of bigness prove moth
ing" said critic. except that the Amer
lean people have the habit to a greater
extent than was suspected. 1t is another
luxury that must be Topped off to pro-
mote the serious business of war;"
This sounds like an official whom met
at the headquarters Of Director General
McAdoo. the man whose magic wand turns
every car wheel in these broad United
States.
is it true, as reported."I asked. that
the Government is against the fairs"
mo. sir" replied the official. "As far
as Mr.. McAdoo is concerned. he is not
against them. Nor is he for them. He
takes the position that the Government
can't interfere with the inalienable right OF
the American people to meet, resolute or
hold fairs even in wartimes, but he points
out that public gatherings like conventions
and fairs use up transportations needed
for other purposes. transportation will be
furnished for fairs. But no reduced rates
will be allowed"
Cannot the fairs justify themselves, I
asked. ION the ground that they are a vital
aid to agriculture and food production ?"
Farming is in a state Of revolution. New
methods and more machinery must be
used Are not the fairs useful in educating
| farmers in new methods and machinery"
Farmers don't need instruction" was
the reply.
Ivainly cited personal experience with
farmers not too proud to learn something,
and vainly quoted European governments
and neighbor Canada as engaged in teach
ing" farmers how to adapt themselves to
new conditions.
Last summer the representatives Of the
larger fairs surmised that Washington did
not know much about them and might in
ilict damaging restrictions upon them. A
committee was sent to introduce the fair
Cinderella to Congress and the executive
departments The young lady made her
best bow and asked if there wasn't some
little thing she could do to assist the Nation.
Some of the officials either frowned or
gave her vacant smile, but the Food Ad-
ministration and the Department Of Agri-
culture seemed rather pleased to meet the
visitor and said yes. she could help by
distributing literature and making exhibits.
Cinderella claims she made good last
year in her self-imposed extra activities.
and has larger program Of national help
fulness this year. Yet on the whole, off,
cial Washington is still tepid in its atti-
tude-tolerant rather than appreciative-
skeptical as to the value Of fairs.
What do other nations think about fairs
in wartime We cannot expect shows to
be held directly in the vortex of the Euro
pean struggle However, the second an
nual fair of Hollands industry was held t
Utrecht early this spring. and il was a big
success. War is war, but we cannot stop
showing. buying and selling.
Canada has been in the war four times as
long as we have. Nevertheless. Canada has
not put fairs on the nOnessential list. She
does not merely tolerate them. but spends
government money literally to promote
their continued success. Duncan Marshall,
Minister of Agriculture for the Province Of
| Alberta saws that Alberta ia officially
spending round $l25.000 a year on its
eighty fairs. and the Dominion Govern
ment is also substituting the principal shows
In all the provinces.
The idea Of a Federal grant on this side
the border Congress appropriatine money
to boost the falrs-would seem quite shock
ing to many officials whose concept Of fairs
is circumscribed by snake dancers. mon
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