Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-23

either morally o. financially o1lpopt -
the amount Of the $4,000 ApproDe1a11on
made BY the legislature Tor ma1nten-
ance q the fair during the bionn1un.
The tentative terms Of the tEopo0od
contract were stated by Roy Z. black.
attorney general, and were accepted
by most Of the fair corporation Off
cials as basis upon which some un-
derstanding Is to be reached.
CONFER ON PLAN.
Miles Cannon, state commissioner of
agriculture, was not present at the
meeting, but the matter was submitted
to him by the board of examiners at q
later conference to obtain the provi-
sions which he would have written into
the contract.
state officials and members of the
fair corporation made 1t plain to rep
resentatives of the press that the pro-
posed contract would not in any way
result in the state fairs not being a
state institution, but that IT would
merely mean the fair corporation
would guarantee that in the operation
of the fair the fair corporation itself
would stand any deficit that might re-
suit instead of placing the financial
responsibility upon the state.
LEAVE OFFICE VACANT.
II the proposed contract Is adopted,
the office of director of fairs will be
left vacant, and the state agricultural
department, which is over the fair bu-
reau, will exercise only the duty of
distributing to the fair corporation the
state funds appropriated for mainten-
ance of the fair.
Another consideration, suggested by
Governor Davis, will be that the board
of examiners will pass the $4,000
Of Lot OF tro otv,cx
next years appropriation. Commits
sioner Cannon said this morning In an
interview he could not approve these
claims for the reason that the law pro-
vides the s22,500 appropriations for the
respective years cannot be exceeded.
AS the $4,000 was expended for i'm
provements this year, he contends this
years appropriation was exceeded and
that the $4,000 cannot be charged
against next years appropriation. This
is one of the important matters to be
the contract.
MUST MAKE REPORT.
The contract would in no wise re-
lieve the fair corporation from max
ing a detailed report as to it's finances
as required by law at the end of each
year. Attorney General Black said.
G. l.. Weeks, representative of the
fair corporation, said ii is only fair
for the public to know that to offset
the $4,000 deficit of this year there are
900 worth OF assets out at the fair
grounds.
Governor Davis agreed that the peo-
pie should understand the money has
not been squandered, but that it has
been put into permanent buildings.
BE FOR THREE YEARS.
1t was tentatively agreed that the
proposed contract should be for three
years, so that il the corporation had a
bad year and suffered a deficit it
might have an opportunity to make up
it's loss the following year, A rain
during fair week could seriously up
get the income for that year, and the
corporation officials suggested that a
three-year contract be made.
W. N. Sweet asked what effect this
might have on the legislature in MAX
ing on appropriation for the next BIZ
ennium. He said:
"Thcy might say, Here Is a private
corporation under contract TO create
no deficit. why should we appropriate
any money? You fellows have to
stand the deficit anyway, IL there is
one.
TAKES OTHER VIEW.
Attorney General Black thought this
feature HisHt iisleau encourage TIE
legislature to make an ample appropri-
alton.
w II. Thompson, president of the
fair board, suggested that "a clause be
inserted permitting the corporation to
turn back the management of the fair
at the end of a year II there was no
deficit. this privilege to be at the op-
ton Of the fair corporation. Surplus
money, If any, would at the same time
be turned back to the state as provided
by the state laws.
The contract, when completed, will
be gone over by the board of examin-
ers TO see that it fulfills the protec-
ton as to creation of O deficit which
they demand for the state. Later 1t
will be presented to the fair corpora