The Billboard 1913-03-22: Vol 25 Iss 12 (1913-03-22)

¢ ® © =| Billboard } Americas Leading Amusement Weekly ~ ae aes “~ THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING COMPANY, Publishers . , W. H. DONALDSON. i PUBLICATION OFFICE: Billboard Building, 25-27 Opera Place, CINCINNATI, OHIO, U. &. A. ) Long-Distance Telefone, Canal 6068. Private Exchange, Connecting all Departments. ing less than 5 lines accepted. ' Cable Address (Registered) “*Billyboy.”” The Billboard will not accept for publication, telegrafed advertisements —_ unless the sender has an established account with us, and no advertisements NEW! YORK. MINNEAPOLIS. containing only Hotel, General Delivery or Post-office Box address will be aird Floor, Heldelberg Bidg., Broadway, Forty| 1428 Vine Place. ‘Fone, N, W. Nicollet s14s. | ponside ADVERTISING RATES.—Twenty cents r line, agate measurement; whole page, $140; half page, $70; quarter page, $35. No advertisement measur secund Street and Seventh Avenue. Telefone, A470 Bryant. CHICAGO. 1208 Schiller Building, 64 W. Randolph Street. Telefone, Central 5034. st. Louis. Room No. 803, Central National Bank Building, Telefone, Kin. Central 1479-R. KANSAS CITY. 1117 Commerce Butiding. Telefone, Main 3657. BALTIMORE. 857 West North Avenue. E Room 207 Railway Exchange Building. SEATTLE. Room 210 King Street Station. COLUMBUS, O. Princess Theatre Bldg. Bell *Fone, Main 7461. LONDON, ENGLAND. 8 Rupert Court, Piccadilly Circus. W. Telefone, 4194 Gerrard, PARIS, FRANCE. 121 Rue Montmartre, Tele PITTSBURG, PA. 835 Oliver Building. to reach publication o NVER. unless — to cover cost of such advertisement is mailed or wired by 11 a. m. Monday. Subscription, $4 a year; 6 months, $2; 3 months, $1. Payable in advance. No extra charge to Canadian or Foreign subscribers, which are supplied fone, 222—61. THE BILLBOARD ig on sale on all the United States and sale trains and sews-stands threout by the American News Co., and its branches. It is also on at Brentano's, 37 Avenue de l'Opera, Paris, France. When Remittances should be made dressed or made payable to The B Publishing The editor can not undertake to copy. The Billboard reserves the right to edit or reject all advertising matter, such revision or elimination to be decided by the editor. not on sale, please notify this effice. Tess money order, or registered letter, ad ited manuscripts; cerrespondents should keep post-office or Vol. XXV, Saturday, March 22, 1913. No. 12. IN THE HOUR: OF TRIUMF LET US NOT GLOAT. There are over one hundred and fourteen pages of advertisgments in this issue of The Billboard. At this writing—twenty-four hours before the last form goes to press—copy is still coming in by mail and messenger, wire and special delivery. We can not now say how much more than one hundred and foutteen pages there will be, but The Panama-Pacific International Exposition will be a $50,000,000 Exposition. In this respect, as well as in the matter of exhibits and artistic conception, it will be vastly greater than any world’s exposition that has ever been held in any part of the world. But for all of that, if, when on February 20, 1915, the gates are thrown open, it is only half finisht, financial failure will be insured, and complete failure invited. In addition to the popular subscription fund, the state of California has taxed itself in the sum of $5,000,000 worth of bonds for the same purpose. BUT AN ADEQUATE SHOWING HAS NOT BEEN MADE, Director-in-chief, Dr. Frederick J. V. Skiff, could have the San Francisco event ready on time if it was humanly possible for any one man to do it. He is experienced. He is big. He is broad. He is far-seeing. But for all that, he has got to have the loyal support, backing and assistance of every officer, director, committeeman and board member in order to get away with the task. The site chosen for the Exposition proper comprises a tract of approximately 625 acres, including the portion of the Harbor View district and . Fine, truly! But if the fair is not ready on > ust one hundred and fourteen pages is a very, ’ < government property within the Presidio and Fort ? j é time, all of that money, and more, will be Mason. It has a frontage of nearly three miles F very remarkable achievement in class journalism. wasted. on the bay of San Francisco, just within the : No other amusement paper in this or any other Approximately $5,000,000 more is assured Golden Gate, and is in a natural basin surrounded ry country ever came within miles of a similar showing. . The Billboard ‘has held all records in this respect for years, byt with this issue she breaks all of her previous records—busts them into small fragments. In 1912 our Spring Special contained ninetyOur last Christmas issue conSo this issue beats our best previous showing by twenty-one one pages of ads. tained ninety-three pages of ads. pages and—more ‘to come, This number ts the biggest thing of its kind that the world has ever known—Jjust that. We acknowledge the fact. We confess it: We own up to it. Nothing but our extreme modesty and shy, diffident and rettring disposition prevents our crowing a bit over it. THE PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION, The Panama-Pacific International Exposition is to be ready on time. While “that’s What they all say,” it does seem as if some extra effort was being made and some few precautions being taken toward this end. It could be done. It is perfectly feasible—easy, tn fact. They do it abroad. If Europeans can do it, surely Americans can. But will they?: through an action by the Legislature, permitting the counties of the state to tax themselves not to exceed 6 cents on each $100 assessed valuation for the purpose of raising funds for county displays at the Exposition. Great, but if the exposition is not completely finisht and everything in place, what will it avail? Little, indeed. Of the fifty-two counties in the state of California, thirty-eight already levied the 6-cent tax, and it is estimated that the total amount raised in this way will be in the neighborhood of $5,000,000. In most instances, this tax is spread over a period of five years. Splendid, yet even such enterprise as this will be nullified by belated preparedness. Ground was broken for the Exposition on October 14, 1911, at the Stadium in Golden Gate Park, President Taft turning the first spadeful of earth which marked the actual era of Exposition construction. Complete plans for the Exposition had been prepared and approved by that time. On February 2, 1912, President Taft, assured that the necessary funds were available and that a proper site had been selected for the holding of the Exposition, issued a proclamation inviting the nations of the world to participate. Thirty-two states outside of California already have made appropriations for participation in the Exposition, while action is pending before the Legislatures of several other states. Sites were selected by the following states: New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Colorado, South Dakota, Nevada, Missouri, Minnesota, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Philippine Islands and Hawaii. The following foreign countries have accepted the nation’s invitation to participate in the Exposition: Guatamala, Bolivia, Hayti, Mexico, Honduras. Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic. Japan, Canada, Ecuador. Organization has been perfected, plans are well advanced, and much has been accomplisht, by hills. The chief exhibit palaces will be thirteen in number. They will be devoted to fine arts, agriculture, education, manufacturers, varied industries, liberal arts, machinery, mines and metallurgy, transportation, horticulture, stock yards, stock pavilion, automobiles. Their combined area will amount to 3,731,500 square feet. There will be a horticultural display of fifty acres within the grounds, twelve acres of railroads and miscellaneous outdoor exhibits, a children’s playground and a fifty-acre drill and aviation field. Ten acres will be devoted to the government exhibit, forty acres to state buildings and thirtyseven acres to foreign buildings. It is proposed to open the gates February 20, 1915, and if they can be opened on a finisht, fully-completed, absolutely ready exposition, there is no doubt that the Panama-Pacific International Exposition will prove the greatest world’s fair ever held. : Good, steady, ever-increasing attendance will be assured for the entire term of nine and onehalf months of its existence, and when it closes on December 4, 1915, it will be in a perfect blaze of glory and success. But it must be opened on time, and it must be ready when opened. Otherwise? Well, merely the usual “succes d’estime” and perhaps an aftermath for San Francisco and the Coast that will prove a little more severe than that experienced by other cities and communities under similar circumstances. The Billboard rejects as much advertising each week as some of its smaller, self-important and fussy little contemporaries print. It would greatly surprise most of our readers, could they but see how closely and carefully advertising copy is scrutinized and edited in this office. Juét as the last form is closing, Beverly phones from the composing room: “OVER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE PAGES OF ADS THIS TRIP!”—The Mayer.