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

-. as san Bill Americas Leading Amusement Weekly THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING COMPANY, Publishers : . | W. H. DONALDSON. PUBLICATION OFFICE: Billboard Building, 25-37 Opera Place, CINCINNATI, OHIO, U. 8. A. Long-Distance Telefone, Canal 5085. Private Exchange, Connecting all Departments. Cable Address (Registered) **Billyboy.”” o— _ — + NEW YORK, MINNEAPOLIS. Third Floor, Heidelberg Ridg., Broadway, Forty1428 Vine Place. ‘Fone, N, W. Nicollet 5148. ADVERTISING RATES.—Twenty cents B35. line, agate measurement; whole page, $140; half page, $70; quarter page, No advertisement measuring less than 5 lines accepted. The Billboard will not accept for publication, telegrafed advertisements unless the sender has an established account with us, and no advertisements containing only Hotel, General Delivery or Post-office Box address will be considered unless money to cover cost of such advertisement is mailed or wired sonata to reach publication office by 11 a. m. Monday. DE ye Boom Subscription, $4 a year; 6 months, $2; 3 months, $1. Payable in advance. = ae oy ets No extra charge to Canadian or Foreign nb Seer “cry ’ : gous . Room 210 King Street Station. . THE BILLBOARD is sale on all trains and sews-stands threout Princess Theatre Hider Bell “Pose, Main 146x, | SPMdA, which are supplied” Wy the American, Mews Sov, aud. ta,Uennches,” Tt le alg on ale . venue . 4, on » P Botily LONDON, ENGLAND. Remittances should be made t-office or Tess money order, or registered letter, 8 — Court, Piccadilly Circus. W. dressed or made payable to The Biliboand Publishing pany. sind elefone, 4194 Gerrard, The editor can not undertake to return unsolicited manuscripts; cerrespondents PARIS, FRANCE copy. The Billboard reserves the right to edit or reject all advertising matter, such revision or 121 Rue Montmartre, Telefone, 222—61. 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 OITY. 1117 Commerce Buliding. Telefone, Main 3657. BALTIMORE. 857 West North Avenue, elimination to be decided by the editor. PITTSBURG, PA. 835 Oliver Building. Vol. XXV. Saturday, March 22, 1913. No. 12. ¥ IN THE HOUR OF TRIUMF LET US NOT The Panama-Pacific International Exposition RUT AN ADEQUATE SHOWING HAS NOT GLOAT. ’ will be a $50,000,000 Exposition. In this respect, BEEN MADE, There are over one hundred and fourteen pages of advertisements 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 mesenger, wire and special delivery. We can not now say how much more than one hundred and fourteen pages there will be, but just one hundred and fourteen pages is a very, very remarkable achievement in class journalism. No other amusemegt paper in this or any other country ever came witpin miles of a similar showing. ’ The Billboard has held all records in this respect for years, but with this issue she breaks all of her previous records—busts them into small fragments. In 1912 our Spring Special contained ninetyone pages of ads. Ovyr last Christmas issue conSo this issue beats our best previdus showing by twenty-one tained ninety-three pages of ads. pages and—more to come, This number is the biggest thing of its kind that the world has ever known—Jjust that. We acknowledge tpe fact. We confess it. ’ We own up to it. Nothing but our extreme modesty and shy, diffident and retiring disposition prevents our crowing a bit over it., THE PANAMA-PACI#IC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION, The Panama-Paciffe 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 go it, surely Americans can. But will they? 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, Fine, truly! time, all wasted. Approximately $5,000,000 more is assured 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, But if the fair is not ready on of that money, and more, will be 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 government property within the Presidio and Fort Mason. It has a frontage of nearly three miles on the bay of San Francisco, just within the Golden Gate, and is in a natural basin surrounded 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. Just 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. a