OCR Text |
Show RESEARCH FOUNDATION REPORTS ON UTAH STATE FAIR FINANCES The Utah State Fair spent a total of $121,198 during the fiscal fis-cal year ended June 30, 1951, according to a report released today by Utah Foundation, non-profit tax research agency. The State Fair is financed by legislative appropriations and by fees, rentals and admissions collected from businesses promoters, and the general gen-eral public. The 1951 Legislature appropriated $35,000 to the State Fair for the biennium ending June 30, 1953, the report indi- cates. Revenue from commercial exhibit rentals and cencession receipts during the fair as well I as receipts for the use of fairground fair-ground facilities during the year exclusive of fair week have increased materially during dur-ing the last six years, Utah Foundation discloses. Commercial Commer-cial exhibit rentals and concession conces-sion receipts have more than tripled and revenues for use of fair ground facilities exclusive of fair week have increased almost al-most six-fold since 1946. During Dur-ing the fiscal year ended June 30, 1951, receipts from rental of fair facilities exclusive of fair week were; $30,473, and commercial exhibit rentals and commission receipts at the 1950 fair amounted to $27,236. Gate receipts, after federal taxes, at the 1950 fair totaled $34,601. The Utah State Fair, although operated by a governmental agency, has many of the characteristics char-acteristics of a business enterprise, enter-prise, it is pointed out by Utah Foundation. For this reason, the Foundation notes, it would seem desirable to revise the present accounting system so that it would provide complete and current financial data concerning concern-ing its operations similar to the systems maintained by successful success-ful comparable enterprises in private business. These data as well as a detailed and current inventory of all physical plant l and capital assets would be helpful help-ful in reviewing the results of 1 the operation, the adequacy of ! the fee structure, and the rate of expenditures. The staff at the State 'Fair may expand as much as 30 times during the nine-day period in September when the fair is in full operation. In 1950, approximately ap-proximately 200 temporary employees em-ployees were needed to perform the duties and conduct th activities ac-tivities which are peculiar to fair week In addition to the services performed by regular and temporary tem-porary fair employees, much of the improvement and maintenance mainte-nance work at the fair grounds thruout the year is done by welfare wel-fare recipients who are assigned to work out their welfare grants by the Welfare Department. It is pointed out in the Utah Foundation Foun-dation report that a total of 24,366 hours of labor at the fair grounds was performed by welfare recipients during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1951 Utah Foundation reports that a controversy concerning an agreement entered into between the State Fair Association and the Days of '47 Corporation has not yet been settled for the years 1943 through 1948. The matter has been referred to the attorney general for study and possible settlement. |