Closing up.—­The closing up of the business of the commission, the sale of the building, furniture, and exhibits involved considerable work.  The commission on two separate occasions advertised the building and furniture for sale, advertisements to that effect appearing in the St. Louis, Chicago, and Springfield papers.  Opportunity was given for the people to bid for the building and furnishings as a whole, for them separately, or for any part.  About sixty separate bids were received, some for one article only, many for a few pieces of furniture, and a very few for the building or furniture as a whole.  Four bids were received for the building, viz, $200, $500, $750, and $1,000, the bids on the building including a provision that all debris from the wrecking of same should be removed and the ground cleared and left as it was originally, all of which involved considerable expense.  The bid of the Southern Illinois Construction Company, of East St. Louis, was the highest, including building, furniture, and furnishings, and amounted to $4,250.  This bid was accepted.  Articles in other exhibits not included were afterwards disposed of and are included in the financial statement, bringing the amount of salvage to over $5,000.  This amount seemed small, but was in line with the results of all expositions.  At Chicago, with a net appropriation of $662,000 and with a building and furnishings costing $277,000, the total amount realized from the sale of buildings and furnishings was $3,926.50.  At Omaha and Buffalo the amounts realized were less than $1,000.

INDIANA.

On March 9, 1903, the legislature of the State of Indiana appropriated the sum of $150,000 for the necessary expenses of the participation of Indiana at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.  At the same time the governor of the State was authorized and directed to appoint a commission of fifteen persons, not more than nine of whom were to be of the same political party.

Newton W. Gilbert, president; Henry W. Marshall, vice-president; James W. Cockrum, secretary; A.C.  Alexander, assistant secretary; W.W.  Wicks, W.W.  Stevens, W.H.  O’Brien, Crawford Fairbanks, D.W.  Kinsey, N.A.  Gladding, Frank C. Ball, C.C.  Shirley, Fremont Goodwine, Joseph B. Grass, Stephen B. Fleming, Melville W. Mix.

The State made altogether seventeen exhibits in the various exhibit palaces, the total value of which was approximately $60,000.  The exhibits consisted of needlework and lace work in the Manufactures Building, decorated china in the Varied Industries Building, coal and stone exhibits in the Mines and Metallurgy Building, horticultural exhibit in the Horticultural Building, special corn and dairy exhibits in the Agriculture Building, and general educational, library, college, State board of health, juvenile courts, department of inspection, school for feeble-minded youths, and State board of charities exhibits in the Educational Palace.