PllOCKEDINGS OF THK SUMMIlli MIll'.TING 37 



Ml-, llaii'is: 1 duii't know. 1 had some difficulty iu that. 



Mr. Morrill: There is one sn.i:j;<'slion the ^cnth'inan ought to remem- 

 ber in repaid to liial, ihat juighi assist him >;onie, ihat in ease of dispute 

 and 3'ou call on ihe state commissioner, if tlie local commissioner is 

 right the owner is to pay the bill and it is collected from him on his 

 next tax roll — all that expense goes to him, and that will helj) you in 

 Aour business if aou are acting as a yellows commissioner. If a man 

 understands he can not raise a llinisy excuse without bearing thii 

 expense, he will very soon take out the tree. 



Mr. Stevens: In answer to the gentleman, as to whether the com- 

 missioners are compelled to visit tiie orchards, the commissioners in 

 Kent county have organized themselves into a little association of their 

 own and we call ourselves the yellows commissioners. I am secretary 

 of the association. We did so for our own benelit. ^\'e get our town- 

 ship boards to agree to pay our bills, and the commissioners are very 

 anxious to earn the two dollars, so they do their duty. In fact, they 

 have made inspection of nearly all the orchards in each township, and 

 the townships have very freely paid the bills. In that way there is 

 no comi)ulsion about the matter, and the towmship commissioner gets 

 paid for his work, he is anxious to do the work, the orchards are visited, 

 and the result is we have done some good work. Yellows is practically 

 cleaned out we think. 



Mr. Harris: The reason I brought this question before Mr. Graham 

 is this: I have been yellows commissioner, one of the commissioners, 

 and while I am interestt d in the welfare of our townshi]) and I want 

 every diseased tree eradicated, I do not want to put a bill upon the 

 township which is not legal or which is not right, and I want to know 

 whether this law compels us to go forth and examine these orchards and 

 make this charge, because we can not work for nothing, exactly, and I 

 want to know whether the law compels us to go forth and pass our 

 judgment upon these, to see whether there were trees that must be 

 taken out or whether we must do the best we can as it comes to our 

 natural observation, and wait for other people to notify us. We wish 

 to know whether it would be riglit or whether we would be justified 

 in going forth and examining, and whetlier w'e are liable to a fine if 

 we do not go forth and examine. 



Mr. Stevens: A stitch in time saves nine. The gentleman can remem- 

 ber that each township would rather pay a bill of $25 or |30 for a com- 

 missioner to make inspection before it was too late, than to wait until 

 somebody had made com])laint that an orchard is infected with yellows 

 and everybody else has yellows from the effects of the delay. I would 

 say that the promptness with which we have acted has been beneficial. 



Mr. Harris: Our board refused to appoint yellows commissioners until 

 we compelled them to. until we put it directly before them and told 

 them, "The law compels you to appoint yellows commissioners." They 

 did that, but the board is not with us. 



Mr. Lawton: I understand the yellows commissioners are compelled 

 to visit the orchards. That is our und(M'standing of the law and that is 

 the way we have interpreted it. 



Mr. Cook: I have had some experience in this line, and I am satisfied, 

 and it is my experience always that the commissioners can not afford to 

 neglect to visit r»lacps where they have any idea yellows or these other dis- 

 eases exist, and in the city of (riand Kapids we have had commissioners 



