182 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JANUARY 19, 1899. 



tinct from the common or garden va- 

 riety of the genus Homo. 



BRIAN BORU. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



Legislative Committee's Report. 

 At the November meeting of the 

 New York Florists' Club the delays 

 experienced by importers of plants 

 and bulbs were brought before the 

 club officially, the result being that 

 the matter was referred to the legis- 

 lative committee of the S. A. F. As 

 we have completed our labors for the 

 present, we beg leave to report as fol- 

 lows for publication in the trade 

 press, the reason being that the mat- 

 ters touched upon should be taken 

 cognizance of at once and not allowed 

 to remain until our next convention. 



The first action taken by the com- 

 mittee was to insert a call in the trade 

 press requesting written complaints 

 from those who had suffered losses 

 through unnecessary delays. This call 

 not being responded to as promptly 

 or as fully as the circumstances ap- 

 peared to warrant, the chairman of 

 the committee wrote to twenty-five 

 leading importers, other than mem- 

 bers of the New York Florists" Club, 

 asking it they had any complaints 

 against the service in tlie New York 

 Custom House, and if they desired to 

 place such in the hands of the com- 

 mittee. The responses to that letter 

 were of sufficient gravity and con- 

 tained specifications which enabled 

 the committee to present a strong case 

 to the authorities. Many of the com- 

 munications were confidential, and 

 the committee deems it best not to 

 publish any of the communications in 

 the nature of complaints submitted to 

 them. The investigations of the com- 

 mittee showed that the delays pro- 

 ceeded from the following causes: 

 First, irregularities in invoices, caused 

 by shippers failing to comply with 

 customs and regulations as to man- 

 ner of making out the same; neglect 

 to properly stencil cases with name of 

 country from whence shipped, and 

 other minor omissions. 



Second, undervaluation of goods on 

 invoices, according to the market val- 

 ues adopted by the appraiser of the 

 port, causing reappraisement and 

 vexatious delays, also in many cases 

 penalties for alleged undervaluation 

 and in some cases loss of goods. 



Third, delay in trucking goods from 

 •wharves to appraisers' stores, the 

 average time consumed in that way 

 having been found to be three days. 



Fourth, lack of adequate help in ex- 

 amining room to expeditiously han- 

 dle the goods ordered to appraisers' 

 stores. 



The committee also received com- 

 plaints that the repacking done in the 

 appraisers' stores was faulty, and con- 

 sequently many plants were damaged 

 from this cause; in some cases every 

 plant among those ordered to ap- 

 praisers' stores was damaged, some 

 irreparably. 



The first step taken by the commit- 

 tee to have the foregoing remedied 

 was to obtain an interview with the 

 Collector of Port and lay the entire 

 matter before him. He received the 

 committee courteously and gave them 

 freely of his time, making notes of 

 the various matters as they applied 

 directly to details within his jurisdic- 

 tion. He promised to use every means 

 within his power to expedite the hand- 

 ling of consignments of plants and 

 bulbs, said he would issue orders to 

 give them preference over less perish- 

 able goods, and that he would particu- 

 larly urge a more prompt transfer 

 from the wharves to the appraisers' 

 stores of cases of plants and bulbs se- 

 lected for examination. 



The committee has pleasure in say- 

 ing that the various promises made 

 have been performed, and that there 

 is every reason to believe that the 

 improvements effected will be perma- 

 nent. The collector explained that oc- 

 casionally the wharves become con- 

 gested with goods discharged from 

 vessels, and that, as a consequence, 

 the public truckman could not trans- 

 fer cases to appraisers' stores as rap-" 

 idly as he would wish. To overcome 

 that in a measure, the collector sug- 

 gested that the shippers be instructed 

 to see to it that plants and bulbs were 

 stowed on top of the ship's cargo, so 

 that they would be first discharged 

 upon arrival at her wharf. 



The committee having learned that 

 a Senate committee was investigating 

 matters connected with the Custom 

 House in New York, opened communi- 

 cation with them and received the fol- 

 lowing leply: 



Copy. 



Senate Chamber. 

 ■Washington, Dec. 3rd, 1S9S. 

 Patrick O'lMara, Esq., 35 Cortlandt St., 

 New York City. 



Dear Sir: I received your letter of Dec. 

 2nd. The Committee of the Senate which 

 has been m.\king inquiries with regard to 

 the administrative features of the cus- 

 toms act, closed its work in New Y'ork 

 last week, and I do not think it will have 

 any further sessions. Possibly there is a 

 misapprehension as to the scope of our 

 inquirj-. It was confined to suggestions 

 as to how the law, might be amended so 

 as to improve it and facilitate both the 

 operations of tiusiness and the collection 

 ot the revenues. It was not the purpose 

 of the Committee to inquire into the pro- 

 priety or justice of individual cases. But 

 while in New York we were made aware 

 of the delays which had occurred in the 

 Appraisers' office in fixing the value of 

 foreign imported plants, bul'bs, etc., and 

 talked with the Appraiser about it, who 

 seemed very muoh to regret that there 

 had been any occasion for complaint, and 

 expressed a determination that there 

 should be no avoidable delays hereafter. 

 Yours truly, 



(Signed) O. H. PLATT. 



The committee next obtained an in- 

 terview with the Appraiser of the 

 Port, there being present the Assist- 

 ant Appraiser and the Examiner. The 

 various causes for complaint were 

 submitted and listened to attentively. 

 The Appraiser and his assistants were 

 very courteous and apparently were 

 very willing to do everything consis- 



tent with their duties to hasten the 

 goods through the stores when re- 

 ceived for examination. It transpired 

 that steps had been taken in advance 

 of our interview to have the force at 

 the disposal of the examiner in- 

 creased, a very important and valu- 

 able improvement. The Appraiser said 

 also that additional fioor space would 

 be provided when necessary. Great 

 stress was laid by all three gentlemen 

 upon having cases properly marked 

 and invoices made out in conformity 

 with the regulations. For the infor- 

 mation of the trade, and so that they 

 can instruct their shippers, we ob- 

 tained sample invoices from tue Ap- 

 praiser, which, with the accompanying 

 letter, we submit herewith for pub- 

 lication, which is very important, and 

 every shipper should be instructed to 

 lollow minutely. 



Copy. 



Port of New Y'ork. N. T.. 

 Port of New York, N. Y., Dec. 21, 1S98. 

 Hon. P. W. Wakeman, U. S. Appraiser. 



Sir: Referring to the conference of Dec. 

 13th between yourself and a commi'ttee 

 of the Society of American Florists, dur- 

 ing which you directed Examiner Lersner 

 to prepare andi su^bmit to you specimen 

 forms of bulb and plant inv^oices made up 

 in a manner best suited to the require- 

 ments of the regnlatic-ns of this- office, I 

 enclose herewith three such forms. The 

 preparation of these invoices has rec#ved 

 careful consideration and the work of 

 this office would be greatly facilitated 

 and the examination of the goods made 

 less difficult if these forms should be fol- 

 lowed by shippers in the future. 



I would respectfully suggest that these 

 papers be sent to Patrick O'Mara, Esq., 

 Chairman Legislative Committee of the 

 Society of American Florists. 

 Respectfully yours, 



(Signed) T. C. WORDIN. 



Assistant Appraiser, Tenth Division. 

 77S— C.C.T. 



[Concluded Next Week.] 



BOSTON. 



Review of the Market. 



The general feeling of the cut flower 

 market the past week has been a de- 

 cided improvement over the last two, 

 and it looks as though we would have 

 a stead.v run of business from now un- 

 til the beginning of Lent. Roses, ow- 

 ing to the cold snap, have shortened 

 up in supply very perceptibly, and 

 Brides, Maids and Perles are strong 

 at $8 per 100, with very few cheaper 

 ones, and strictly high grades run as 

 high as $2 per dozen. Meteors run 

 about the same as the above. Beauties 

 can be bought as low as $1 per dozen, 

 and from that to ?S per dozen. 



Carnations are in good supply, with 

 a surplus of Scotts. Average stock 

 will sell at $2 per 100 for all but the 

 Scotts, which are only worth from ?1 

 to $1.50 per hundred. Strictly A No. 

 1 blooms will bring $3, with fancies 

 running as high as ?6 per 100. 



Violets very plenty; held at 50 cents 

 per 100; valley, $4 per 100; lilies, both 

 callas and Harrisii, $1.50 per dozen; 

 mignonette from $2 to $8 per 100; 

 Von Sions, 75 cents per dozen; trum- 



