266d 



HORTICULTUEE 



August 23, 1913 



Report of Tariff and Legislation Com- 

 mittee. 

 As Chairman of the Tariff Commit- 

 tee, it gives me much pleasure to re- 

 port to this body what has been ac- 

 complished by our committee. 



The tariff is always such a debatable 

 question that no two florists, no two 

 Representatives, and no two Senators, 

 ever agree as to what the duty on a 

 certain item should be. So when we 

 tried first to feel the pulse of the 

 trade, we soon found that it would be 

 inadvisable to work toward making 

 duty changes, but as the former tariff 

 acts have contained so many absurdi- 

 ties and incorrect classifications we 

 decided to concentrate our energies 

 toward having the rates clearly de- 

 fined so that one florist would not be 

 required to pay twenty-five per cent, 

 duty while another florist in a differ- 

 ent state got the same stock at fifteen 

 per cent, or free of duty. While it Is 

 necessary that the import duties upon 

 florist and nursery stock be large 

 enough to furnish the proper amount 

 of protection to American growers, it 

 is of still greater importance that the 

 rate of duty be clearly defined — and 

 the same at all ports of entry. 



Early in April, the Committee sent 

 out the following letter, which was 

 published in all the trade papers. 

 Strange to say, there was hardly any- 

 one heard from throughout the length 

 and breadth of the United States, 

 which led your committee to believe 

 that — on the whole — the florists must 

 be fairly well satisfied with conditions 

 as they were. 



April 18. 101,3. 

 To all florists and liortlculturlsts who 

 have any snjjpestlons to make as to what 

 legislation. If any. tliey would like In the 

 present tarifT bill now before ConRress. 

 They should send in snptrestlons at onoe. 

 if tiiey have not alre.-uly done so. to the 

 Chairman of the Tariff f'omnilltee of the 

 S. A. F. and O. II., Mr. Wni. V. Onde. 1214 

 F St . Washington. D. C. who is anxious 

 and willing to do what ho ran to further 

 the interests of the florists and hortleul- 

 tnrlsts and members of the kindred orcan- 

 Izatlons. but the committee are at a loss 

 what aetion to take until they can hear 

 from the parlies who would like the tariff 

 raised or lowered on certain goods, as the 

 case may be. 



The tariff bill as reported out of the 

 Ways and Means Committee was full 

 of absurdities, ambiguities and incor- 

 rect classifications: had it become a 

 law as it then read, it would have in- 

 volved the same amount of fraud, 

 vexatious uncertainty, and legal ex- 

 pense as in former tariffs. The same 

 stock was dutiable at 25 per cent, and 

 15 per cent.; other stock was dutiable 

 at $1 per thousand, also free. Hya- 

 cinth bulbs were rated as "clumps." 

 Greenhouse stock was dutiable at 25 

 per cent, in Section 215, and at 15 per 

 cent, in Section 216, while evergreen 

 seedlings were rated free of duty, but 

 no definition was made as to what 

 evergreen seedlings really were. 



To correct these absurdities and er- 

 rors, we introduced in Congress eight 

 amendments to the tariff bill, and 

 while our friends were telling us we 

 could not get them through, we had 

 them passed by the Congressional 

 Committee in charge of Schedule G. 

 When the corrected bill was printed, 

 we found that four of our amendments 

 had been mutilated in Congress, btit 

 we later had those four amendments 

 corrected in the Senate Committee, 

 and the bill, containing our eight 

 amendments, is likely to become a law 

 Jn the very near future. 



The various amendments were here read. 

 They have already been published in full 

 in HORTICVLTIEE. 



These amendments correct and 

 simplify the tariff immensely as ap- 

 plied to horticultural imports. It will 

 make it much easier for the Customs 

 officials to detect and correct fraudu- 

 lent entries; it should avoid expense 

 to honest importers now that the rates 

 of duty are clearly defined, and it will 

 prevent largely the confusion and a- 

 buses which have arisen under former 

 tariffs, owing to incorrect and varying 

 Treasury decisions handed down at 

 different ports of entry on one item. 

 These amendments do not change the 

 rates of duty on proposed tariffs in 

 any way. To have recommended 

 them would have meant the defeat of 

 our important demands — namely, a 

 tariff free from errors and ambigu- 

 ities. The benefits of these changes 

 are obvious to every florist, nursery- 

 man and seedsman in the United 

 States who either directly or indirect- 

 ly handles imported stock. 



Now I am going to make one recom- 

 mendation, but before I do so let me 

 explain that the tariff is made up by 

 our legislators to comply with what 

 they consider the country needs. The 

 first report of changes comes from the 

 Ways and Means Committee, so that 

 unless corrections are made in that 

 committee they must be in the form 

 of amendments, and to be effective 

 must be carried by a majority in the 

 House and Senate. Our legislators 

 consider that plants, nursery stock, 

 bulbs and seeds are in the same gen- 

 eral class. They are mixed together 

 in the same schedules so that any re- 

 commendations of changes or correc- 

 tions must be presented or endorsed 

 jointly by fiorists. nurserymen and 

 seedsmen. Owing to the lack of co- 

 operation between the three organiza- 

 tions. I feel sure that had it not been 

 for the active support we got from 

 New York importers and Custom 

 House officials, we never would have 

 gotten one amendment through the 

 House or Senate. 



I. therefore, recommend that, as far 

 as practicable, your Tariff Committee 

 includes one man in the import busi- 

 ness, one man resident in Washington, 

 and that all members be in active 

 working touch with nurserymen, 

 seedsmen and others interested, so 

 that only men will be in this commit- 

 tee that can intelligently work and 

 publicly speak on the entire schedule 

 — which includes all horticultural im- 

 ports. 



Thanks are due James McHutchison 

 of New York City, a member of this 

 committee, and without whose ma- 

 terial assistance little, if anything, 

 could have been done. Representative 

 Taylor, and Assistant Secretary of Ag- 

 riculture, B. T. Galloway, are entitled 

 to our thanks also. 



Boston the Next Meeting Place. 

 President Farquhar then presented 

 a letter from Governor Foss of Massa- 

 chusetts promising a hearty welcome 

 and special entertainment if the so- 

 ciety would oome to Boston in 1914. 

 .1. B. Shea followed with a similarly 

 cordial letter from Mayor Fitzgerald of 

 Boston adding his own endorsement of 

 the invitation. I..etters were also pre- 

 sented from the Boston Chamber of 

 Commerce and further Invitations were 

 voiced by Secretary Rich in behalf of 



the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety, Eber Holmes for the Gardeners' 

 and Florists' Club of Boston, P, Welch 

 and others, after which Boston was 

 unanimously selected as the place for 

 the next convention. 



THE PRESIDENT'S RECEPTION. 



The president's reception on Tuesday 

 was a delightfully pleasant affair, with 

 music and dancing and social com- 

 panionship. Never has the society en- 

 joyed a more pleasurable event. East 

 and West, North and South, were 

 brought together in happy fraternal 

 fellowship, and business and politics 

 were all forgotten in the inspiration of 

 a most happy reunion. 



WEDNESDAY FORENOON SESSION. 



Wednesday forenoon session started 

 off with commendable promptness. 

 Secretary Young read the report of 

 the committee on the relief of flood 

 sufferers, expressing grateful acknowl- 

 edgment of generous response. 



A telegram' was received from the 

 Pacific Coast Horticultural Society, re- 

 newing their former invitation to meet 

 at San Francisco two y.ears hence. 



Nomination of Officers. 



Nomination of officers resulted in 

 the unanimous naming of Theodore 

 Wirth for president ; Patrick Welch, 

 vice-president; John Young, secretary; 

 W, F. Kasting. treasurer, amid much 

 enthusiasm and there being no con- 

 test over any office unanimous elec- 

 tion on Thursday was assured. 



The report of the publicity commit- 

 tee was then presented by Wallace R. 

 Pierson. 



Irwin Berterman asked on behalf of 

 the Florists' Telegraph Delivery Asso- 

 ciation some special recognition by 

 the S. A. F., stating that it had this 

 year brought some forty new mem- 

 bers into the national society. The 

 request was favorably received. 



WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SES- 

 SION. 

 Wednesday afternoon session was 

 devoted largely to National Flower 

 Show discussion. 



International Flower Show. 

 Charles H. Totty, who made a full 

 report on the show at New York last 

 spring, was given a most eulogistic In- 

 troduction by President Farquhar and 

 frequent demonstrations of approval 

 and enthusiasm were made by the 

 members. 



Treasurer's Report. 

 RECEIPTS. 

 International Exposition Co. 



(Premiums) $7.6.'».(X> 



Contributions and Special Pre- 

 miums 2,603.00 



International Exposition Co. 



(DlTlsion of Profits) 750.00 



Guarantee Fund 3,877.50 



Total $14,955.50 



DISBl'RSEMENTS. 



Premiums, Including Special Pre- 

 miums, not competed for $8,865.00 



Xllscellaneotis expenses. Lectures, 

 etc ,324.53 



Return of Otiarantee Fund 3,877.50 



Dividend (10%) on Guarantee 

 Fund 387.75 



Final amount sent to W. F. 

 Kasting 1,500.7» 



Total $14,955.50 



Respectfully submitted, 



Walter F. Sheridan. Treasurer, 



LOCAL GOVERNING BOARD. 



Charles H. Totty, Chairman, 



John Young, Secretary. 



