164 



FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THe! 



business for 36 or 37 years without 

 taking much active part in it. I think 

 the National has done much good, and 

 I think that during the time that Mr. 

 France conducted it we certainly had 

 results that have tolQ and are telling 

 today. 



Now I would be glad to have him 

 express himself with regard to this. 

 I know he is exceedingly modest but 

 we want to get at the facts. 



I know from experience in various 

 organizations that numbers count for 

 more than dollars when it comes to 

 the matter of getting legislation; and 

 if you have an organization that is 

 numerically powerful you will get r-e- 

 s-u-1-t-s much better than if you have 

 a little surplus in your treasury and 

 not means to use it with. 



Dollars will come as soon as you 

 can show some results accomplished. 



A member — ■! would like to hear 

 from Mr. France about that. 



Mr. France — I want to endorse Mr. 

 Burnett's remarks; and I was the one 

 who was guilty of dropping the dues 

 of the National from $1.00 to $0.50. 

 We found that fifty cents was not 

 enough, but in making that change I 

 had almost trebled the membership, 

 so that there was a feeling up about 

 the time of the meeting at Minneapolis 

 that if there was an emergency case 

 and we needed funds; in case a mem- 

 ber was in great distress, or in some 

 way the Association wanted funds, that 

 if we simply sent a circular to that ef- 

 fect the funds would be forthcoming at 

 once, leaving the funds as it were in 

 the hands of the bee-keepers for 

 emergency. 



I do not approve of high tariff, or 

 duty in any form; let the dues be mod- 

 est and the organization members will 

 take care of emergencies. 



I am sorry that the changes have 

 been made in our National. They 

 were ready at the time of the Minne- 

 apolis meeting to drop the fifty cent 

 idea and go back to the basis of $1.00 

 dues and continue 4,000 members, but 

 dissatisfaction has followed since and 

 the membership has run down badly; 

 and as Mr. Burnett says — First, let us 

 have members, and then we can raise 

 the funds if need be. 



Mr. Hawkins — Would a motion be in 

 order that the delegate may use his 

 judgment, and if possible vote in favor 

 of all .sections except the one increas- 



ing the amount of dues? If it is, then 

 I make such a motion. 



Mr. Miller — Before we vote on that, 

 there is another point that might well 

 be discussed, and that is: Do we want 

 the National meeting a delegate con- 

 vention or do we want it for every- 

 body as it was formerly? 



I think if you will look on the other 

 page of the Review, in fine print, there 

 is something that has been suggested 

 as a substitute in place of this dele- 

 gate meeting. 



Mr. Dadant — The last suggestion is: 

 "That officers and directors of the Na- 

 tional Bee-Keepers' Association all be 

 elected by a direct vote of the mem- 

 bers, by a mail ballot furnished for 

 that purpose; and that no delegate 

 meeting shall be called, except as may 

 be deemed necessary by the board of 

 directors. Said meeting and place of 

 meeting to be decided upon by said 

 board of directors." 



That is to say, as I understand it, 

 you will elect your officers for the Na- 

 tional by direct mail vote, and, in case 

 anything comes up to be acted upon, 

 delegates shall be called upon to act. 



Mr. Burnett — I think the plan to 

 elect directly from the masses or from 

 the membership direct was tried for a 

 number of j'ears. It was during the 

 time that Mr. France was General 

 Manager, and he is better fitted to talk 

 upon that number than anybody else, 

 but while I am on my feet I will say 

 that, today for example, we are here 

 an organization in the northern part 

 of the state of Illinois, a membership 

 from surrounding or contiguous terri- 

 tory, and we select a man who we 

 consider has the interest of our busi- 

 ness at heart. 



We take from our own membership 

 some one we consider qualified to act 

 as our representative; and by that 

 means we get intelligent representa- 

 tion. We can meet at the National 

 convention by having a delegate rep- 

 resentative. It is on the principle of 

 our government, which we consider to 

 be the best in the world today, and 

 therefore I certainly most heartily 

 favor the delegate system. 



My experience is, that, I have voted 

 for people I did not know under the 

 other plan, simply to fill up the blank. 

 If I vote for a delegate, I know what 

 I am doing. I know that he is going 

 to represent our interest to the best of 

 his ability, and he will make a great 



