ILi,INOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



73 



tion with regar.l to our tin honey 

 packages for this year. Previous to this 

 time the National has handled cans but 

 not direct. Arrangements had been 

 made with Chicago factories to furnish 

 the members cans at carload rates on 

 local shipments. Each individual mem- 

 ber who wanted cans would send an 

 order to the Chicago factory. 



When we started to do business from 

 Detroit, under the new Constitution, ii 

 seemed it would be better if we could 

 keep track of those orders, and know 

 what kind of goods the Company were 

 sending out, and how much business 

 the National was doing. 



I wrote to the American Can Com- 

 pany, and I also wrote to some other 

 Companies, one of them being' the 

 National Can Company of Detroit. 

 Don't conflct that with the Nationa! 

 Can Company of Maryland. The one 

 at Detroit has no connection with any 

 other Company. 



The Sales Manager from the Chi- 

 cago office came to my office to see me. 

 I thought he acted rather important. 

 May be he did not intend to convey 

 that impression; but when you consider 

 the thing, what excuse was there for 

 them to pay a certain commission lo 

 the Association when they had all ths 

 business and all the names of the bee- 

 keepers that were buying cans? 



So I really expected opposition. 



He said, "Mr. Tyrrell — What security 

 have j-ou?" I answered him — "Not u 

 bit; the Association is not even incor- 

 porated, but as a business proposition, 

 you have to take chances. Here is an 

 organization of bee-keepers of the 

 United States. We expect to get orders 

 direct to this office and turn them over 

 to you. We believe our work for do- 

 ing that is worth something to you, 

 and you can afford to pay this Associa- 

 tion a small commission. We are going 

 to ask every member to send cash with 

 order. That money will be deposited 

 in Bank as soon as it gets here, and at 

 the end of each month I want you to 

 send me your bill for the business of 

 the preceding month, and we will honor 

 it." 



The gentleman did not think that he 

 could take such chances on the bee- 

 keepers of this association. 



However, when he left he said he 

 w^as going to send me prices, and he 

 agreed to have samples at my office 

 for the Directors' meeting. 



The National Can Company did, the 



American did not;. so we did not have 

 their goods to compare. 



The National Can Company were 

 willing to take our orders and send 

 the bills once a month. 



After the directors' meeting was 

 over, and authority left in my hands to 

 make the best arrangement I could, 

 finally I got a letter from the Chicago^ 

 Company that they had been delayed 

 in getting the samples, and I wrote 

 them back and told them I was sur- 

 prised to get the letter; that whether 

 the sales manager intended to do it 

 or not he left with me the impression 

 that they did not care for our busi- 

 ness, and I had already made arrange- 

 ments elsewhere. 



So I contracted with the National 

 Can Company, of Detroit. 



That contract pays into the treasury 

 of the National Association a very 

 small commission, and although this is 

 our first year, and we had no figures 

 to base our prospective business on, 

 and I thought we would do exceedingly 

 well if we sold one thousand dollars 

 worth — but our orders amounted to 

 $2,717.04 to the time I left my office. 



We started to get something of the 

 glass factory for our members. 



In a little while the factory wrote us 

 that their company could not arrange 

 to take care of small orders. 



So I made other arrangements, and 

 I am sorrj- to say I have just received 

 a letter from them that they don't want 

 to handle our business. 



But I am going to try to get them to 

 do it. I told them we did not know 

 whether this business would pay them; 

 but we could tell at the end of one j'ear 

 what the amount of the business would 

 be. 



Up to the time I left, -we handled 

 $284.49 worth of glass packages, sold to 

 our members. Samples are here for 

 inspection. 



This makes a grand total of business 

 we have done for you this year of 

 $3,094.98. And when you consider that 

 this is the first year we have done it, 

 it is a mighty good showing. 



Now I would not dare to attempt to 

 picture for you the future of this as- 

 sociation as it appears to me because 

 you would say — "Tyrrell, you are draw- 

 ing the pictures too large." 



If you are thoroughly interested in 

 the cause of the bee-keeper, you will 

 agree with me that organized effort is 

 the only way to accomplish the best 



