ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



97 



pack it. I think Mr. Dittmer is well 

 able to answer those questions. 



Mr, Stockdale — ^I would like to ask 

 how cheaply you would have to touy 

 the ordinary wax in order to ship it 

 in and have it worked into foundation 

 at a profit? 



Mr. Dittmer — I should say the regu- 

 lar market price, whatever that is; to 

 buy foundation outright, as governed 

 by the market price for wax, you 

 simply pay in addition the price for 

 making. 



Mr. Dadant — If you will allow me to 

 make a suggestion — I understand the 

 gentleman wants to know at what 

 price it will pay him to buy wax in 

 order to make into foundation; that 

 will have to be figured for yourself; 

 at the market price it will pay you 

 better to have it worked than to buy 

 foundation outright. Comb foundation 

 manufacturers have to carry a certain 

 amount of stock in order to cover their 

 needs, and Mr. Dittmer has to charge 

 more for foundation that he sells in 

 order to carry that stock over. When 

 working wax we can do a thousand 

 dolars worth of business without hav- 

 ing a cent out except labor; the other 

 way you have to invest in the wax, 

 and wait until you sell it. 



Pres. Huffman — I think that thought 

 is well taken; if you have to pay ten 

 of fifteen cents more for foundation 

 when you buy it; if you can buy wax 

 for thirty cents and sell it for forty- 

 five cents, you can afford to buy wax 

 and have it made up. 



Mr. Dadant — I would like to add this 

 caution in buying wax: A customer 

 found it was considerable cheaper to 

 buy wax on the open market and send 

 it in to us for foundation, but he 

 bought it from everybody, and he sent 

 us a lot mixed with paraffin and tal- 

 low; we could not use it. So in buying 

 wax, be a little bit careful, unless you 

 know absolutely just where it is com- 

 ing from. 



Pres. Huffman — I can say along that 

 line: A few years ago a party brought 

 some wax to me, and I called it more 

 dirt than wax. He wanted to know 

 what I would give him for it or have it 

 made up into foundation; I Said: 

 "I will send it to Mr. Dittmer and let 

 him make the price." I did> so and I 

 got word from Mr. Dittmer: "Why do 

 you send me such stuff? It is no 

 wax; it is not much of anything." I 

 told him:' "It is up to you to make 



—7 



your price." The man was very much 

 surprised because he thought he had 

 good wax; that showed he didn't know 

 what good wax was. 



Mr. Dittmer — ^I remember the cir- 

 cumstances. 



Pres. Huffman — That shows that the 

 wax can toe of very inferior quality 

 when the person sending it thinks he 

 has a good quality. 



Mr. Pyles — I want to ask the Presi- 

 dent, if a man being from Wisconsin, 

 when he goes to the pearly gates, is 

 that all they will ask him? 



Pres. Huffman — It may be. Are 

 there any other questions ready to 

 hand in? Does any one wish to ask 

 Mr. Dittmer any more questions in re- 

 gard to the preparing and shipping of 

 wax? 



Mr. Pyles — I will say about this wax 

 question: If a man puts his wax in 

 the shape he would like to receive it 

 himself; if they will turn the question 

 around, they will have it just right. 

 The ordinary talk about manufactured 

 foundation is not within the reach of 

 ordinary people; they cannot under- 

 stand it. 



Mr. Curtis, of the Austin Economic 

 League of Chicago, is with us ; he oper- 

 ates on the co-operative plan; we 

 would like to have a 'short talk from 

 him; — Mr. Curtis — 



Mr. Curtis — I will take a very few 

 moments of your time. I represent 

 the Austin Economic League. I am 

 President of that organization. We 

 are organized for the benefit of the 

 people of Chicago who are consumers 

 and house-holders; people who are 

 trj-ing to conduct a practical movement 

 to reduce the high prices, the high 

 cost of living. We want to deal direct 

 with the producers and eliminate the 

 middle man and the conditions that 

 are between the producer and the con- 

 sumer. We want to pay the producer 

 what it cost him to produce the ar- 

 ticle, plus a reasonable and legitimate 

 margin and when the transportation 

 arid! handling charges are paid we 

 want that to be our price, but no more. 

 We are making a comprehensive study 

 of this whole proposition. Within the 

 next twelve months we expect a mem- 

 bership in Chicago of four thousand 

 families who will buy direct. We con- 

 centrate our purchases and will buy 

 ■direct from' the producers. Now I 

 found that you were going to have 

 a meeting here, through a copy of thi? 



