116 



TWELFTH ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE 



National a few years ago. They 

 printed a god deal about how many 

 people they helped out. I went up into 

 Michigan and was going to buy an 

 apiary up there and I paid the man 

 $15 as a retainer. He was clever 

 enough to put it in that way, and then 

 I found out that he had foul brood, so 

 I, of course, was a member in good 

 standing of the National, and so was 

 our other friend, and I called up Mr. 

 Taylor, who then was the inspector 

 of apiaries. I think he held an oflice 

 in the National. He said tO' me: "You 

 have a criminal case against him." 

 That sounded good to me, tout the way 

 the thing wound up, I let him get $7.50 

 in order to obtain a settlement, and 

 the National did not do anything; 

 they did not put the man out that I 

 know of. I was glad to get away with 

 the other $7.50 and go home. 



I do not believe we ought to 

 protect every man who puts his bees 

 where they bother people. I do not 

 Ibelieve we ought to pay for those 

 things. If a man wants legal protec- 

 tion let him hire an attorney to help 

 him out. Every one of us gets into 

 a little difficulty occasionally. What 

 is the use of running with our trouble 

 to the National unless it is as a last 

 resort? If they can do anything, all 

 right, by writing letters and in that 

 way. That is about what liability in- 

 surance amounts to — protection against 

 . accidents. If they are big enough and 

 can put up a fight they can accomplish 

 results. It is a good deal on the same 

 principle as accident insurance. We 

 expect they are going to be big enough 

 and look big enough to see the other 

 party back down. 



Supposing some party puts bees 

 where they are a nuisance, and they 

 find the man is in the wrong, and pay 

 $25 in defending him. 



So far as the proposition of buying 

 is concerned: If a man will use a 

 little business common sense in buy- 

 ing, he can buy direct as cheaply. The 

 way to buy is first to find out who the 

 people are that have these commodities 

 to sell, and then take their bid. If we 

 have any commodity we want to buy, 

 we go directly to the place it is sold. 

 As in Chicago, for instance, we see 

 who deals in these things and get their 

 prices. The co-operative proposition 

 is all right, tout I claim that if the 

 National is going to be co-operative, 

 let them cut out the big profit they are 

 putting on cans. If they are going to 



assess the members, why put a profit 

 on it? If they are not going to assess 

 the members, a legitimate profit is all 

 right to carry overhead expenses, but 

 not both of them. That is the way it 

 looks to me. 



Pres. Huffman — I guess we all look 

 at it in the same way; they Avant a 

 little profit out of it. They are talk- 

 ing of having it re-organized as an 

 association for buying, the way I un- 

 derstand the paper. 



Mr. Pyles — Along this line of protec- 

 tion, Mr. President, I might tell of one 

 case I know of — the man, Mr. Nj'deg- 

 ger, of Danville, 111. The city of Dan- 

 ville -passed an ordinance prohibiting 

 the keeping of bees within the city 

 limits. Mr. Nydegger was within the 

 city limits, although he owned four 

 acres of land, with his house on it. 

 At that time the National was back- 

 ing people, and I might say also that 

 the general manager never backed any 

 man when he was in the wrong. He 

 advised him to settle, and that is the 

 way the management should be con- 

 ducted at all times. When a man is 

 in the right, stand behind him. and 

 when he is in the wrong tell him so. 



Mr. Nydegger called to see the 

 mayor of Danville after they passed 

 this ordinance. The mayor said: 

 "The ordinance has been passed; I 

 have got to enforce it." 



Mr. Nydegger said to him-: "I am 

 not violating any law where it inter- 

 feres with anybody's right; my bees are 

 being cared for and they do not injure 

 anything or anybody. I am a mem- 

 ber of the National Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation; they are ready to help me 

 fight my battle. I am- going to take 

 care of my bees in the right way, on 

 my property, and they will not in- 

 jure anybody, and you people put up 

 your fight when you get ready.- I 

 mig-ht say that the law is stUl on their 

 books in Danville; the law has never 

 been repealed or enforced. His being 

 a member of the National had some 

 Weight, and their knowing that Mr. 

 France always put up a fight when the 

 men was in the right had its influence. 



Pres. Huffman — A party being a 

 member of the National may be in the 

 right or in the wrong, but that has its 

 influence. 



Mr. Cavanagh — If you can get a 

 man to understand thiat, the way the 

 Liability Companies handle their 

 affairs, it is all right. 



