The BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



85 



dates among which the votes were 

 scattered. I liri'atly I'avov a phm 

 I'ldlKisi'd last suiniiUM- when this point 

 was ln'in.i;' disensscMJ. It is as fol- 

 idws: In Septeml)er Irt tlie secretary 

 uivc nuti<-(> in all of the bee .iournals 

 that he is I'eady to receive nomina- 

 tions for the officers to be elected, 

 l.ct tliis notice state that nominations 

 will bo received all through the month 

 of October. Let the secretary count 

 the votes the 1st of November, and the 

 names of the two persons receiving 

 the highest number of votes for each 

 office to be immediately pxiblished in 

 all the bee journals as the candidates 

 for election in December. In one 

 sense this would really be an inform- 

 al ballot, in which every member 

 could take a part; and in the election 

 following they would again have a 

 ( hoice of the two candidates for each 

 office. 



It has been suggested, that the pres- 

 ent numl)er of dii'ectors is too large. 

 The greater the number, the slower 

 and more difficult becomes the trans- 

 action of business. If there were 50 

 directors, it would be well-nigh im- 

 possible to transact business— certain- 

 ly be very slow and expensive. Other 

 things being equal, the smaller the 

 body of men. the quicker and more 

 effectively is business conducted. Tlie 

 number ought to be large enough, 

 however, so that there would be little 

 likelihood of any (luestion being de- 

 cided in a one-sided manner. By re- 

 iln.cing the numl^er of directors it is 

 possilile that the Association miglit 

 cveiitnally pay the expenses, or a 

 share of them, that are incurred by 

 the directors in attending the annual 

 convention. Over in Ontario their As- 

 sociation pays the expenses of all of 

 the directors in attending the annual 

 convention. If the directors could 

 hold ;i board-meeting once a year, 

 many things could be accomplished 

 that are now very difficult. There is 



nothing like a face to face meeting. 

 It strikes me that six or eight dii'ec- 

 t(U'S could do the business as well as 

 a dozen could do it. These six should, 

 however, l)e the very best thai lliere 

 are in our ranks. I would not favor 

 a sudden reduction to that luimber. 

 Suppose that we elect only two direc- 

 tors, instead of three, each year until 

 the uximber is reduced to eight, or to 

 six. I thinlv that the directors ought 

 to be well scattered over tlie country. 

 A man living in New York is (piit(! 

 likely to have some different views 

 regarding apiculture than would one 

 whose home is in California or Texas. 

 Conditions differ in such widely sep- 

 arated parts of the country. I doul»t 

 the wisdom, at present, at least, of 

 passing any amendments restricting 

 the number of directors tliat shall re- 

 side in one State. If we should grad- 

 ually cut down the luuiiber to eiglit 

 or six, it is quite likely tliat, event- 

 ually, no State would be left with two 

 directors. If we should see the need 

 of such a ruling at that time, it could 

 be made. While I don't know as any 

 I'larm has come from occasionally 

 electing a director to the office of 

 president. I do think that, considering 

 the excellent material in our ranks, 

 there would, be no objection to a rule 

 prohibiting directors from holding any 

 other office in the Association. The 

 directors ouglit to have power, as 

 they now liave, to remove tlie gener- 

 al manager for cause, and to fill the 

 vacancy, and, in addition, they should 

 have power to till a vacancy caused 

 by the resignation. d*eath, or disability 

 of tlie general manager. There ought 

 also to be some rules as to whom 

 resignations should be sent. As the 

 executive committee now has power 

 to fill a vacancy in the board of direc- 

 tors, I should think that any resig- 

 nation of any members of the board 

 should be sent to the president, and 

 passed upon by the whole committee. 



