74 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 1919 



suriiig a uniform aud a fair price; he is also 

 entitled to purchase his supplies at a re- 

 duced rate made to members only, and of 

 any make or standard that he may select. 

 The policy of the Exchange is to treat all 

 makers of supplies with an equal considera- 

 tion — price and quality considered. 



In brief, the California Honey Producers ' 

 Co-operative Exchange is a purely business 

 organization designed to get for its mem- 

 bers the very best possible prices for their 

 honey and the lowest figures (quality con- 

 sidered) for their supplies. In considera- 

 tion of the low price the members are ex- 

 pected to pay cash. 



The various California fruit exchanges 

 have been a great success, and there is no 

 reason why the new honey exchange should 

 not be equally so under the advice and di- 

 rection of General Manager Justice, who 

 has had a large experience in a business 

 way before he became manager of the pres- 

 ent organization. 



There is still another co-operative organi- 

 zation among beekeepers, known as the 

 Southern California Beekeepers' Associa- 

 tion, also with headquarters at Los An- 

 geles, with E. B. Shaffner as president. 

 While its name would indicate that it is 

 confined to the southern part of the State, 

 it probably has a wider scope. Both organi- 

 zations, we are informed, have the same 

 objects in view — better prices for the hon- 

 ey sold and lower prices for beekeepers' 

 supplies. 



DUKING THE past year we have had a 

 number of complaints against some of our 

 advertisers because 

 Complaints of their failure to 



Against deliver bees or 



Certain queens or both. In 



Advertisers. most cases the 

 matters at issue 

 have been adjusted. Two of our advertisers, 

 however, were unable to return either the 

 money or the bees in all cases. We have had 

 numerous complaints against one of these 

 bee dealers for failure to deliver bees 

 or queens, and especially his failure to an- 

 swer letters. We took the matter up with 

 him last summer, and told him there was no 

 excuse for not answering a letter, and asked 

 why he did not fill his orders. He replied 

 by saying that he was literally swamped 

 with orders, was oversold on bees, and with 

 the money he had received he had bought 

 more bees and queens. He admitted he was 

 behind in his correspondence, but was work- 

 ing overtime to catch up. In the meantime 

 some of his customers canceled their orders, 

 and asked for a return of their money. This 

 he was unable to do, as he had spent it for 

 bees, but said he would furnish bees next 

 spring or this fall. 



Another of our advertisers was likewise 

 swamped with orders, had bought more bees 

 with the money that had been sent him, and, 

 as the season was too far advanced, his cus- 



tomers either canceled their orders, demand- 

 ing return of their money, or refused to ac- 

 cept the shipment of bees. As the money 

 was tied up in his business this man 

 was unable to return it; but he wrote us that 

 he would take care of all his customers who 

 did not receive their stock, and that he 

 would not receive any new orders until all 

 the old ones had been filled. He said he re- 

 gretted very much that he was unable to re- 

 turn the money or take care of his customers 

 jjromptly last season- Like the other one, he 

 says that not one of his customers will lose 

 a penny, if they will give him a chance to 

 make good next spring. 



Both men filled large numbers of orders; 

 and one of them in particular made some 

 large shipments of bees; but owing to the 

 delays on the part of the express companies, 

 on account of war conditions, a number of 

 shipments covering several hundred pounds 

 of bees went thru in very bad order. In 

 some cases all the bees were dead on arrival-. 

 The failure of the express companies, said 

 this man, put him in bad shape to fill 

 his orders. In a large number of cases he 

 had to make duplicate shipments, and some- 

 times even these arrived dead. This, while 

 showing good faith on his part, only left 

 him deeper in the hole. 



Advice is cheap; but it is very plain that 

 no queen-breeder nor bee-breeder should ac- 

 cept orders beyond his capacity to fill. He 

 should in all cases make his prices high 

 enough to cover a percentage for replace- 

 ment. When the whole South could not fill 

 half its orders for bees there was no reason 

 why any one should make his prices too low. 

 The late W. Z. Hutchinson, when he was 

 raising queens extensively some 30 years 

 ago, said he had made it a rule never to cash 

 a postal order nor a check until the queens 

 had been sent, and a reasonable time had 

 elapsed so that he could determine whether 

 it would be necessary to make a replace- 

 ment. Said he, "I do not believe the money 

 is mine until I am absolutely sure that my 

 customer has received his monej^ 's worth. ' ' 

 That is a pretty good rule. 



Incidentally we might mention that there 

 are others against whom complaints have 

 been made, and, so far as we know, adjust- 

 ments have been made or are pending in 

 every case. 



As in the past so we will in the future 

 refuse to accept advertising from those deal- 

 ers in bees and queens who neglectfully or 

 fraudulently refuse to carry on a strictly 

 honest business. We shall also require all 

 new advertisers to give us a report of the 

 number of colonies they have, whether they 

 have bee disease, and whether there are 

 black bees in their vicinity'; and, if so, how 

 near. New advertisers will also be required 

 to give the names of several bankers or 

 other reliable business men in their vicinity 

 who will certify to the fact that the parties 

 in question are not only honest, but are 

 capable of doing business in a business way 

 and will do so. 



