460 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 1 



he knew that his reputation was at stake he 

 would either turn down poorly grraded stock, 

 or, if he bought it at all, he would buy at such 

 a low figure tnat he could afford to sell it again 

 for what it actually is. Not until then will 

 the careful grader who is obliged to sell 

 through such parties get his just dues, and 

 his negligent neighbors will either mend 

 their ways or quit the business. 



The editor well says (page 73), "If the 

 goods are carefully packed, and up to the 

 standard as to weight for each grade, there 

 will be no trouble, even at the present ba- 

 sis." We would add that the shipper should 

 be satisfied he is dealing with a firm that is 

 willing to live up to the golden rule before 

 he lets his product go. 



Denver, Col. Frank Rauchfuss. 



THE SIGHT-DRAFT PLAN ALL WRONG ; A SHIP- 

 PER SHOULD HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE 

 BUYER, AND THEN NOT INSIST ON SUCH 

 TERMS. 



Since we have been in business we have 

 had a good deal of experience in shipping 

 with sight draft attached to bill of lading, and 

 in a number of instances we have been heavy 

 losers. If it does not take too much space, 

 we should like to cite one instance which oc- 

 curred this year. We bought from a certain 

 firm in California, with whom we had been 

 doing business for the past twenty years, 

 several cars of honey this season. Hereto- 

 fore all their shipments proved entirely sat- 

 isfactory, and we felt satisfied that we could 

 rely on them in every instance. The first 

 two cars we received this season from this 

 firm proved entirely satisfactory. The third 

 car came along containing about 300 cases 

 valued at about $2300 besides freight, and 

 we honored that draft the same as hereto- 

 fore, without examining the honey. While 

 we might have been at fault in not examin- 

 ing the honey, we were so sure that the goods 

 would be all right that we did not consider it 

 necessary. We did not remove the honey 

 to our store, having no room, but put it in a 

 warehouse, and bad no occasion to examine 

 it until a few weeks later. This car was sold 

 to us as choice quality Southern California 

 white-sage honey, and so stipulated in the 

 contract given to us by the broker. Upon 

 examining the honey we found no white 

 honey at all. It was all light amber and am- 

 ber, and a very poor quality at that. The 

 difference in price between the goods we 

 originally bought and the goods we received 

 was at least from 1 to 1>^ cts. per lb. Mean- 

 while another car arrived from the same 

 Earty, and we thought best to examine this 

 efore paying draft. This car was not up to 

 the standard, and we notified the broker that 

 we were compelled to reject the car on ac- 

 count of poor quality. The broker had the 

 honey examined himself on the dock, even 

 drawing more samples than we did, and ad- 

 mitted that it was a very poor delivery, 

 none of the honey coming up to the standard, 

 and that we were perfectly justified in re- 

 jecting the goods. We took the matter up 



ourselves with the California house on this 

 last car, and also wrote them about the 

 former car for which we had paid, telling 

 them we had no desire to be arbitrary, and 

 they wrote back, asking what allowance 

 would be satisfactory to us. We wrote them 

 that their own broker should draw samples 

 from the car, and that whatever amount tneir 

 broker thought was a reasonable allowance 

 would be satisfactory to us and we would be 

 willing to abide by his decision. We wrote 

 them that, as their broker was their authoriz- 

 ed agent, he certainly would take care of 

 their interests, and that at the same time we 

 felt satisfied he would do us justice as well. 

 Thereupon they coolly wrote back that, in- 

 asmuch as we had paid the draft and taken 

 in the honey, they had to consider this in- 

 stance closed, and would not listen to any al- 

 lowance. We, by the way, do not consider 

 it closed byany means, for the law-holds that, 

 even if you do examine part of the goods, ac- 

 cept them, pay for them, and can prove aft- 

 erward that the entire lot is not like sample 

 drawn, the shippers are liable. Whether we 

 recover any thing remains to be seen, and 

 the only way left open for us is litigation. 



This is only one instance. We can cite 

 many more of the same nature, and there- 

 fore we have concluded not to pay any more 

 drafts until we are satisfied that the ship- 

 ments are up to the quality and that we get 

 what we bought. In our opinion the sight- 

 draft business is all wrong, and entirely in 

 favor of the shipper; and, as far as we know, 

 it is practiced only in California and the far 

 West, where these rules were adopted years 

 ago. We receive large shipments from all 

 other parts of the country as well as abroad, 

 and are not asked to pay sight draft. 



The question is certainly a serious one; but 

 we reahy must confess that we can see no 

 way in which a more satisfactory understand- 

 ing can be arranged. 1 he basis of transac- 

 tion on a large scale should be confidence 

 and faith between the seller and buyer, and 

 every shipper who has confidence in the 

 buyer should not insist upon any such terms. 



HiLDRETH & SEGELKEN. 



New York, Feb. 8. 



THE BUYER SHOULD HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS 

 WITH THE SHIPPER; THE BUYER SHOULD 

 SEND A MAN UNLESS THE SHIPPER IS 

 KNOWN. 



In reference to shipping honey in carload 

 lots, sight-draft bill of lading attached, I re- 

 gard it a good thing that this subject came 

 up. I do not see why a responsible person 

 can not buy honey without paying for it be- 

 fore seeing it. Everybody knows that you 

 can not inspect a car of comb honey in the 

 car. We have met with just such trouble as 

 you give an account of. Of course we have 

 had some excellent carload shipments made 

 tons, goods being just the same as represent- 

 ed. Ihen, again, they were not what they 

 should be. 1 think it is not more than fair 

 that the buyer should have equal rights with 

 the shipper. 



