io6 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



April 



ers the benefits to be derived from be- 

 longing to such an organization. 



In the beginning I informed the of- 

 ficers of the association (the General 

 Manager) of the passage of the or- 

 dinance and the danger threatened. 

 They at once forwarded to me valuable 

 briefs for ,the use of my attorneys and 

 suggestions now to proceed if I should 

 be_ arrested. My attorney says the 

 briefs furnished were of the greatest 

 assistance in preparing my defence, 

 that, in fact, they lightened his labors 

 fully one-half. 



After the case was decided, I sent to 

 the General Manager, Eugene Secor, 

 a statement of the cos,ts against me and 

 also a s,tatement of the costs I had in- 

 curred in defending myself. I at once 

 received a check for $40 to pay a part of 

 the expenses I had been put to. Surely 

 this is an association worth belonging 

 to, and it seems to me we ought to do 

 all in our power to support and aid 

 any insti,tution that does as much for us 

 as the National Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion."— V. Shebat. 



Quite a number of other appeals for 

 help and advice have been received, but 

 none of them required any financial 

 aid. The printed matter and letters 

 were all that they required. 



The correspondence and the rou,tine 

 work of the office are considerable. In- 

 deed the duties have been more bur- 

 densome than I felt like carrying, con- 

 sidering the unjust criticism of a few 

 ambitious members. In my last an- 

 nual report I asked to be relieved, and, 

 later, tendered my resignation, but was 

 prevailed upon to serve ou,t the present 

 year. I now repeat that I wish the 

 voting membership to elect my suc- 

 cessor. 



In severing my official relationship 

 with the Association, perhaps the 

 friends will allow me space to call at- 

 tention to some things that have been 

 undertaken or accomplished during my 

 incumbency. 



When the Association was organized 

 in 1896, it commenced business without 

 funds and without prestige. I was its 

 first and only Grand Manager. 

 Through the hearty support and in- 

 defatigable labors of many loyal and 

 influen,tial friends it has grown from 

 zero to nearly a thousand members; 

 and although a good deal of money has 

 been spent in defence of bee-keepers 



and to advance their interests, the 

 financial statement submitted herewith 

 shows its healthy condition. It is no 

 boast to say it is the largest and most 

 influential bee-keepers' society in the 

 world and is doing work that no other 

 Association attempts, since the volun- 

 tary withdrawal of the old "Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Union," under the leadership of 

 that successful manager, Thos. G. New- 

 man. 



Here is a statement of some of the 

 more important things accomplished or 

 attempted by this association during 

 the last five years. 



In 1898 a good deal of time, energy 

 and money was spent in promoting 

 Pure Food Legislation and in trying to 

 prevent the rescinding of a classifica- 

 tion rule by railroad authorities in re- 

 gard to shipping fees. 



The same year an attempt was made 

 by the city authorities in an Illinois 

 town to remove all bees from the cor- 

 poration. This was prevented by help 

 of the Association. 



In 1899 the Association attempted to 

 stop the sale of adulterated honey in 

 Chicago, and spent $300 therefor. 

 While the suits were not successful, the 

 publicity which the sui,ts brought about 

 educated the people to such a degree 

 that an Illinois Pure Food law was 

 passed the next year. 



A number of bee-keepers were also 

 successfully aided by advice and help 

 11 om the Association. 



In the year 1900 the celebrated Utter 

 V. Utter case was successfully fought 

 out, and the court rulings and decision 

 will be valuable as a precedent when- 

 ever quoted in like cases. 



The same year a case testing the Pure 

 Food law of Michigan was brought 

 against a retailer o"^ adulterated honey 

 and the party found guilty and fined. 



During the year igcf ?nother impor- 

 tant suit was determinea in Rochester, 

 N. Y., fully testing the right to keep 

 bees in cities. (The City of Rochester 

 V. Taunton.) 



These cases, in addiiio.i to the many 

 settled out of court tiirough the ef- 

 forts of the Association anri therefore 

 never heard of, will iniorm the new 

 members what the organization has 

 bten trying to accomplifh. 



It has also published for reference 

 and distribution wherever needed, the 

 following pamphlets and folders: 



