THE BEE-KEEPERS* REVIEW 191 



the present Board of Directors of the National have the nerve to 

 undertake a work of magnitude in behalf of their fellow-workers. 



You. as a subscriber, have a right to know just why this action 

 was taken, and I will try, as best I can, to tell you. 



Most of you know that for over a year I have held the office 

 of Secretary of the National Bee-Keepers" Association. Since the 

 15th of last June I have also edited and published the Bee-Keepers' 

 Review. Last November the constitution of the National was 

 changed, which placed a much greater responsibility upon the Secre- 

 tary, and consequently a great deal more work. 



It did not take me long to find out that a private business did 

 not go well with a co-operative business. In other words, the 

 work of the National and the v.-ork of the Review conflicted. I 

 found that I was doing many things double, simply because they 

 belonged to different lines of business. To explain, I may mention 

 the fact that I just recently sent out a large number of circulars 

 for the National. Those circulars solicited membership. If I de- 

 sired to solicit those same persons for stibscriptions, it meant 

 another set of circulars, sent by the same person, and paying post- 

 age equal to the first lot, when all coidd have been combined in the 

 same circular had the whole business been under the one owner- 

 ship. 



Another point was, that after a person had been solicited for 

 one thing, he would be apt to Idc iess responsive to a second appeal 

 by the same person for another tliuv^. Hence, if the National circulars 

 were sent out first, it was done at a loss to the Review, and if the 

 Review circulars were sent out first it v.'as done at a loss to the 

 National. In either case one or the other btisiness must suffer. 



Then there came the question of separating the office work. 

 Letters had to he dictated, remittances had to be cared for. two 

 sets of cards had to be kept, besides many other things. How nuicli 

 of this work must be charged to the National, and how much to 

 the Re\iew was always a question which demanded careful atten- 

 tion, resulting in mcjre work. And most of this work vras unneces- 

 sary if the whole business was under one ownership. 



Now take your last National report, and you will read on pages 

 83, 8-1: and 8o a discussion regarding an official organ for the 

 National. That shows wliich wav the wind blows, and that there 

 is a demand for a National ])tiblication. Take any of the large 

 organizations you can think of, and you will find that they have 

 their official organ. It is really necessary in order that the mem- 

 bers may be promptly informed regarding the work as it goes 

 along. 



The question came up then as to how this official organ could 

 be established. The postal laws were the first thing which had to 



