292 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 8, 19C2. 



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Convention Proceedings. 



The Chicago Convention. 



Report of the Semi-Annual Convention of the 



Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association, Held 



Dec. 5, 1901. 



BY A SHORTHAND REPORTER. 



(Continued from page 277.) 



It was decided that the secretary be authorized to send 

 the necessary amount to the General Manager of the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Association to pay the dues for all the members 

 of the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association. 



THE ILLISOIS PURE FOOD COilMISSIOS. 



Mr. Patterson — The bee-question is certainly a new sub- 

 ject to me. 1 remember when I was a boy on the farm I had 

 a little experience I never forgot. The only bee-factory I 

 have visited during my time in office was yesterday, at Mr. 

 Wheeler"s place, and he entertained rae very well on the sub- 

 ject of bees. I heard a good deal of talk from him on foul brood 

 and other matters pertaining to bees. It seems to me that the 

 Pure Food Commission and the beo-people of IlliDOis should 

 work hand in hand in all these matters. That is, there is no 

 organization in my opinion that ought to be so thoroughly or- 

 ganized for the purity of goods as the bee-people, because if 

 anybody is producing pure goods it is certainly the bee-people, 

 and the only question that we had up before the commission 

 was a car-load of extracted honey coming from the West, and 

 we found it adulterated. I seems to me all the bee-people of 

 Illinois would certainly be in favor of and willing that honey 

 from other States should be tested, that in our own State not 

 being adulterated, because adulteration would naturally do- 

 crease the production of honey. I want to say right now for 

 the Pure Food Commission, that we would be very glad to 

 come in contact with all of the bee-people. I intend to visit a 

 few of the bee-keepers, but will not have much time now to do 

 that, but I am so glad to see so many interested. I didn't have 

 any idea there were so many bee-people in Illinois. As I said 

 before, the only one Iran across was out at Piano. 



Dr. Miller — There is another one besides those here I 

 [Laughter.] 



Mr. Patterson — It is certainly a great subject, and it is a 

 great industry. Nobody likes honey, and pure honey, as well 

 as I do, and I think if you all stand together as you are here, 

 eventually honey will go up. I understand that honey is 

 lower now in price than it has been for years and I don't see 

 any other reason for it than the adulteration of honey. There 

 has been a little mistake in the press upon the interview of 

 our Commissioner about honey. You know as well as I do, 

 that a reporter always endeavors to make a startling article 

 on almost any subject of adulteration, and they say what they 

 please. Some one said to me, "I saw a cartoon in one of the 

 papers of one of the men out in tlie country adulterating comb 

 honey." We can't stop those things. We are trying to bring 

 about an honest condition, and t)iat is surely your purpose. I 

 will endeaver to have our chemist come and speak to you to- 

 night. I assure you any question you ask the Commission 

 will be welcomed, and we would be very glad to consult with 

 you on any subject pertaining to honey. 



Mr. Dunn — Can you. as an officer, visit the glucose fac- 

 tories 1 



Mr. Patterson — Yes, sir. That's another matter. There 

 was some little honey In our last report that we found adulter- 

 ated. One man I talked to had bees near the glucose factory, 

 and he claimed they brought the glucosi' into the hives and 

 thus naturally adulterati'd the honey. I don't know whether 

 that is so or not, as I am not able to say. The law gives us 

 the right to visit anything in the way of products, eatables or 

 drink, in Illinois. I want each and eve^y one of you who 

 knows someone who is adulterating hom-y. and selling it as pure 

 honey, to notify our Commission, and we will be glad to look 

 into the matter thoroughly. We hope to have your co-oper- 

 ation in all this work. I thank you. 



Mr. Dunn — Mr. Pattersou, have you assistants to canvass 

 this city thoroughly? 



Mr". Patterson — We have only six inspectors for the entire 

 State, and we have a chemist and his assistant, and a Commis- 

 sioner, and his assistant. 



Mr. Dunn — Have you force enougli to be able to inspect 

 this city thoroughly? 



Mr. Patterson — Now, you know our si.x inspectors cover 

 our entire State, and we have a good many complaints from 

 different points, about different products^ and when a com- 

 plaint is filed we look it up. I am sorry we don't have more 

 inspectors. 



Mr. Dunn — What action can this organization take to 

 give you the force required ? 



Mr. Patterson — Anything upon the line of this investiga- 

 tion, or to increase our force, would be a great help to us. 



Mr. Duun — Does that come from Congress ? 



Mr. Patterson — From the State. 



Mr. Dunn — How many assistants would permit you to can- 

 vass it thoroughly ? 



Mr. Patterson — I think an inspector for every Congres- 

 sional District would cover very thoroughly throughout Illi- 

 nois. I know as we are now we are busy night and day with 

 every inspector we have. We have so many complaints, and 

 our chemists have so much to do, we can't possibly cover the 

 ground. 



Dr. Miller — I think we will always agree with the state- 

 ment of Mr. Patterson that bee-keepers do not desire adulter- 

 ation. There has been enough of it to injure us very, very 

 seriously, and there is another thing whicli runs side by side 

 with that, and that is, to get the public to believe that there is 

 adulteration. It doesn't ma'^e any difference whether it is 

 true or not, when you get the public to believe there is adulter- 

 tion, you have injured the sale of our product to an extent 

 that cannot be gotten over for a long time. 



Pres. Y'ork — Are you talking about comb or extracted 

 honey ? 



Dr. Miller — I don't care what it is, whether comb or ex- 

 tracted. Here is the condition that faces us right now. Here 

 is a statement made in a reputable paper that one of the Pure 

 Food Commissioners has said that there is scarcely any gen- 

 uine comb honey ; that it is nearly all adulterated, and that 

 unless you see the brown coloring on the comb — what we bee- 

 keepers call travel-stain — it is not pure I I am not bothering 

 aliout what foundation they had for that, but I do know 

 the result of what Prof. Wiley did years ago. I believe we 

 have the impression now that the Commissioners are the ones 

 that can do a great deal to help us as bee-keepers, and I be- 

 lieve that they will as gentlemen, do this, for if there has been 

 anything said by them to give any foundation for the state- 

 ment made in the papers, I believe they will, over their own 

 signatures, in the same public manner in which the statement 

 was made, say there is no foundation for it. 



Mr. Patterson — I know positively we never made such a 

 statement. The reporters, as a rule, use their own language and 

 say a great many things that should not be said. Of course, 

 this adulteration would come under the observation of our 

 chemist, and that there was certainly some adulteration, 

 especially in that one sample, and a reporter naturally takes 

 that one and says all. You know the Commissioner, and no man 

 of any sense, would say that honey was adulterated, or any 

 other product, because he would be saying something that was 

 not true. I would say that Commissioner Jones would be very 

 glad to confer with you, or a committee, upon the subject. 

 13e said to me he never made such a statement, and he is par- 

 ticularly interested in the bee-interests, as he lives in a part 

 of the country where there is a good deal of bee-raising. We 

 are trying to bring about a condition that will meet w;th the 

 approval of everybody that is honest and fair, and have put 

 upon the market that which is labeled. If adulterated, 

 mark it adulterated ; if pure, mark it pure; and if they say it 

 is pure let them invite inspection. 



Dr. Miller — I believe Mr. Jones is a friend of the bee- 

 keepers, and desires nothing but what is right. There is no 

 need of any consultation of any committi'O. There is a state- 

 ment made that is either true or not. Now, if it is not true, 

 and there is no foundation for it, Mr. Jones, as our friend, 

 will, over his signature, say that there is a slander, and we, 

 I think, are entitled to just that much. If there was any 

 foundation for it, that foundation was wrong. If anything 

 was said that ought not to have been said I have confidence 

 in Mr. Jones as a g<>ntleman, to believe that he will withdraw 

 whatever he may have said. We must remember that every 

 man doesn't know as much about the business as you and I 

 who have spent years at it ; and a Food Commissioner might 

 make a mistake. He may have said som(^thing that he wasn't 

 authorized to say. As a gentleman he will withdraw that. 

 That much I do believe we ought to ask. If some statement 

 of that kind is not made I shall be disappointed in Mr. Jones. 

 That should be said, and very plainly, and in as public a way 

 as the statement was made in the papers. We are entitled 

 to that much, and I believe we will get it. 



