April 11, 1907 



315 



American Hee Journal 



walk, so we arc advised to take the car. 

 Mr. Toeppcrwein will go with the first 

 section, and Mr. Laws with the second. 

 The meeting then adjourned until 8 

 p.m., and all attended the Moxii-an sup- 

 per, given at the " Original Mexican 

 Restaurant.'' 



SECOND DAY— Evening Sessio.v. 



The meeting was called to order at 

 8 130 by Pres. C. P. Dadant. The first half 

 hour was spent in listening to an address 

 by Judge T. M. Paschal, who went to 

 Los Angeles in 1903 to help bring the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association to 

 San Antonio, his subject being, "The 

 Bee-Keeping Resources of Texas." 



Pres. Dadant — There was to have 

 been a paper read at this time by Dr. 

 E. F. Phillips, of Washington, D. C., on 

 "What Science May do for Bee-Keep- 

 ing," but as he has not arrived yet we 

 will proceed with other business. The 

 subject for the evening is the report of 

 the Resolutions Committee on freight- 

 rates. We will hear from the Secretary. 



Report o-j Freight-Rates. 



We, the Committee on Resolutions, 

 recommend that the following resolu- 

 tion be passed by the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, in convention as- 

 sembled ; 



Resolved, That a committee of three 

 be appointed by the President, of which 

 the General Manager shall be one and 

 be its chairman, for the purpose of se- 

 curing more favorable freight-rates on 

 the products of the apiary, namely : 

 honey, bees, and beeswax ; That the 

 Board of Directors be requested to pass 

 a resolution authorizing and directing 

 the General Manager of our Association 

 to pay out of the funds of the Asso- 

 ciation the necessary expenses of the 

 Committee, and such expenses as may 

 be incurred in bringing before the rail- 

 road officials such articles as may be 

 necessary to demonstrate the packages 

 on which reductions are desired. 



ROBT. A. HOLEKAMP, 



Jas. A. Stone, 



C. C. Parsons, 



Committee on Resolutions. 



Pres. Dadant — The matter is open for 

 discussion now, and I would like to 

 hear from the members as to their opin- 

 ion on these resolutions. Let us hear 

 from Mr. France. 



Mr. France — So long as my name is 

 mentioned in the resolutions I ought to 

 be quiet. That involves lots of work; 

 it means hard work, and that committee 

 will have more to do than you realize. 

 I feel that it is of the greatest import- 

 ance who that committee are. As for 

 suggestions, the Resolution Committee 

 has nearly covered it, what is expected. 

 I don't know of any way that we can 

 use the funds of the treasury to a better 

 advantage than for something of this 

 nature; for every one has more or less 

 shipping, and will get direct results, 

 whatever they may be. 



Mr. York — Mr. Chairman, in order to 

 do this I move the adoption of the reso- 

 lutions. 



Dr. Bohrer — I would like to hear the 

 resolution read again. 



Wm. Atchley — Does that include ex- 

 press-rates, or freight-rates only? 



Pres. Dadant— I'rcight-rates only. It 

 is more diflicult to do anything with 

 express companies than the railroad 

 companies. 



Mr. Anderson — I see dawning in the 

 distance that which I have hoped for, 

 at least ever since I have been a bee- 

 keeper. The transportation facilities of 

 the bee-keepers' products have been so 

 inconvenient in many localities that it 

 has actually put a stay on the progress 

 of the industry. I have longed to sec 

 the time when the National Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association would be acknowledged 

 by the railroad companies as a power 

 in the Nation. I want to congratulate 

 the Committee on Resolutions for the 

 work they have done. 



Dr. Bohrer — I, like Mr. France, think 

 that when we tackle a question of this 

 kind we have a big question to buck up 

 against. All that can be done outside 

 of actual organization, not only through 

 the State legislative body, must be done 

 by appealing to the railroad companies 

 ourselves, and bringing our committees 

 to their special notice. I believe they 

 are reasonable men, and something may 

 be accomplished in that way. Now, 1 

 understand that much is put up in pack- 

 ages that are condemned, but if these 

 packages are more secure the railroads 

 will take them. This committee can 

 bring this matter to bear and present it, 

 not only to the bee-keepers, but to the 

 railroad companies. There is not a man 

 or woman that has any produce what- 

 ever but feels that extortions are prac- 

 ticed upon them. Years ago, up in Kan- 

 sas, our railroads were controlled by the 

 Inter-State Commerce legislation, but 

 the State can only control the railroad 

 company to an extent, and when it pass- 

 es out of the State we have no control 

 over it ; and it is the duty of every bee- 

 keeper to make an appeal to his Repre- 

 sentative in Congress. Whenever the 

 interests of the country are at stake it 

 takes the people to do it ; you have to 

 appeal to your Representative. What is 

 the condition we find now in our Legis- 

 lative Assembly? Are the true represen- 

 tatives of all the industries of this 

 country over-whelmingly in majority in 

 the House and the Senate? 



Pres. Dadant — I wish to call your at- 

 tention to the fact that you are getting 

 ofif the subject. Keep within the limits. 



Dr Bohrer — I will do it. There is 

 where you have to commence — you have 

 to put representative men in these bod- 

 ies, or you will not get justice. 



E. J. Atchley — I think the question 

 that is before this Association is one of 

 the greatest importance that can come 

 before this body, inasmuch as we do not 

 consider it at all fair that the railroad 

 companies charge us $450 per car to 

 transport our bees to Colorado or Utah, 

 when a car of cattle will be carried the 

 same distance for $110. We have ap- 

 pealed as far as possible to the railroad 

 companies, ami the agents themselves 

 have felt a surprise that we would have 

 to pay this amount for a car when we 

 attend to the bees, load them ourselves, 

 take them off the cars, and bear all the 

 burden of the journey, while the cattle 

 are loaded bv the railroad companies, 

 unloaded posmIiIv two or three times and 

 fed, and they .nly pay $110. Under the 

 existing cire-'.n.stances, when we take 



into consideration the rates on bees, 

 when wc w.uit to ship, it cannot be done, 

 and I trust and hope that our Presi- 

 dent may appoint men that may bring 

 to bear, with the force of himself, such 

 a great need of a lower rate on bees 

 that something will be done, and that 

 we will get this lower rate in the near 

 future. I trust he will use his best judg- 

 ment in selecting this committee. 



Mr. Hilton — The resolution that is be- 

 fore the body is certainly a very im- 

 portant one, and much has been said 

 touching directly upon the subject, and 

 perhaps some things have been said that 

 did not touch directly upon the resolu- 

 tion. Having had some experience from 

 a legislative standpoint, I don't know 

 whether appealing to National Legisla- 

 tion would help us very much ; but this 

 I do know, the country is divided up in- 

 to divisions by the railroad companies, 

 and if we act in concert we must ap- 

 peal to first one division and then the 

 other, until we get the three divisions 

 of the United States to act in unity, to 

 get the best results. I think that the rail- 

 road companies are ready to act when 

 they learn the situation, and I under- 

 stand that they have been informed to 

 the extent that they have made the con- 

 cessions asked for, and as a committee- 

 man for two years in my State, I foimd 

 the railroads were ready to listen to 

 men that would interest themselves, and 

 railroad men and railroad corporations 

 are just as ready to respond to the pleas 

 of good men as the President of the 

 United States, or any other man. And, 

 as I say, if this resolution is carried, 

 and this committee pursues its work dili- 

 gently and personally, a better state of 

 affairs can be brought about, and it be- 

 hooves us to do the things that are go- 

 ing to help us and our fellowmen. And 

 I say again, that I believe the railroad 

 corporations will meet us with open 

 hearts and open hands to do those things 

 that will increase their business, and de- 

 crease our expenses and increase our 

 profits. 



Pres. Dadant— If there are no further 

 remarks, I will put the question: All in 

 favor of this resolution signify by say- 

 ing Yes. Opposed, No. The motion is 

 unanimously carried. The committee 

 has asked that Mr. France act as Chair- 

 man. He is one of the best workers. 

 The man who brought this before this 

 meeting is Mr. Muth ; he deserves to 

 have a share in this matter, and should 

 be upon the committee. I so appoint 

 him. The third man ought to be a bee- 

 keeper who understands transportation 

 and who produces a good deal of honey, 

 and is acquainted with the ra'lroad cora- 

 panies. Mr. Holekamp should also be 

 on this committee ; he has shown what 

 he could do, and he would make a good 

 member. So I appoint those three men. 



Mr. iork — This committee is going to 

 have a good deal to do, and nothing 

 would help them as much as to have a 

 large membership in this Association. 

 The railroad men are going to ask them 

 how many are in it, and if they could 

 say that they represent 10,000 bee-keep- 

 ers in this country, they would prick 

 up their ears and listen. I have under- 

 stood that in some parts of the country 

 the members are beginning to drop off 

 a little bit. It seems to me that we ought 



