Publisht Weekly at IIS Michigan St. 



George W. York, Editor. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Free. 



38th Year. 



CHICAGO, ILL., DECEMBER 29, 1898. 



No. 52. 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION. 



Report of the 29th Annual Convention Held at 

 Omaha, Nebr., Sept. 13-15, 1898. 



DB. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



SECOND DAY— Evening Session. 



IContlnued J rem page 804.1 



SUGGESTED REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION. 



Dr. Mason — When our present constitution was formulated 

 the aim was to make it as much in accord with the constitution 

 of the National Bee-Keepers' Union as possible. It seems, 

 however, that there are a few matters In which it ought to be 

 altered. Some have been talking the matter over, and have 

 come to the conclusion that perhaps two or three amendments 

 should be made. First, Article I, changing the name " Union " 

 to " Association," so that the name shall read, " United States 

 Bee-Keepers' Association." Also Article V, Sec. 1, adding to 

 that section : "Their term of office shall begin on Jan. 1 fol- 

 lowing their election, and continue for one year." That Is in 

 regard to the President, Vice-President, and Secretary. Then, 

 again. Article VI, Sec. 4, commencing at the end of the first 

 sentence, where it says the General Manager shall be the 

 treasurer of the Union, have it read : "He shall send notice 

 to each member at least 30 days before the expiration of such 

 membership of the time such membership will expire," so that 

 each member will know when the time has come for paying 

 his dues. Quite a number of members have remitted without 

 knowing when their membership expired. We cannot act 

 upon these amendments now. We can discuss them, but no- 

 tice of the amendments is required to be given now. I found, 

 in corresponding and talking with our member of Congress 

 about the Pure Food Bill — he said he would do all he could. 

 He caught the name " Union," and he wanted to know If we 

 were of the sort of unions that are conducingor aiding strikes, 

 and such things. I explained to him that we were not, and 

 he said that he would have the name changed, as we would 

 have more influence at Washington. We have labor unions of 

 every class, and I have no objection to them In their place ; 

 but they don't carry with them the weight that they used to 

 before they made so much trouble. 



Dr. Miller — I move that the Union at this meeting express 

 Its approval of the proposed amendment, changing the name 

 of the Union to ""The United States Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion." 



The motion was seconded and carried. 



Article V, Sec. 1, as proposed to be amended, relating to 

 the terms of oSBce of President, Vice-President, and Secretary 

 was then read again. 



Dr. Miller — I move that we recommend that change. 



The motion was seconded and carried. 



Article VI, Sec. 4, relating to notice, to be given to mem- 

 bers of the expiration of their membership, was then read as 

 proposed to be amended. 



Mr. Secor — Do you realize what work that is going to 

 make? Members are coming In all the time, and conse- 

 quently they are constantly expiring. I do not know that I 

 could be at home every day in the year to look after the send- 

 ing out of such notices. 



Mrs. Acklin — I think there should be a certain day in the 

 year when all memberships will expire. 



Pres. York — We decided that point at Buffalo, that it 

 would be better to have the memberships expire a year from 

 the time they are received. 



Mr. Whitcomb — Has it been customary to issue receipts 

 for membership fees? 



Mr. Secor — Yes, sir; and on that receipt I state when the 

 membership will expire. The receipts show the date of the 

 expiration of the membership. 



Dr. Miller — It does not follow that the members will ob- 

 serve that date. In nine cases out of ten the member will not 

 keep his receipt. This change will no doubt involve a good 

 deal of extra work, and there should be some provision made 

 for that, even if the General Manager has to hire some one to 

 attend to that special part and pay for it. I believe that if 

 these notices are sent out, as proposed, a good many will con- 

 tinue their memberships who would otherwise suffer them to 



y 



k; 



Hon. £. Whitcomb (nee page S18). 



lapse. I believe we will make more than we will lose by noti- 

 fying every member of the date of expiration of his member- 

 ship ; otherwise they will forget about It and let their mem- 

 berships lapse. The fact that they have a dated receipt I 

 think is not going to count for anything. 



Mr. Abbott — It seems to me that this is a fair business 

 proposition. Every business man knows the efficacy of a 

 drummer in his business. A postal card sent to a man notify- 

 ing him that his membership will expire on a certain date Is 



