534 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The Foul-Brood Bill was 



introduced into the Illinois Legislature 

 by Hon. W. S. Smith, of Macon, on April 

 9, 1891. It was then read by title, 

 ordered printed, and referred to the 

 Committee on Retrenchment. The bill 

 is entitled "A Bill for an Act for the 

 suppression of foul-brood among bees, 

 and making appropriation for the ex- 

 penses of the work," and reads as fol- 

 lows : 



Whereas, Bee-keeping is a large and 

 growing industry in the State of Illinois, 

 and worthy of protection and encourage- 

 ment ; and 



Whereas, The bee-keepers of the State 

 have petitioned the General Assembly 

 to levy a tax on each stand [colony] of 

 bees, the revenue therefrom to be used 

 in the suppression of foul-brood among 

 bees, and the promotion of the bee-keep- 

 ers' industry ; therefore. 



Section 1. Be it enacted hy the People 

 of the State of Illinois, represented in the 

 General Assembly, That the Illinois Bee- 

 Keepers' Association shall, at each 

 annual meeting, or the Directors of said 

 association shall, if during the interval 

 between two annual meetings the occa- 

 sion should arise, appoint a State Inspec- 

 tor of apiaries, and such number of 

 Assistant Inspectors as the exigencies of 

 the service may from time to time 

 require. 



Sec. 2. The Assistant Inspectors may, 

 when so directed, as hereinafter pro- 

 vided, perform all the duties and exercise 

 all the powers conferred by this act, and 

 delegated hereby to said State Inspector. 



Sec. 3. The State Inspector or Assist- 

 ant, on entering upon any premises in 

 the discharge of his duties shall, if so 

 required, produce the certificate of the 

 President of the said association, that he 

 has been appointed as such Inspector or 

 Sub-Inspector, as the case may be. 



Sec. 4. The said State Inspector and 

 Assistant Inspector shall hold office for 

 one year from the date of the annual 

 meeting at which they were appointed ; 

 or, if they have been appointed by the 

 Directors, then until the next annual 

 meeting after such appointment, and 

 shall be eligible for re-election, but the 

 said State Inspector or Assistant In- 

 spector may at any time, subject to the 

 approval of the Governor, be removed 

 from office by the Directors for neglect 

 of duty, or other sufficient cause, and in 



case of such removal, the Directors shall, 

 without delay, appoint a successor. 



Sec. 5. The said Inspector shall, 

 whenever so directed by the President of 

 the Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 visit, without unnecessary delay, any 

 locality in the State of Illinois, and there 

 examine any apiary or apiaries to which 

 the said President may direct him, and 

 ascertain whether or not the disease 

 known as "foul-brood" exists in such 

 apiary or apiaries ; and whenever the 

 said Inspector shall be satisfied of the 

 existence of foul-brood in its virulent or 

 malignant type, it shall be the duty of 

 the Inspector to order all colonies so 

 affected, together with the hives occu- 

 pied by them, and the contents of such 

 hives, and all tainted appurtenances that 

 cannot be disinfected, to be immediately 

 destroyed by fire under the personal 

 direction and superintendence of the 

 said Inspector ; and after inspecting 

 infected hives or fixtures, or handling 

 diseased bees, the Inspector shall, before 

 leaving the premises, or proceeding to 

 any other apiary, thoroughly disinfect 

 his own person and clothing, and shall 

 see that any Assistant or Assistants with 

 him have also thoroughly disinfected 

 their persons and clothing : Provided, 

 that where the Inspector, who shall be 

 the sole judge thereof, shall be satisfied 

 that the disease exists, but only in milder 

 types, and in its incipient stages, and is 

 being, or may be treated successfully, 

 and the Inspector has reason to believe 

 that it may be entirely cured, then the 

 Inspector may, in his discretion, omit to 

 destroy, or order the destruction of, the 

 colonies and hives in which the disease 

 exists. 



Sec. 6. The Inspector shall have full 

 power, in his discretion, to order any 

 person or possessor of bees dwelling in 

 box-hives in apiaries where the disease 

 exists (being mere boxes without frames) 

 to transfer such bees to movable-frame 

 hives within a specified time, and in de- 

 fault of such transfer, the Inspector 

 may destroy or order the destruction of 

 such box-hives and the bees dwelling 

 therein. 



Sec. 7. Should the owner or possessor 

 of diseased colonies of bees, or of any in- 

 fected appliances for bee-keeping, know- 

 ingly sell, barter, or give away, any such 

 diseased colonies or infected appliances, 

 he shall, on conviction before any Justice 

 of the Peace, be liable to a fine of not less 

 than $50 nor more than $100, or to 

 imprisonment for any term not exceed^ 

 ing two months. 



Sec. 8. Should any person whose bees 

 have been destroyed, or treated for fouJ- 



