OCTOBUB 4, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



got the secretary's goat at $50 and said 

 it was well worth the money. 



Express Service. 



A telegram from Robert Craig, chair- 

 man, and Fred Cowperthwaite, secre 

 tary, representing a body of Philadel- 

 phia florists seeking to protect trade 

 interests in the matter of express serv 

 ice, asked the cooperation of the F. T. 

 D. The secretary was instructed to 

 reply that the association will do every- 

 thing j)ossible under the circumstances, 

 but the discussion brought out the gen- 

 eral belief that the trade is face to face 

 with a crisis. Instances were cited in 

 which boxes of flowers have been sev- 

 eral days or a week in reaching desti 

 nations only a few hours' run from the 

 point of shipment. W. F. Gude said he 

 feels that the trade is powerless for 

 the simple reason that both the express 

 companies and the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission arc powcrh^ss to relieve the 

 congestion which lias developed in the 

 last thirty days. S. A. Anderson said 

 the Buffalo florists ])roi»ose to j)ut a 

 man at eacli of tlio jirincipal depots 

 in Buffalo to lend a hniid on every box 

 of flowers or ])lants lie sees, lioping 

 thereby to prevent such sliipnieiits beiiicr 

 buried in tlie accumulation of freight 

 at terminals and transfer ])oints. Mr. 

 Gude said this no doubt will help greatlv 

 except where wlude carloads arc side- 

 tracked, lie explained tliat the express 

 ••(inipany nliicials are willing to give 

 fhiwers tliird preference: Government 

 needs come first and fond sliipiuents 

 second. 



Telegrams of Encouragement. 



The interest taken in tlio affairs of 

 llie F. T. D. was well illustrated by the 

 number of telegrams received from 

 members who found themselves unable 

 to attend. Tlie senders felt they were 

 missing something tliey were loth to 

 lose and wanted those more fortunate to 

 ajipreciate that fact. Sucli messages 

 came from Carl Baum, Knoxville, Tenn.; 

 Mrs, K. H. Darliee, San Francisco; Sam- 

 uel Murray, Kansas City; A. F. Borden, 

 Los Angeles, Cal.: Edward Green, San 

 Antonio, Tex.; J. .T. lloss, Omaha; F. J. 

 Meiiiliardt, St. Louis, and August Lange, 

 Chicago. 



There also was n telegram from the 

 Detroit manager of tlie Western Union 

 expressing his appreciation of the wav 

 the visit of the F. T. I), has stimulated 

 the local interest in the use of the tele- 

 graph in delivering llowers. 



Miscellaneous Matters. 



The opening sessicui was called to 

 order by K. A. Fetters, jiresident of the 

 Detroit Florists' Club. Mayor Wax was 

 able to b(> present and sav a few words, 

 nfter which President Gude read his 

 address, priiite(l in full in another 

 roliinin. 



Kobert Newconib, of Chicago, spoke 

 for the trade's tra\(ders, asserting that 

 every man on tlie road takes ]ileasure 

 ill lioosting the F. T. D. to non-members, 

 in tlie interest of the gt-neral welfare of 

 tlie florists' business. 



There was ;i general disi-ussion on 

 liow to wire an order. It wa~ made 

 elear that the order sent should be 'or 

 the same and full sum of the patron's 

 purehase, the receiver to bill for the 

 full sum less twenty per cent if paid 

 within the time set by the by-laws. 

 This led to discussiiui of the varying 

 ]irices of flowers and L. Ji. Bohannon 



W. L. Rock. 



I rc-:i>iiivi !•'. I'. I>. 



said he iielieves it to Ik- the hetter 

 ])olicy for retailers to loild their pi'ices 

 fairly steady in spite of day to day 

 fluctuations in the whole-ale market. 

 S. A. i\iiderson said thirty I'.iiffalo re 

 tailers now li<dd \veekl\' nieetiiigs, not 

 to raise prices, but to talk o\ er what 

 are reasonalde prices to lie held to 

 steadily for the week. 



Max Scliling brnii^ht up the niatter 

 of tli(» best ilate t'or the annual meet 

 ing. The decisidii re-t- with the bciard 

 of directors. Iiiit .\1 r. Schliiig thought 

 October too late. There was consider- 

 able discussion but no general agree- 

 ment. 



O. .1. l''i iediiian iiKU'ed and it \'.as 

 carried amid Hag waviiiu .and singing that 

 a tel(>grani i>ledgiiig su|ipoit he sent to 

 President Wilson, and that on Tlianksgix 

 ing day this 1k' followed hy a big basket 

 of llowers. 



Patrick O'Mara made a routing siierch 

 on the iiidi\idual i-esponsjliilitics and 

 irresjionsibilities in luisiinss. 



On motion of George Stiini|i|i. 11. I'. 

 Knoble, George Asmiis and S. A. Am!' r 

 son were appointed a coniinitte(> to j m 

 |iose a system of bookkeeping which will 

 assist florists in finding the facts aliout 

 the costs, profits ;iiid necessary juices in 

 their business. 



Local Hospitalities. 



One of the liest features of the meet 

 ing was the way it li.ad been arranged 

 to keejt the inenibers ]U'(>sent. The 

 Board of Goinnierce, in wliose club 

 house the sessions were held, has excel- 

 lent dining room service and a«hearty 

 luiudieoii was ser\ed ea(di day, on be- 

 half of the l)etr(dt tlorists, so that 



scarcely .-iii^nne lei't the building from 

 nioniiiig until liiial adjnurninent for the 

 day. The opening (diaiiced to be on 

 ih'ti-oit's first ni-atless day, but the 

 si/e of the jiortion of e.\c(dleiit fish 

 made compliance with the government's 

 reijuest no depii\ ;it ion wliatever. The 

 tables were decorated with a number of 

 largi' and highly cidored spt'cinien cro- 

 1oHs grown by llcmy A. I>reer, Inc., 

 b'ixertoii, .v. .1. When I'hilip [ireit- 

 nieyer saw thciii he hunted up .1. .T. 

 Kariiis, rt>prescnt ing Mreer, and bought 

 the lot on displa\ . 



While the con\intinii opened (October 

 L', the real work w.as begun at a meet- 

 ing of tlit> board of directors October 1, 

 following whi(li I'hilip I'.reitniever gave 

 a dinner to liftcn at the .\thletic Club. 



