

August 12, 1915. 



The Florists' Review 



17 



AZALEAS CAN COME. 



Britisb Will Consider Cases. **■ 



The British government is unwill- 

 ing to permit the unregulated traflBe 

 in Belffian plants exported via Rot- 

 terdamf but is willing to consider spe- 

 cific applications for permits to ship 

 azaleas where those at interest feel 

 they can show the enemies of Great 

 Britain will not profit by the busi- 

 ness. 



The matter of imports of azaleas was 

 first presented to the British govern- 

 ment by the American Consul General 

 at London, acting on instructions 

 from the State department at Wash- 

 ington in accordance with a request 

 from and backed by data furnished 

 by The Eeview. This was supported 

 by the action of several trade bodies, 

 in this country and in Belgium, and 

 by many individual importers. Dur- 

 ing the many weeks that have elapsed 

 the British authorities have had the 

 subject under consideration and have 

 blown both hot and cold. While re- 

 fusing to modify their "orders in 

 council" aimed to blockade the com- 

 >* merce of Germany, they have ex- 

 pressed a willingness to permit the 

 shipment of plants from Belgium 

 where; in each case, evidence could be 

 presented that the money would not go 

 into German hands. Two w^eks ago 

 the foreign trade advisers notified 

 The Review of the receipt of the fol- 

 lowing cable from Consul General 

 Skinner at London: 



Shipments from Belgium before Cabinet. I- 

 have private advices that plan being worlted out 

 which will enable exports to go forward and pay- 

 ments to be made under certain supervision. 

 Decision expected some days hence. 



The correspondence of July 30, pub- 

 lished by the State department, gave 

 no encouragement of any relaxation 

 on the part of tjjie British, but a cable, 

 also dated July '30, from Consul Gen- 

 eral Skinner and communicated bv the 

 State department to The Review 

 shows the British attitude. The cable 

 is: 



Authorities give no encouragement that aza- 

 lt™ifl"*.T^ *^"-°.^ arranged owing to the many 

 ^in tS?"""®.?' *5'' t'"o*e- Specific applications 

 will be considered. 



McHutchison & Co., New York, de- 

 scribe the modus operandi as follows: 



McHutchison on the Situation. 



"With reference to fall shipments 

 of azaleas and other Belgian plants 

 which were under embargo by the 

 British authorities, we are pleased to 

 be able to now advise you definitely 

 that shipments will arrive this fall on 

 schedule time from Belgium, unless the 

 German authorities intervene or the 

 progress of the war disrupts the pres- 

 ent arrangements. 



"The plan worked out is that per- 

 mits are given by the British authori- 

 ties to individual Belgian shippers, 

 when proof is submitted that the stock 

 IS of Belgian origin and production, 

 for Belgian interests, and that the 

 enemies of Great Britain do not get 

 any revenue or benefit from the sales. 

 The proceeds of the sales remain in 

 control of the British authorities so 

 Jong as the Belgians remain under con- 

 trol of the Germans. 



"It was largely by reason of the 

 pressure brought to bear on the Brit- 

 ish authorities by the Belgian shippers 

 that permission was given. The Bel- 

 gian shippers, through their powerful 

 organization, t,he Chambre Syndicate 



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I WHO'S WHO 



IN THE 

 TRADE- 



AND WHY I 



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JOHN WATSON. 



THE striking characteristic of "Johnnie" Watson is his modesty — still if you 

 press him he will admit that probably he has grown and sold more rose plants 

 than anyone else in the business; his father was a rose specialist in Texas and 

 the concern of which he is secretary, Jackson & Perkins Co., Newark, N. Y., has 

 made a specialty of roses for many years. He is on the American Rose Society's 

 committee in charge of the test garden at Cornell University, is a member of 

 the S. A. F., the Rochester Florists ' Club, the Western Association of Nurserymen, 

 an officer in the Nurserymen 's Protective Association, also the Wholesale Orna- 

 mental Growers, and just the other day was elected vice-president of the American 

 Association of Nurserymen. Naturally he has a wide acquaintance — if you insist 

 he will admit he thinks he knows personally more nurserymen here and in Europe 

 than any other man in the trade. And they nearly all call him by his first name, 

 which has a lot to do with getting business and holding it, don't you think? 



des Horticulteurs Beiges, protested di- 

 rect to the British authorities, and in 

 this protest we understand they were 

 assisted by the British national organi- 

 zation of florists. 



"From our side, protest to the em- 

 bargo was made through the State 

 department by the New York Horti- 

 cultural Importers' Association, as- 

 sisted by individual importers and 

 backed by the powerful Merchants' 

 Association of New York. The com- 

 bined pressure, strong but just, caused 

 the British authorities to investigate, 

 with the result that Belgian shippers 

 who have secured permits can ship 

 their orders to the United States, 



"This decision is important to flo- 

 rists, who depend largely upon aza- 

 leas for their Christmas and Easter 

 sales, but still more so to the Belgian 



shippers, since the United States is 

 practically the only market left open 

 to them." 



Trade Adviser Beslgns. 



Incidentally, Robert F. Rose, foreign 

 trade adviser of the State department, 

 who has been handling the case of the 

 Belgian plant imports, resigned August 

 7. It is reported that Mr. Rose quit 

 because he believed himself unable 

 to persuade the United States to 

 back up his efforts to force Great 

 Britain into an agreement permitting 

 American exporters and importers to 

 enjoy the rights of trade with neutral 

 European countries. Administration 

 officials think conditions surrounding 

 the import and export business of this 

 country will improve soon. They are 

 confident of winning their contention 



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