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176 



TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



ticular. It may be that there will have 

 to be various centers in each state, 

 where the crops of its members will 

 be sent for proper grading and pack- 

 ing, and then be shipped in car-lots 

 to the larger cities, where a demand 

 has been created in advance. A more 

 equal distribution of the honey pro- 

 duced can be secured in this way. 



If, we have one or two energetic, 

 up-to-date business men devoting their 

 whole time to the management of this 

 organization, there is no reason why 

 they should not know the condition of 

 every large honey market on this con- 

 tinent, and thus be in a position to 

 supply the markets properly, and 

 bring about a more equal distribution 

 of honey than at the present time, 

 when often some of the markets are 

 overloaded and others are unsupplied. 

 This shoud not be, and need not be, 

 if there is someone whose business 

 it is to see that the honey product is 

 distributed as the markets demand. 

 This is done in other lines of produc- 

 tion, and I see no reason whv. with 

 the proper co-operation and affiliation 

 of local organizations, it cannot be 

 done as successfully for the honey- 

 producers. 



But I must not go on longer. "We 

 have the field in which to work, but 

 it needs proper cultivation. It needs 

 wnse and business-like management, 

 in order to realize a just financial re- 

 turn for all the labor that has been 

 bestowed in order to secure a large 

 crop of fine honey. Bee-keepers are 

 not selfish; they do not want more 

 than their product is worth, but I in- 

 sist that they do want, and deserve, a 

 fair price as compared with other 

 food-products, and this they are not 

 getting today. I believe it is their own 

 fault. No one will attend to our 

 business for us; we must do that our- 

 selve, or take the consequences. The 

 consequences are often father serious. 

 Why not plan for the largest success, 

 rather than be satisfied with some- 

 thing small, or less than can be ob- 

 tained if properly done? "While we 

 are doing at all, we might as well do 

 things right. We may as well mag- 

 nify the business of honey-production. 

 I believe we can easily do this by a 

 system of co-operation and manage- 

 ment, and I think the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association is the one organ- 

 ization that should make the first 



move toward securing these impor- 

 tant conditions and results among the 

 bee-keepers of this continent. The 

 questions to be settled are: Will we 

 do it? Are we big enough to under- 

 take this great work, or will we drift 

 along as we have been doing in the 

 years just gone by? I believe the time 

 is opportune to take an advanced step. 

 I realize that it cannot be done rapid- 

 ly, as the best and most lasting things 

 of this world are of slow growth, but 

 I believe we should begin to move. 

 Any why not this be "moving day" 

 along these lines? 



GEORGE W. YORK, Pres. 

 Chicago, III., Oct. 10, 19il0. 



Mr. Wright — ^LVoes any member wish 

 to touch on anything along the lines 

 sugges-ted in the President's Address'? 

 He has given up a very great deal of 

 food for thought; there is no doubt 

 a great deal can be done along the 

 lines suggested, if we take the proper 

 action. 



Mr. Davenport — Moved, seconded by 

 Mr. Davis, that a committee of three 

 be appointed to consider the proposi^ 

 tions made in the able address of the 

 President, and make such amend- 

 ments to the Constitution of the Na- 

 tional Association as they may deem 

 proper. 



The "Vfce President put the motion 

 which, on a vote having been taken, 

 was declared carried. 



Mr. Hershiser — 'Are w€ going to 

 pass this question with out any discus- 

 sion? It is very important. It seems 

 to me there ought to be some dis- 

 cussion and a few thoughts on it. 

 The desirability of getting a higher 

 price for honey — raising the market 

 price — seems to me to be so evident 

 that no one would think contrary to 

 it; but how we are going to bring it 

 about ■ is a very large question. I 

 think it lies with the individual bee- 

 keepers, largely. It may be that it 

 is something that may eventually reg- 

 ulate itself, but there has been practi- 

 cally no progress in the last fifteen 

 years towards the raising of the price 

 of honey, while everything else has 

 risen. Once in a while some person 

 with the hardihood comes forward 

 and says we are getting good prices 

 for honey. I can remember, since I 

 have been keeping house, bacon has 

 gone up double the price; wheat has 



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