16 



THE FIRST BRANCH ASSOCIATION. 



A meeting of beekeepers, called by 

 circular, was held in Buchanan's Hall, 

 Pukekohe, Auckland, on February 23rd, 

 1884, fo* the purpose of forming a bee- 

 keepers' association, Mr. W. Morgan 

 acting as chairman. Dr. Dalziel, as con- 

 vener of the meeting, explained the 

 advantages of an association, and it 

 was decided to form one, and that the 

 name be the "Auckland Provincial Bee- 

 keepers' Association." The following 

 officers 'Were then elected: — Messrs. J. C. 

 Firth and I. Hopkins had to decline the 

 presidentship of the association owing 

 to want of time to carry out the duties, 

 and the distance they lived from Puke- 

 kohe; vice-presidents. Captain Hamlin, 

 M.H.R., Captain Jackson, R.M., Messrs. 

 Pounds, Bagnall, and I. Hopkins; trea- 

 surer, J. Collins; secretary. Dr. Dalziel; 

 general committee, Messrs. Allen, Beloe, 

 Brown, Elliott, Jamieson, Morgan, 

 Savage, and Sproule. At a subsequent 

 meeting rules and regulations for the 

 conduct of the association were re- 

 ceived and ratified. 



Both the national and branch associa- 

 tions were now in full working order, 

 and subsequently held regular periodical 

 meetings, from which much good re- 

 sulted. It may be mentioned that the 

 N,Z.B.K. Association appointed a corres- 

 ponding committee, consisting of mem- 

 bers residing in the different beekeeping 

 centres throughout both Islands, whose 

 duty it was to send quarterly reports 

 'of the progress of beekeeping in their 

 respective districts to the parent asso- 

 ciation, to canvass for members, and to 

 promote the formation of branch asso- 

 ciations. We found the scheme to 

 answer very well, as it kept us con- 

 stantly in touch with all beekeeping 

 centres. 



ESTABLISHMENT OF A HONEY 

 DEPOT. 



Much dissatisfaction had been ex- 

 pressed from time to time by leading 

 beekeepers as to the great differences 

 in the buying and selling prices of 

 honey in connection witn the middle- 

 men. While the producer was receiving 

 a low price, the consumer was charged 

 a very high one, and the bulk of the 

 profit was retained by the middle- 

 man. At a committee meeting held on 

 November 21st, 1884, it was decided, on 

 the suggestion of Mr. Hopkins, to estab- 



lish a honey depot in connection with 

 the N.Z.B.K.A., for the sale of mem- 

 bers' honey. Mr. H. H. Hayr was ap- 

 pointed agent in charge, at a remunera- 

 tion of 10 per cent, on all honey sold, 

 he to find storage rotom. The following 

 scale of prices was fixed ny the com- 

 mittee: — Comb honey (in sections), lOd 

 per lb; extracted honey, 6d per lb, in 

 bulk; 8id per lb in lib tins; and 15/ per 

 dozen 21b. tins or vessels. It was also 

 resolved that honey sold at the depot be 

 for cash or promissory note, the cost 

 of such note to be charged to the 

 vendor. The depot business was not 

 allowed to progress very long on smooth 

 lines, but we were determined to keep 

 it going if possible, and even to put our 

 hands in our pockets to support the 

 scheme rather than the middleman 

 should rule us. 



OUR FIRST TROUBLE. 



The committee realised from the out- 

 set that unless all, or nearly all, the 

 honey coming to Auoklana was sent to 

 the depot to be sold there would so'on 

 be trouble, as the grocers and other 

 wholesale purchasers could see that the 

 establishment of the depots and the fix- 

 ing of prices every quarter would ourtad'l 

 the big profits they had been getting 

 on honey. They at once determined to 

 boycott the depot. In order to induce 

 every beekeeper to send his honey to 

 the depot it was decided that on pay- 

 ment of an annual fee of 5/ to the 

 association any beekeeper could secure 

 all the privileges of the depot without 

 becoming a member of the association, 

 if he so desired. 



This, hoyever, had little effect in 

 gathering in many of the small bee- 

 keepers oTvning from half a dozen to 

 ten colonies, of which there were large 

 numbers within a radius of twenty miles 

 from Auckland's centre. The large 

 grocers induced the most of these, by 

 offering an advance on their previous 

 prices paid for their honey, to deal 

 direct with them. The consequence was 

 that the sales from the depot fell toi a 

 vanishing point. The beekeepers' action 

 in dealing direct with the middleman 

 instead of through the depot was really 

 not understandable, as the depot re- 

 turns to the producer were very much 

 larger, and in cash, whereas the deal- 

 ings with the middlemen were in most 

 cases by barter, and at a much lower 



