Address of Welcome to Former Workers of 
Florida State Plant Board 
B. L. Hamner, Tampa 
H. H. Hume: A good many years ago 
Florida found herself in a very peculiar 
and very dangerous position, I am refer¬ 
ring to the time when citrus canker first 
began to interest us, about ten years ago. 
Very many men took an active part in 
crowding out that very dangerous disease 
and at this meeting we deem it fit and 
proper to try to have a reunion of those 
who first worked in that battle. They are 
veterans of one of the most unique wars 
that has ever been waged. I am going to 
ask B. L. Hamner, of Tampa, to say a 
word of welcome to these men. 
B. L. Hamner: Ladies and Gentle¬ 
men—In behalf of the workers in citrus 
products, to you men who worked against 
the citrus canker, I offer my most sincere 
welcome. I will say that we welcome you 
with gratification in our hearts. Our 
president has well said that you waged a 
war and it is not alone in war that we 
have heroes in our daily life. There are 
many who are living the lives of heroes 
and I know that all those growers of cit¬ 
rus fruit in this State who took part in the 
fight against the danger that was at hand 
are real heroes. Your victory as warriors 
was a remarkable one. I think it is true 
that it is the first time in the history where 
a disease has started that it has been so 
nearly eradicated. Therefore, as warriors 
you have won a great victory. Think 
what damage the cotton grower in this 
country had with the boll weevil. We had 
to go to Washington to secure funds to 
carry on some of our battles. We had 
men of purpose and men of determination 
and real warriors and real heroes. You 
men fought on and on and fought through 
discouragement and I will say that you 
were careful warriors. You fought every¬ 
thing that looked serious on the tree and 
you gave the benefit of the doubt to the 
citrus fruit and you decided it and by your 
careful work there, you became, in the 
eyes who know, real heroes. I will say 
that we owe to you a debt of gratitude. 
Practically, we owe our industry to your 
efforts. If citrus canker should have been 
allowed to go on and damaged, there 
would have been no citrus industry. 
Those who come now to raise oranges and 
grapefruit owe you a debt of gratitude 
whether or not they know it. We realize 
that your pay was small, that your labor 
was great. I have never yet heard a man 
who carried on that work or helped to car¬ 
ry it on, make a claim for compensation for 
the job that he did. What he had accom- 
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