THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
253 
compare and notify the nnis(‘ryinan promptly of any dis- 
ei'epaney Ix'lween tli(‘ list and the labels on the li’ees. 
This is a reasonable pi'oposition, and intended to give 
the nui‘seryman a fair show, so that he may have an op- 
|>ortimity of rectifying any error that has been made. 
It further provides that every nursery agent must carry 
with him at all limes, when engaged in selling trees, a 
certificate of agency signed by his employer, showing his 
authority to act as such agent, and upon recpiest shall ex¬ 
hibit same to the ])urchaser, and must leave with the pur- 
(diaser a copy of the contract covering the sale and pur¬ 
chase of the trees. 
It is not anticipated that this law will work any serious 
hardship on the nurserymen of New York State, and it 
does not ap])ly to nurserymen of any other state. The 
original draft of the law" provided for a license fee to he 
paid by all foreign nurserymen. This provision \vas 
strenuously opi)osed by the New^ York State nurserymen 
and w"as eliminated at their request. 
State of Pennsylvania. —In our report of June, 1913, 
we referred to a hill introduced in the Pennsylvania Leg¬ 
islature in March, 1913, which was then in committee. 
\\ e were informed later that the hill passed the Legisla¬ 
ture, but \vas vetoed by the Governor, and we have not 
been able to learn that it was again introduced during the 
session of last wunter. 
State of Keyitucky. —Your Committee was advised dur¬ 
ing the winter that a bill had been introduced in the Leg¬ 
islature of Kentucky, making some amendments to the 
then existing law. Some correspondence was had on the 
subject, with the idea of endeavoring to shape the bill so 
that it would be reasonable and in conformity with the 
expected uniform legislation bill, but we understand that 
no progress was made with the bill in the Kentucky Leg¬ 
islature. 
State of Alabama. —During the past year some changes 
have been made in the laws of the state of Alabama, 
which provide for a license fee for outside nurserymen. 
The matter was taken up by your Committee with several 
of the Alabama nurserymen, wbo explained to your Com¬ 
mittee that they were anxious to have proper inspection 
work done on shipments entering the state, that the state 
appropriMion was very small and not enough to take care 
of the Avork properly, and for that reason they consented 
to a license fee, although they felt that it was plainly un¬ 
constitutional, but they needed the money, and hope that 
within a reasonable time sufficient pressure can be 
brought to bear on their state legislature so as to secure 
larger appropriations and do away with the necessity for 
the license fee. 
Your Committee felt, under the circumstances, that it 
would be well to help out our Alabama friends by keep¬ 
ing still, unless complaints were brought to the notice of 
the Committee by members of this Association. One or 
two such complaints have been made, and after the con¬ 
dition was explained the complaints have been with¬ 
drawn, so your Committee has taken no action, hut your 
Committee of next year should be instructed as to 
whether this Association desires a test case brought in 
that state. It is the opinion of this Committee that the 
law’’ is plainly unconsitutional and would so be declared 
by the courts. 
In conclusion, your Committee begs to suggest that it 
is dillicult for us to keep track of proposed legislation in 
all of the stales. in the past, matters of legislation have 
come to our notice too late to do much good. We tiy to 
keep informed through the members and the trade papers 
and the press, but many things are likely to get by us. 
It should be the duly of the state vice presidents, and the 
members of this Association to keep w atch of the legisla¬ 
tion in their particular states, and to promptly notify the 
chairmen of your legislative committees of any proposed 
legislation, and when possible to immediately transmit a 
copy of the proposed law. If we are all w^atching these 
points, very much can be accomplished in preventing in¬ 
jurious and unreasonable legislaion. Many bills are in¬ 
troduced and passed simply because the committee in 
charge has no know ledge of the situation, and if nobody 
appears against the bills, it is considered that they are 
good bills and ought to become laws, wdicreas the av¬ 
erage committee is willing to do the fair thing if they 
know the facts and conditions, and many of these bills 
could be i)roperly amended if there were an opportunity 
to discuss the measure with the committee in charge. 
Your Committee w ould urge every memher of this As¬ 
sociation, and particularly the state vice presidents, to 
watch their state legislation carefully during each ses¬ 
sion of the legislature. 
William PitkiN;, Chairman. 
Peter Youngers, 
M. McDonald. 
REPORT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE 
By Charles Sizemore, Chairman, Louisiana, Mo. 
June 24th, 1914. 
Uniform Classification 
Uniform Classification is still the most vital question 
that can, or will, effect the nurseryman. As nursery¬ 
men know. Southern Classification last November chang¬ 
ed the ratings on nursery stock from sixth class car lots 
to fifth class, and from fourth class, less than car load, to 
third class, which increased the rates accordingly. Rut 
one feature of the change was the elimination of the 3c 
per lb. per valuation, and nurserymen in that territory 
can now collect invoice value on shipments that are lost 
or damaged. 
With the change in the Southern Classification, nur¬ 
sery stock is now fifth class in car lots East of the Mis- 
sissip{)i River, with the exception of Illinois, and seventh 
class in Illinois and West of the Mississippi. It appears 
to the Transportation Committee that the railroads are 
quietly trying to have the classifications in such shape 
that when it comes to uniform ratings they wfill be in po¬ 
sition to place nursery stock all over the country, car 
loads, in fifth class, which would greatly increase the 
rates West of the IMississippi Liver. The nurserymen 
should w atch this closely and if possible, endeavor to se¬ 
cure seventb class east of the River, and failing in that, 
possibly secure a compromise on sixth class. 
The following clippings may be of interest to the As¬ 
sociation : 
