72 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
dress to send you with this communication, but the 
copies have evidently been delayed in the mail. 
All of the old officers were re-elected by the meeting, 
which was very well attended. All in all, this was 
probably the most successful annual meeting ever held 
by our Association. 
Tht following committees were appointed: 
Executive—The Officers and F. S. Baker, Cheshire; C. 
B. Burr, Manchester; Paul Hubbard, Bristol. 
Legislative—John Barnes, Yalesville; Stephen Hoyt, 
New Canaan; C. H. Sierman, Hartford; L. T. Cum¬ 
mings, Bristol; C. R. Burr, Manchester. 
Entertainment—W. E. Campbell, New Haven; Henry 
Kelley, New Canaan; F. S. Baker, Cheshire. 
Publicity and Membership—F. S. Baker, Cheshire; 
George Harris, Manchester; R. B. Faxon, New Haven. 
Forest and State Park Conservation—Stephen Hoyt, 
New Canaan; Neal Milane, Middletown; Norman 
Barnes, Yalesville. 
Very truly yours, 
F. J. Bippin, Secretary. 
Louisiana, Mo., Feb. 20, 1922. 
National Nurseryman Publishing Co., 
Flourtown, Pa. 
Gentlemen: We believe the trade papers, as well as the 
nurserymen, will be interested in the recent decision of 
the Attorney General on trade associations—which on the 
whole, is in effect that the activities of such bodies are 
legal, “unless competition is suppressed.” He also sug¬ 
gests elimination of trademarks. The Associated Press, 
February 15th, says: (Quoting from the St. Louis Globe- 
Democrat February 16, 1922.) 
By Associated Press. 
Washington, February 15.—Activities of trade asso¬ 
ciations do not contravene the provisions of the Sherman 
anti-trust laws, in the view of Attorney General Daugh¬ 
erty, unless in actual practice they develop enhanced 
prices, suppressed competition or curtailed production. 
The opinion of Daugherty, expressed informally and 
tentatively, was made public tonight by Secretary 
Hoover, who had inquired of the Attorney General as to 
the legal limits within which trade associations could 
properly operate in connection with the Commerce De¬ 
partment’s plans for the publication of trade statistics 
gathered by such organizations. 
In his letter Hoover asked for an informal expression 
of views as to eleven specific forms of trade association 
activity embracing a wide field. He asked whether, sub¬ 
ject to various limitations an association could provide a 
standard system of cost accounting for its members if 
the costs arrived at were not distributed; if uniformity 
in the use of trade names and phrases could be provided; 
if standardization of grades, quality, processes of pro¬ 
duction, etc., could be arranged; if information could be 
furnished as to financial responsibility; if insurance 
could be handled; if co-operative advertising could be en¬ 
gaged in; if legislative questions affecting a particular 
industry could be handled, and if statistics showing pro¬ 
duction, distribution, wages, could be collected from its 
members and compiled for the information of the Secre¬ 
tary of Commerce. 
Eliminates trademarks. Hoover inquired further if a 
trade association could engage in any or all of these 
activities, providing there was no intent to hide some 
agreement to restrain trade or otherwise violate the anti¬ 
trust laws. 
With regard to the first question Daugherty declared 
there was no apparent objection to a standard system of 
cost accounting, but associations should be warned to 
guard against uniform cost as to any item of expense, 
and suggested the eliination of a part of one question as 
to the propriety of an association furnishing trade-marks 
for its members. 
Yours very truly, 
LLOYD C. STARK. 
CLARENCE SIEBENTHALER , Layton. Ohio 
ETHICS 
Everybody should approve and endorse the codes of 
ethics recently adopted by some of our local organiza¬ 
tions. They are already receiving the enthusiastic plau¬ 
dits of some of our members and trade papers. 
Why should they not? For certainly we can all ap¬ 
prove the Ten Commandments and can all “subscribe to 
the laws of the land.” (If we do not, we are likely to go 
to jail.) Further, we can all cheerfully combine for mu¬ 
tual benefit and to boost our business. 
Why the suggestion that the reaction in the public 
mind may question the reason and the necessity for so 
strenuously proclaiming sentiments which are accepted 
as a matter of course as governing all properly conducted 
business concerns? 
(Signed) “SUBSCRIBER.” 
P. S.—One code says: “We will exercise care to see 
that any advertisement with which we have anything to 
do shall measure up to the plain and simple truth.” \Ve 
hope that this was not intended as a criticism of the ad¬ 
vertising of the “Trustworthy” trademark. 
