46 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
thp: need for a code of ethics 
Address of President T. A. Tonjeson at the Convention of the 
Retail Xurserymen's Assoeiation, St. Paul, ^finn., 
December IS, 1!), .iO, lH.iJ 
Fellow Nurserymen: 
e have gathered at this convention to assist each other in 
serving society. Upon you depends very largely the horticul¬ 
tural progress of that great domain known as the North Central 
States. My work lies in the Prairie Provinces of Canada. As 
nurserymen, we realize our responsibility as well as the oppor¬ 
tunity that is ours. The welfare of hundreds of thousands of 
oui fellowmen is affected by our activities. Primarily, as busi¬ 
ness men, we are interested in profits. Our business cannot exist 
unless there be a reasonable return on capital and labor invested. 
Rut, aside from this, as rational men, we desire to better the 
condition of others. Pride in our vocation also prompts us 
to conduct our activities along ethical lines. Personal satsfac- 
tion and monetary returns demand that we give full value in 
goods and service. Should any of our members fail to give full 
value, then would all be adversely affected. Therefore, in the 
bioader sense, we are dependant on each other; we are our 
Brothers’ Keepers. 
How can this Convention best aid the members of our Asso¬ 
ciation to render service to society? By making of it a real 
clearing house of experiences and also of untried theories. 
Our three days programme covers a wide range of subjects of 
1 itcil^ interest to nurserymen. There will be differences of 
opinion on some subjects and in the discussions, may no one 
hesitate to give his views. There are gathered here the lead¬ 
ers of the nursery industry of a large section of America. Some 
of you have spent a rich and interesting life time in our voca¬ 
tion. You are called upon to give of your advice and wise 
counsel. But you who have been nurserymen for only a short 
time are also expected to give your views. Personally I am 
pleased to acknowledge the profit and pleasure I have received 
from our Conventions. I have had to travel twice as far as any 
of you to attend these gatherings but I have been more than 
repaid in the many good ideas and in the inspiration given me 
by my fellow nurserymen. The fact that practically all of the 
members of this association attend the conventions regularly 
is proof that all are helped in carrying on their work. 
All of us who were members of the association during its 
infancy have noticed the change that has taken place in the 
attitude of our members toward each other. It appears to me 
that this change in our view point is similar to the changes that 
recent years have wrought in the members of other trade asso¬ 
ciations. The attitude of business men in general toward com¬ 
petitors has greatly altered during the past ten years. Rotary. 
Kiwanis, Lions and other public-service clubs have exerted 
a wide influence in tearing down the artificial barriers that 
have made men suspicious of each other. Trade Associations 
have been organized in all industries and professions and have 
served to bring competitors together. The business man has 
found that his competitor is not such a bad fellow after all. 
And so it has been with us. I remember that when I first ad¬ 
vocated that a Uniform Salesman’s Contract be adopted by our 
association, none of the others believed it could be put into 
effect. Some of my friends told me privately that they would 
lose a number of their strongest salesmen who were paid 
higher rates of commission than the average salesman. Some 
nurseries were committing the injustice of paying the self- 
assertive strong salesman an exhorbitant commission—a com¬ 
mission that sometimes absorbed all the profits—while the 
less assuming salesman was paid less than justice would 
dictate. But nurserymen did not dare change to a uniform 
commission basis because of the suspicion that competitors 
would break the agreement to “steal” their heavy-weight sales¬ 
men. The following year the plan for a Uniform Contract was 
again brought before you and received a better hearing. Two 
years later it was adopted. The point is that the suspicion of 
comretitors of seme years ago has .gradually disappeared. It 
is true, however, that humanity is frail and it may be that some 
have stepped at times beyond the strict interpretation and 
spirit of our policies. But examples of this kind are becoming 
more and more rare as our vision broadens and we realize 
how dependant upon each other are the members of our asso¬ 
ciation. 
Association Code of Ethics: As confidence in each other 
has replaced mistrust, there has gradually grown tip an un¬ 
written code of conduct toward each other and toward the 
public. ITS CONTROLLINC IDEA IS TO GIVE FULL VALUE 
IN GOODS AND SERVICES. This unwritten code should be 
incorporated in a more concrete and complete statement 
of our policies and I take this occasion to urge that a written 
Code of Ethics be adopted by this convention. 
The Northern Retail Nurserymen’s Association has led the 
way in several movements of nation-wide scope for the better¬ 
ment of the nursery industry. Hundreds of nurseries through¬ 
out America are now using ideas that were first adopted by our 
association and successfully tried out by our members. On 
the other hand, other associations in our industry have given 
us ideas that have been of great value to us. It is through 
this exchange of ideas that our industry makete progress, 
several associations of nurserymen have already adopted Codes 
of Ethics which have placed before the public and their mem¬ 
bers in concrete form the ideal controlling their policies. These 
are the Illinois Nurserymen’s Association, the Eastern Canada 
Nurserymen’s Association, the Southern Nurserymen’s Asso¬ 
ciation, the Eastern Nurserymen’s Association, the Pacific Coast 
Nurserymen’s Association and the Western Association of 
Nurserymen. 
These organizations of nurserymen and a large number of 
associations in other industries have taken a definite stand be¬ 
fore the public for fair practices in business dealings. The 
idea is not new to us for it has been advocated by our trade 
journals for some time. Ralph T. Olcott, the Dean of nursery 
trade journalists, has repeatedly urged in his “American Nur¬ 
seryman,” that the nurserymen’s associations take steps to bring 
before all those engaged in our industry the need for the adop¬ 
tion of business ethics to all nursery trade transactions. 
Throughout the years that our association has existed we have 
established certain principles in business conduct. Unfair 
practices have been denounced and almost entirelv eliminated. 
A partial unwritten code has been developed. Can there be 
any objection to placing this in a concrete form in a definite 
written Code of Ethics? It appears to me that only good can 
result from such a course. 
The main results of the adoption of a Code of Ethics would 
be: (1) It would tend to make for greater efficiency in serving 
the public. (2) It would establish general standards for the 
business conduct of mirserymen to each other. (3) It would 
create favorable public opinion toward nurserymen in general 
and toward the members of this association in particular. 
A definite written Code of Ethics would make for greater 
efficiency in serving the public. By this, I mean that it would 
tend to make our work more uniformly satisfactory throughout 
the territory we serve. Some of our members are already con¬ 
ducting their business activities in a manner which shows that 
they clearly understand their obligations to the public and to 
their fellow nurservmen. A Code of Ethics would add nothing 
new to the policies of these nurserymen. But some have not 
as yet fully adopted the higher principals of business conduct. 
Ernest Hemming, editor cf the National Nurseryman, refers to 
this class of nurserymen in one of his editorials, as follows: 
“It (the Code of Ethics) wRl give him the assurance that the 
standards of others are high and perhaps inspire the confidence 
that is lacking without a written code.” The class of business 
man referred to by Mr. Hemming, whether in the nursery 
industry or any other industry, can be helped throiigh the in¬ 
fluence of the members of his trade association, to give better 
service to the public. A Code of Ethics would give continuous 
expression to this influence for good and would keep before each 
member of our association the high objective that we are striv¬ 
ing to reach. This in tiirn would mean better service to the 
public, which in turn would rebound to the credit of the nur¬ 
sery industry. 
\ Code of Ethics would promote solidaritv in the nursery 
industry through establishing .general standards for the conduct 
of nurserymen toward each other. The stability and progress of 
nursery industry in this part of America demands unity among 
members of this association. And unity demands that members 
adhere to hiah standards in their relations with each other. 
There must uniformity in Horticultural standards that will 
apply to grower, wholesaler and retailer and our members 
must not deviate from such standards. Our secretary, Mr. 
Andrews, will deal more fully with Horticultural Standards at 
this convention. There must also he clearly defined boundaries 
beyond which members cannot wander in their public references 
regarding competito’’s. These and other matters relating to the 
conduct of nurserymen to each other can be emphasized ^ and 
made more effective through their incorporation in a written 
Code of Ethics. 
It would create favorable public opinion toward nurserymen 
in general and toward the members of this association in par¬ 
ticular. If "’e adopt a written Code of Ethics, that part referring 
to our relations with the public co\ild be put in a brief resume 
and given general publicity. This has been done by some of the 
nurserymen’s associations that have adopted Codes of Ethics. 
