The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-22
AD CLUB APPROVES
 TRUTH SEAL PLAN
 AT WEEKLY LUNCH
Resolutions Unanimously Adopted Providing for Inauguration of the
 System Here

We believe in truth the corner stone of all honorable and successful business. and we pledge ourselves each to one and each to all to make this the founda ton of our dealings. to the end that our mti- tual relations may become still more har-
 monious and efficient. We believe in truth. not only In the printed word. but in every phase of business connected with
 the creation, publication and dissemina- ton of advertising.
 The foregoing was unanimously passed
 as resolution at the regular weekly luncheon of the Birmingham Ad club at the Newspaper club at 1 o'clock yester-
 day afternoon The resolution was em-
 bodied in the report of the committee on the use of the truth seal in advertising and It's adoption was recommended. The members of the club enthusiastically in- dorsed the committees s work The committee on truthful advertising in Birmingham was composed of Colie w. Roberts. chairman; Frank Hammond and R. T. Daniel As a prelude to the findings of the committed, Mir. Roberts
 called attention to the sad state into which advertising of a certain character
 had fallen due to misrepresentation and
 false dealing on the part of interruptions advertisers
 If there were no honest advertise ments there would be no dishonest ones,' said MT. Roberts "The crooks do not thrive when isolated They must have respectable association. Every man in- terested directly or indirectly with ef- fective advertising has responsibility for driving out the small per cent of dis reputable advertising which yet four ishes There must be organized effort.
 There is a threefold responsibility for
 eliminating objectionable advertising: First. the advertiser; second. the writer Of advertising (especially the agencies: and. third, the medium which dissemi- mates the advertising. There must be cooperation between these three. The mediums are rapidly realizing that It is to their interest to have public confidence In their advertising pages. Their space Is worth more to the buyer If the reader feels that he can trust what he sees in this space
 The plan evolved by the committee pro- vtdes for the merchant who desires to use the truth seal in his advertising to make application for 1t, paying fee of sH and signing contract to the effect that he will relinquish the seal imme- diately upon request of the Ad club. If, at any time. in any of his advertise ments a misleading statement. or false
 
 part agrees to use all it's power to pro- tect the merchant using the seal from any advertising which is misleading in character.
 The club will furnish cuts of the seals for the advertising of the merchant and will turn over to the newspapers the cuts. The advertiser will not have a truth seal in his possession. The club will give to the newspa pers list of advertisers who are entitled to use the truth seal, and will revise the list from time to time, new names are added The report of the committee was freely discussed by the members of the club and accepted
 The truth seal will be relea sed Thurs day, September g.
 Among the visitors to the Ad club lunch- con yesterday was H. NJ. Watson, gas and electrical engineer of the United Gas and Electric corporation. with headquar- ters in New Orleans. Mir. Watson for merly was with the Birmingham Rail- way, Light and Power company in Bir- mingham. Other visitors were Franklin H. Tonsmeire. efficiency engineer. former ly of New York but now of Birmlng- ham; J. Y. Martyrn. Capt. John Yeatman and w. c. Hastings of The Southern Ru- ralist, Atlanta.