The San Francisco call., 1899-04-01
ILLEoaL ADVERTISING aGENTs.

q QUESTION involving the right of corpora
I \ tions to act advertising agents. when no
such business has been included in the articles
Of incorporation has been raised in the city of New
York and be studied with interest and advantage
throughout the country. 1t is issue which affects
all legitimate advertisers and deserves their attentive
consideration In a recent issue OF Lesle's Weekly
the case is thus presented:
/ 1t has been stated that the Manhattan Elevated
Railroad of New York declined to grant the re-
quest of Richard Croker for the of the elevated
structure carry the pipes of compressed air
pany because, among other reasons. the elevated
railroad under it's charter, had no right to make
such an agreement. The charter of the elevated
railroad was granted for the purpose of carrying
passengers in this city and for nothing else Alder
man Okie of the best men in the board, under
stands the situation, and he is in favor of strictly
limiting the operations of the Manhattan Elevated
the rights granted by its franchise The Ed-
oral Association of the State of New York has ap-
pointed a committee request the Governor and
Attorney General of this State to insist that the
elevated and the surface railways discontinue the
advertising business, which is done in violation
of their charters. Publishers of newspapers, maga-
zines and other periodicals feel therefore, that they
have a right to protest against illegitmate
competition by corporations chartered exclusively
for transportation purposes. 1t is estimated that
than $20000OO annually is diverted from the
regular channels of advertising by the various street
railways in the cities of the United States. 1t is
remarkable that this abuse has been tolerated so
1t is not in New York only that corporations have
thus transcribed the powers granted by their charters
Street car and ferry companies in this way
offenders on a large scale. They carry an adver
tising trade to an extent which makes their and
their boats veritable moving bboards pastered with
advertisements of every sort and kind From the
trade they derive large revenue, every dollar Of
which is illegally obtained by acts done in violation of
their chartered privileges.
A fragrant illustration of the boldness with which
some corporations engage in the advertising trade
without chartered right to do is to be found in
the fact that the Market Street Railway Company
OF this city, not content with using all of its cars for
advertising purposes sets apart OF them exclu
sivey to advertising. 1t parades up and down the
street in which the people not permitted to
ride the whole service of the car being to carry
brass band and attract public attention the thing
advertised
1t is clear that if the Manhattan Elevated Railroad
Company Of New York cannot legally carry the pipes
of compressed air company neither can it legally
carry the advertisements of that or any other COM
pany or person The same rule applies to corpora
tions throughout the Union. They are granted the
privilege of carrying certain specified kinds of
work and when they go beyond that they are volat-
| ing the law
! The legitimate advertisers of New York have done
well in protesting against the continuance of this IL
/ legitimate competition. The evil is growing one,
and it is high time strong efforts were made to
check it.