New-York tribune., 1901-07-16
THE SIGN NUISANCE.
WISDOM OF IMPOSING A TAX.

From The Brooklyn Eagle
Our excellent friend The Tribune reverting to
the French system of taxing signs. both a means
for the increase of city revenues and the abolition
OF what has grown TO be painful nuisance. One
is protected, after a fashion. from disagreeable
be protected from BILE food but there is
in this land no let hindrance i'm respect of bust
ness signs that assail the eye. That unfortunate
organ is condemned to meet every turn In this
metropolis gigantic figures horribly out of drawing
binations OF yellow. green, blue and scarlet all
the intent to compel the public to buy certain kinds
OF patent medicines furniture. clothes or break
effect of the needless bther in our Streets bus u
Ing up Of strength that has become m SO sns ss1a IN
our cities and that necessitates the vacations of
clerRymen and others for long periods In the sum-
mer?
Allowing that people of rude health are indirYer
ent to these displays they certainly do no good
They are vulgar in the extreme of vulgarity; they
make the selection by the eye of certain objects
ditiicut II not impossible as at elevated railroad
OF the street amid the litter of varcolored adver-
s sy are whit as sns far
numerous. They are affixed to every wall whose
when, after a few days exposure to sun and rain
they become faded torn or are gnattered into pieces
Taxation of public nusances of this nature is
now under discussion In England. and this country
secure public right to free itself from the affiic
tbs thine s no Is rho how ror every day
Ing In size and number. the wall paintings require
the sides of ten story buildings. ones right To his
with signs. the view up the streets is blocked by
them. they hung In the air from kites they
are to be thrown the clouds by stereopticons
they are audaciously displayed against public build
ings There s very riot OF such ugness as. II 1t
took the form of personal aggression would cali
for police interference. And 1t could be done away
by simple tax.
LOCAL REGULATION OF POSTERS
From The New-York Evening Post
The abuse of advertising nv signs ana nostars
mas raised up In England q Society for Checkipg
the Abuses of Public Advertising the work ~
Which Is interestingly described in to-days Trib-
une In a word. the society found that the system
which works so admirably in France OF imposing
a stamp tax on all posted advertisements was inn
practicable In england. Instead, they worked 10
ties fun powers to regulate restrict or prohibit
vertising that challenges attention I'm a public way
Many towns Immediately adopted restrictive legis-
aton. Dover has taken the lead reou,ring a
license for all advertisements which arc no, cor
tained within window, and for all vehicles cbiaa,
used for advertising purposes while absolutely for
ter and many of the smaller towns have naased
regulations covering various abuses such s trans
parencies. electric flash signs and sky signs and
regulating the size of the letters permissihle In n
poster Everywhere praseworthy pubiir .nirit ~,
has been shown In this matter and n may raa
sonably be hoped that England Will evenf,nIIy he
as free from this Disagreement as, say France or
Belgium. What has been accomplished in Eng
land is certainly possible here, where in fact re-
form should be easier; for have a more stronriv
pronounced collective sense and less exas9erated
should encourage those who are working to arouse
public opinion In this matter. III adeouate re-
strctive Hesitation can be introduced in OF our
cities. the work VIII he half done The busiest
among will appreciate the comfort Of walking In
streets freed from the dishgurng signs which now
as the French say, jump at your eyes