Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1909-01-26
MOVE ON B|LLBOARDS
How Hartford, Conn.,, Expects to
Regulate Their Use.
LOCAL SOCIETIES FEDERATED

-SS l1S IL -EsF LII
Individual Organizations Are Divided
Into Three Groups-CarefuI Study
to Be Made of Billboard Advertisino.
The Projects Sociological Aspect,
1t is not very often that a movement
against billboards which spoil the at
Effectiveness of towns ssumes a So
Geological aspect. Aesthetic motives
usually get the credit. There are ex-
ceptions, however, notably in Spring
field and Holyoke, Mass, where local
authorities prevent the posting of any
advertisements which are in any sense
lewd or vulgar or which depict any
crime or act of violence. In Spring
field in particular this ordinance has
been quite rigfdly enforced by the city
marshal. A new turn to the move
ment is given, however, by the Or
g%anization of the United Committees
Association For Billboard Regulation
in Hartford, Conn.,. says Charities and
the Commons. Hartford had conduct
ed various unsuccessful campaigns
against b~illboards. particularly with
reference to the features which seem
ed to be injurious to young people, but
without any marked success. Coming
to the conclusion that it was a cam
paign really worth while and here is
the significant point, about twenty
five local organizations federated
themselves into this association, which
they expect to maintain permanently
as long as there is any work to do.
The scope of the movement is most
interesting when n notes the three
groups into which the individual or
CARNATIONS are divided and the rela-
tive number Of organizations in each:
First.-Moral and educational inter
ests: Federation of Churches, Hartford
Christian Endeavor union. w. C. T. u.
7. NJ. G. A, Young Peoples Baptist
league. Social settlement, Hartford
Woman's School association, Unity
club, Get Together club, College club,
Current Topics club, Motherhood club,
Neighborhood club.
Second.-Business and civic interests:
Board Of trade, Business Mems associ-
alton, Manufacturers Association of
Hartford County, Landlords and Tax
payers association, Civic club, Consum-
ers' League of Connecticut, D. A. r.,
Phoenix Mutual club.
Third.-Artistic interests: Arts and
Crafts club, Municipal Art Society of
Hartford, Connecticut League Of Art
Students.
Further significance is added to the
movement by the statement of repre-
sentatfves Of the association that a
careful study is to be made of bill
board advertising With a view to inter
fering in no way with what is seemly
and appropriate and rigidly opposing
everything else. To begin with, all pic
torial representations will, the ~associa-
ton hopes, be ultimately excluded,
leaving nothing but e y on the boards.
This is favored by the first group
above mentioned because of the i'm
moral tendencies of many of the pic
lures and by the third group because
of the inartistic nature of these pic
lures. In prosecuting this movement
n Of the first steps Of the association
was the appointment Of a special COM
mittee to Introduce a resolution into
the city council i%nstructing the city
engineer to make an enumeration of
all ~billboards in the city. This vas
passed, and the power given covered
location, owner of land, size of SIGN,
height Of bottom above ground, owner
of sign, character of advertising, con-
ditions of supports and relation to
street building line.
The report which was rendered
proved a revelation. There are 255
billboards with a total area of 102, $50
square feet. The largest board con-
tains 1880 square feet. Many boards
are over the building line, some of
them quite a distance, and this at
once gives the association opportuni-
ty for action. The association in the
prosecution of it's plans expects to Or
ganize subcommittee as follows: EX-
e%cutive. local and legislative; finance,
publicity and printing, exhibit or pho
tographic committee, information and
data committee.
Such movements will very soon
show advertisers that their method of
appealing to the people through the
use Of Dillboards fails in one essential
point, and that is in meeting the peo-
pies appreciation.