The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-05-23
.b|LLB0ARDS A LIVE
ISSUE IN AID CLUB
Members Will Try to Bring About
Compromise in the
Fight.

VINO erect UT phUrOnlZe them, the no
nolulu AID Club yesterday authorized
the appointment of a committee of five
to arrange for gettogetherp move
ment, the object sought being to work
out billboard limit, geographically
and topieally, and to secure the agree
ment to this of the ntibillboard work
ers. The Ad Club discussed the ques.
ton at its noon meeting yesterday, at
which r. o. Matheson, editor of The
Advertiser, appeared as a guest and
as the unofficial representative OF those
engaged in the movement to do away
with unsightly signs. A number of 9th
ers had been invited, but the invitations
were mailed only the day before and
other engagements had been made.
w. X. Castle, one of these invited,
wrote denying the allegation that any
concerted boycott movement against
the users of billboards had been started
by the women opposing the boards, but
he called attention to the fact that a
boycott was by no means necessary to
make the use of the boards most un-
profitable. Mr.. Castle referred to the
suggestion that the rapid transit com
pany take down its wooden poles in
order to help on the City Beautiful cam
paign, pointing out that the overhead
trolley was as yet the only practicable
system for Honolulu. He hoped, how
ever, that the day would come when
the poles and billboards would both be
things of the past. The billboards, not
being an economic necessity, could go
now.
Paul Super spoke as an advocate of
billboards. He said that he was hearth.
ly in favor of having them and believ-
ed that they were necessary in order
that merchants might inform the public
of what they have to sell and that meet
ings might be well advertised.
r. ii. Trent spoke as one who was n
large billboard advertiser. He said that
he found that form of advertising most
effective and could not see that it was
in any way offensive. He strongly de-
precated any boycott, believing it to
be unfair and un-American. He repeat
ed his belief that the women of the
Kilohana Club were being made cats
paws out of by business rival of the
Pioneer Advertising Company, although
they might not themselves be aware of
it. So tar as he, himself, is concerned,
he said, he intended to keep ON being
large user of the bilboards.
Percy M. Pond said that he believed
that the opponents of billboards were
going too far, just as the prohibition
lists are going too far. by trying to
have federal prohibition law enacted
for Hawaii. He opposed saloons and
wanted City Beautiful, but believed
in reason in all things.
A. r. Gurrey said that he had been
a billboard user but had discontinued
because he had developed his trade to
the maximum and found further adver-
Using useless. He had not been driven
off the boards because of the develop
ing opposition. He had always, he said,
been most particular regarding what
went on his boards and where boards
were located, because lie did not believe
in shutting out any views or of having
offensive signs. Since the campaign
against the boards, he said, he was
sorry to note a deterioration in the
character of the goods advertised and
he believed the campaign was doing
harm by preventing local advertising
and having the boards turned over to
mainland users. rrv
r. o. Matheson spoke in defense of
the campaign going on. He explained
that the campaign of The Advertiser, in
support of the City Beautiful move
ment of the women of the Kilohana
Club, was not money-making ven
ture, inasmuch as the paper had lost
some thousands of dollars already in
the fight and stood ready to lose more
thousands if necessary. He agreed with
the previous speakers that billboard ad-
vertising, from the plain standpoint of
advertising, was effective and good, but
that there was much more to the ques-
ton. "Honolulu is a beautiful city,
he said, "but with very small effort
we could make Honolulu much more
beautiful, the most beautiful city in the
world. BY building sidewalks, planting
trees, keeping the streets clean and
the cutters free of weeds, eliminating
the unsightly billboards, encouraging
the building OF attractive stores in
place of the unsightly corner groceries
and tenement camps, Honolulu could be
the most beautiful. But today we are
wasting our best asset. We have capt.
talized the beauty of Honolulu and are
advertising it all over the world as a
place to which people should come and
stay, and Mt the same time we are eat
ing into our capital by encouraging
things which detract from the beauty
of the place"
The speaker explained that the cam
paign was for Honolulu and was being
carried on in what was considered the
only effective way. "You are pleased
to call the work of the anti-billboard
workers a boycott, - he said. eff
this club can tell mo any way other
than what you call boycott which
will be effective, l will promise to ad-
vocate that other way and use my in.
luence to have it adopted, but there is
no other way. You say this campaign
is illegal Then why not have us ar
restedf If it is Illegal we will be sent
to Jail. Some of us are willing to go
there.
"You say we are carrying things too
far. / notice that that is always the
cry when something effective is being
done. You say that the character of
the signs is deteriorating because the
local advertisers are off the boards. Do
You suppose that the signs that are up
now would not be up if the local men