Arizona republican., 1914-06-05
BOARDS
 0N THE WAVE

City getting into the fight against the unsightly boards by petitioning the legislature for a constitutional amendment regulating their erec- tion and maintenance; and the Civic Federation of Indianapolis taking le- gal steps to protect that city from further disfigurement, it really looks as though the day of reckoning has arrived TOT the billboard"
 Even the desperate efforts made by the billboard trust to couhteract public opinion by posting religious and educational pictures would seem to be a failure.
 Too late" comments a minister. They cannot atone for their offenses against decency and for their dis figurement of cities and landscapes, by showing a few pictures of good subjects now The Grant pictures have also been criticised on account of the company this hero has been compelled to associate with in some cities.
 The Indianapolis News declares that the day of the billboard. with "art" or without it, is drawing to a close in this country
 In St Louis what was believed to be the final rout of the billboard trust was begun January "A. after a nine-year battle, when the city build ing commissioner ordered that 1900 l,1 days. This action followed a decision of the supreme court upholding the billboard law enacted through the efforts of the local civic league. On January 90, the work of demol ishing the billboards in St. Louis was actually begun under Building Com missioner McKelvey. who. with fifty workmen, under police protection, at tackled a large group of billboards in the heart of the city. Federal Judge Dyer, being appealed to. issued an order requiring the commissioner to appear in court the next day and show cause why he should not be en- | joined. On February ), Judge Dyer refused the application for an injunc-
 
 the boards proceeded.
 Thus St Louis won a signal vic | tory in it's fight against the billboard. Later the general manager of one of the large companies operating boards in that city informed the building 1 commissioner that they would re- model 25O billboards to comply with l the city ordinance
 1 This is the continuation of a long | fight between the billboard compan- ies and the city as to the validity of an ordinance regulating the con struction of billboards. The ordin- ance recently was sustained by the l federal supreme court The order holds that every billboard in the city in one or more particulars violates the ordinance.
 Discussing the billboard evil, the | Grand Rapids Press says:
 | We read newspapers and maga- zines not merely for their news and their articles, but for their advertise ments as well.
 | "Tlle ad pages are an aid to eff cient living because they show us
 now to put out our money to the best advantage. Many d wife, spend- | ing the greater part of her time at home, receives most of her new ideas on clothes, housekeeping appliances,
 food and other phases of every day living from advertising She seeks
 this as she seeks the news, and both keep her up-to-date.
 | But billboard advertising is in a
 different class. It is thrust upon one. It obtrudes itself between the eye and d pleasant view. It spolis cities.
 It defaces the attractive country
 side In many parts of the United
 States today we tide on the train through lane of billboard freaks,
 uusought and unwelcomed." In line with the above sentence,
 it may be well to notice here that some of the railroads entering Chi cago have recently caused miles of billboards along their lines. near the city, to be torn down at the expira tion of the contracts.
 1 Some advocates of the billboard are
 still to be found. The action of the Columbus Billposting Company in do-
 hating more than 800 billboards, by means of which wide publicity was i given to go-to-church Sunday was
 indorsed by a large consre-
 gation at the Oakwood Methodist l Episcopal church. Resolutions drawn up by the pastor, and enthusiastically
 adopted by the congregation, were
 sent to the bllposting company eX-
 pressing appreciation of the work done.
 Alderman Henry H. Curran's bill 1 board ordinance, which regulates the
 height and construction of outdoor advertising signs with the intention
 of decreasing fire risks, was unani-
 mously passed by the New York
 board of aldermen Tuesday.
 Aesthetic considerations are to be left to commission. with which the
 advertising companies will cooperate
 The Boston city authorities have
 revived an old ordinance by levying
 taxes varying from twenty-five cents
 to s1 on all advertising signs on
 buildings, fences and roofs.
 The fact that advertising signs are
 subject to fees was not discovered
 until recently. Mayor Curley hopes
 to add several thousand dollars to the
 municipal income as the result of the
 levy.