San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-13
FIGHT AGAINST
B|LLbOARDS IS
PROGRESSING
Large Corporations Express
Willingness to Help
in Campaign.
MAR SCENIC BEAUTY
Advertisements Obstruct
View From Maine to
Is Pacific Coast. ..
MAR SCENIC BEAUTY
BY ROBERT T. SMALL.

Copyright by The San Antonio Light.
New York, April 12.--The fight
against the billboards which are dis
figuring the landscapes of the coun-
try, from Maine to California, is max
ing rapid Roadway. The Standard
Oil Company Of New York, has agreed
with the National Committee for the
Restriction of Outdoor Advertising.
The company will remove q number of
its big signs here in the East and
has agreed to abandon others as soon
as the contracts with billboard COM
panies expire. 1t has been announced
that the Standard Oil Company of
California, also has agreed to Cooper
ate and it is expected that the other
Standard companies in New Jersey,
Indiana, Kentucky and elsewhere will
follow suit.
Forty-one civic, social, commercial
and political organizations today are
cooperating with the committee which
is working to restrict the "barbar.
Gus displays" along the highways of
the country. No beauty spot has been
too sacred to keep the sign painter
away. As matter of fact these show
places of nature have been capitalized
In an amazing manner, for the pref
tier the aspect, the higher has been
the rental price.
Will Tour Country.
Mrs. W. i. Lawton of this city
chairman of the National Committee
for Restricting Outdoor Advertising,
has been authorized by the committee
to make tour to the Pacific coast
in furtherance of her work. Mrs.
Lawton has stated that the Standard
Oil Company of California, signs will
probably be removed from the spots
where they are obstructive before sim
liar action is taken in the East. This
is because the California company
owns its signs outright and is not
tied down by contractual obligations
to the biz professional sign board or
CARNATIONS.
Following the lead of the Standard
Oil Companies, several other big cor
porations have agreed to further the
work of the committee on restriction.
Among these are the Gulf Refining
Company. Dodge Brothers, the Ajax
Rubber Company, Inc, the Hood Rub
Der Company, the Ward Baking Com
pany, the Texas Company and the
Fleischmann Yeast Company.
In various states movements are
under way to pass restrictive laws
modelled somewhat on the Massachus-
cts statutes which limits the size and
location of the billboards. In Flor
ida recently. all disfiguring signs were
ordered down from the right-of- way Of
the state roads. From Jacksonville to
Tampa and to Miami the roads had
become all but shut in by the
signs.
In outlining the new policy of the
Standard Oil Company of New York,
Herbert Pratt. the president. wrote
to the Committee on Restriction in
part as follows:
VIII Move Signs.
AS an example of the procedure
we intend to follow / will cite the
first instance which has just been
completed. Some ten days ago re-
ceived a note from the secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce of Great
Darlington Mass. telling me of hnv-
ing read in the newspapers of what
we proposed 70 do with Objectionable
signboards. He said there was one
of our signs on the main highway
between Great Darlington and Stock
bridge which was obstructine beanti- |
full view of the scenery and was the |
only billboard Of its kind in that loca-
ton.
"On receipt Of this letter, / imme- |
diately had one of our representa-
tives. with representative of Thomas |
A. Cusick Company from which we
rent the board. and which is showing
n ready willingness TO help us in the
matter. call on the Chamber of Com
merce and say that the board would be
moved and would be placed in any To-
cation which the chamber itself might
select.
"Whenever possible we will have
our signs which are Objectionable. or
which mar the scenic beauty of the
removed. even before our
contracts EXPIRE