Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-28
ANTEb|LLbOARD
VIEW DEVELOPING
Progress Reported by Body
Sponsoring Campaign in
80 States.

| A rapidly developing public opin-
ion against the dissertation Of Ameri-
can landscape by misplaced billboard
| advertising is seen by the National
| Committee for Restriction of Outdoor
| Advertising in report on the prog
| gress of its campaign to restrict such
advertising during last year.
Every rural billboard carries one
| message" says the committee. mo
! matter what the design or the color
| ing, or whether 1t refers OStenSibly
| to chewing gum or schoolgirl COM
| pleXions, the message is the same
| America the Ugly We are awaken.
| ing at last to the fact that we cannot
| save the beauty of our landscapes
and at the same time use them as A
| background for advertising. We
| must make our choice between beau
| ty and the billboard"
Since its organization in 1923 the
committee has enlisted the co-opera
ton of more than 100 other national
| organizations in its campaign to IRE
strict all outdoor advertising to COM
nQercial districts where it will not in
jure scenery, civic beauty or residen-
tial values"
Hundreds Of Local Bodies.
The national committee is func.
tioning through hundreds of local
committees organized in 80 States, the
report said.
The committee already has obtained
results in It's direct approach to ma
tIOna1 advertisers which leads II to
believe that the national advertisers
Will be quick to respond to public
opinion If expressed with sufficient
strength and IN the right spirit" The
organized billboard industry, although
resisting State and municipal regula-
ton and standing for a policy of self
regulation has in a measure recog-
nized the weight Of public opinion on
the question by recently adopting
specified standards Of practice.
Under these standards the signboard
companies agree to erect no boards in
residence districts, the report says,
no boards adjacent to parks surround
ed by residences and no boards which
mar or impair the scenery" If this
program IS carried out with the public
as judges, there will be a great i'm
provement in the future, the COM
mittee says. The organized industry
also agrees to remove all poster panels
from rural highways within five years,
but apparently intends, the report
says. to erect painted boards along
rural highways as long as advertisers
will use them.
Although, among other regulatory
acts by the States, five States-Con-
necticut, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota
and Tennessee-have passed laws pro-
hibiting all advertising signs on the
right of way of State roadways, this
does little to protect the landscape
the committee says. because signs
placed back of the right of way are
Sty CtrrI,N
roadway
The committee urges the States TO
follow the example of Massachusetts
in adopting an amendment to the
State constitution permitting regula-
ton and restriction of advertising
within public view.
Sacrifices Advertising Value.
Twenty-Five national advertisers
already have Endorsed the restriction
policy and promised to contine their
billboardS to commercial districts as
soon as present contracts expire, the
committee reports. The Standard Oil
Co. of California last year, on
it's own initiative, it is noted, removed
nearly ! 200 large billboards from the
highways of five Western States, an
nouncing that it was willing to sac
rifice the advertising value of the
signs to preserve the splendid scenery
along the highways of those States.
Other evidences cited by the COM
mittee Of progress in the campaign
are adoption by the State Chamber of
Commerce of Florida of the slogan
swat the Sign and Save Scenery;
abandonment by the City Of Atlanta of
q plan to erect billboards on miles Of
roads leading into that city. and action
of the Benoit Co. of Portland,
Me, in removing more than 400 bill
boards from the highways of New
after Gov Brewster of Maine
had urged the people of his State to
save the beauty of It's highways.