Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-20
BILLBOARD DOOM
SEEN At FARLEY
Metropolitan District Officials
Confer to Remove
Signs.

u
- SILVER SPRING, Md, June 90
Indications that billboards would soon
disappear from the roadways in the
residential zones in the metropolitan
district of Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties appeared at con-
ference here yesterday between county
and planning commission officials and
resentatives of the advertising COM
panies.
The question of whether the COM
panies wanted to stand on their rights
and face drastic enforcement of the
coming ordinances, or whether they de-
sired to cooperate and remove their
signs, limiting them to the commercial
zones was laid Squarely before the rep
resentatives of the advertising COM
panies by j. Bond Smith, general coun-
sci of the Maryland-Na Capital
Park and Planning Commission. While
the company representatives indicated
that they thought that cooperation
between the companies and the officials
would solve the matter it was said that
the matter would be taken up with the
New York headquarters the latter part
of next week and the planning COM
mission informed of the result.
No Objection to Removal
There was no objection offered to the
plan to eliminate the signboards. 1t was
nQlCaJeQ LIlaJ the companies Q6SuSQ 10
acquiesce in the public demand for
the removal Of the boards. But 'infor-
nation was sought as to what might
happen later, should efforts be made to
eliminate the boards from the CONNER.
cial zone. However, Mr.. Smith said
that no one could tell what future COM
missions would do.
After pointing out the statute and the
ordinance under which the billboards
were now regulated, Mr.. Smith told the
company officials that there was a well
defined school of thought in Mont
gomery County, and, to some extent, in
Prince Georges County, against bill
boards. He pointed out that their elm
ination had been nearly accomplished
in the District of Columbia. People, he
said, have acquired large estates in the
metropolitan district, and they do not
like the structures
There is an extreme thought, Mr..
Smith continued, that the boards should
be ruled out throughout the area, but,
up to this time, there had appeared no
real necessity for such drastic action
He did say, however, that the outcome
of yesterdays conference would have a
good deal to do with the future view
of the county commissioners and the
Maryland National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, as to whether
they would care to take more drastic
action. He said that he had assured
the planning commission that the bill
board representatives would cooperate,
and that he told them that 1t was only
fair to give them the chance.
Mr.. Smith told the Signboard people
that the opposition to billboards had
never been tested by a referendum vote,
but that strong sentiment has been
shown in women'S and civic organiza-
tions against the structures.
What ROnfrOf1tc the officials q
pracice matter, he continued, was the
presence of the boards in the residen-
tial districts, in violation of the coming
ordinance. He said he took it that no
new permits would be sought to erect
boards in the residential areas, as they
would not be granted. OF course, he
pointed out. that boards that existed
prior to the ordinance could not be
ruled out, but under the regulations it
would not be possible to repair them
Painting, If for preservation, he said,
would be a repair, within the meaning
of the ordinance. However, If it was
just a repainting of the face of the
would be a repair. But board could
not be replaced In any of the signs
without violating the regulation.
The question, he said, was whether
the companies would voluntarily aban-
don their boards in the residential zones,
or whether they would stand on their
rights and fight. He pointed out that
the county commissioners had authority
to tax the boards, but that they had
shown no disposition at this time to
adopt an ordinance for this purpose.
The attitude of the commissioners, he
continued, depends largely on how the
companies conduct their business in the
residential areas from which the chief
source of complaint comes at this time.
a
after the effective date of the ordi-
nance, he went on, gives no vested
right to maintain It, and each day of
its existence is a continuing offense.
Commissioner Lacy Shaw of the
northern metropolitan district, and
vice president of the Board of Mont
gomery County Commissioners, said that
the commission wanted to cooperate
with the companies, with view to
eliminating the boards in the resider tial
areas.
Urges Cooperation.
Charles Knapp of Baltimore, counsel
forfor the General outdoor Advertising
Co.. thought that the companies should
cooperate. He said that the situation
in Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties was little bit different from
any other place in the world, situated
as it is on the border of the Nations
OdQlGdi, HOW SO141S E4CaI All
provement. He said that he did not
think any one thing should be per-
mitted to stand in the way of such
development.
E. Brooke Lee, county leader, said
that he was glad to see this spirit of
cooperation, and pointed out that there
was a sentiment in the county against
the assessment of taxes against the
boards, to which Mr.. Knapp replied
that he thought they ought to pay tax,
as that would give them an argument
with the public. to show that these
taxes helped to keep down other taxes
in the county, and the public then
would not be in such hurry to drive
out he boards for eshetic reasons.
In addition to Mr.. Smith, those at
tending the conference were: E. A.
Shaub, manager; B. S. Whitgreave,
contact manager, and H. j. Rhatigan,
Washington manager of P. and H.
Morton Advertising Co.. John Shoe
maker, manager of Washington branch,
and MT Knapp, counsel of the Cen
eral Outdoor Co.; Lacy Shaw, county
commissioner; Irving C. Root, chief en-
gineer of the Park and Planning Com
mission; j. Christopher of the West
rf,rs1 NaI