Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-08
AMENDED BILLBOARD
MEASURE FOR DISTRICT
is PASSED BY HOUSE
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to put its own house in order before at
tempting to eliminate billboards from
the Virginia and Maryland highway ap-
proacheS to the National Capital. With
anti-billboard legislation pending in. the
Maryland Legislature, it was expected
that the final enactment of the District
bill would spur thatsbody to action %
Public Hearing Provided.
Public hearings before adoption of
regulations to control the outdoor adj
vertising situation are provided in the
bill, as it passed the House, such an
amendment having been recommended
by the District Commissioners, the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning Com
mission and the American Civic Asso-
citation. It is understood that hearings
are to be held as soon as possible after
the final enactment of the measure, so
that the regulations might be promul-
gated within few weeks.
Approval of the bill was delayed in
the House by f1libuster by Representa-
tive La Guardia of New York, who was
opposed to the so-called small-loan bill
until Chairman Zihlman of the District
Committee agreed to withdraw that
measure from the District program up
for consideration in the House yester-
day.
Chairman Zihlman notified the House
that the District Commissioners had
advised the House District Committee
that they are in urgent need of the
billboard legislation under which new
and proper regulations can be made in
time to permit general cleanup of
the illegal and unauthorized signs in
the city prior to the Bicentennial cele-
bration -
The bill, it was pointed out, was in
dorsed at two public hearings at which
commercial and esthetic interests were
given an opportunity to discuss the
outdoor. sign situation in Washington
and at which the large and small adj
Vertising interests in this city, as well
as union sign painters, Joined in rec
ommending legislation of this kind.
The most important amendment in
serted in the bill as reported from the
House Committee by Representative
Hall of Indiana gives the Commission
erS power to control restrict and govern
the erection, hanging, placing, painting,
display and maintenance Of all outdoor
signs and other forms of exterior adj
yertiSing ION public ways and public
space under their control-and on -pri-
Vate porperty within public view with
in the District of Columbia.
Amendment Essential
Without an amendment including
the control of outdoor advertising on
private property within public view"
the Commissioners said the regulation
of the sign evil would be absolutely in
effective. The Commissioners now lack
the power to remove unsightly signs
and advertising smeared over stores and
buildings on many of the principal cor
ners in the downtown and residential
sections.
For some years the rehabilitation of
existing billboards in the District has
been prohibited, the idea being to let
them eventually rot away. Many of
the boards already are in this unSightly
condition. Rather than have them re-
paired and therefore given increased
life, some of the civic forces were OPP
posed to anything being inserted in the
bill which would authorize the main
tenance Of these established boards.
They withdrew their objections, how
ever, when assured by the District Com
missioners that the bill provided suffi-
Gent safeguards to prevent any abuse.
BY the refusal of licenses and the
reallocation of many billboardS already
undesirabiy situated, the Commission
ers believe that the regulation can be
inforced effectively in protecting the
aesthetic interests of the public.
Under authority given in the BILL no
license for an outdoor sign shall be
issued without the prepayment of SIS
to the District collector of taxes and
an annual fee of SIS thereafter for each
succeeding year For good cause the
Commissioners also are empowered to
reject any application for a license or
to revoke a license after one has been
issued. Through this control. 1t was
said, organised hlllboasda can hA -