Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-30
URGES BILLBOARD
LAW WITH TEETH"
Pomona Grange in Favor of
Taxation as Opening
Wedge, However.
While favoring taxation of billboards

While favoring taxation of billboards
as an entering wedge for their ultimate
elimination, the countrywide Grange
organization in Prince Georges, known
as the Pomona Grange, Is hopeful that
regulatory legislation with teeth" In
it will be pressed before the Maryland
Legislature this session.
The Grange stands for Improvement
identification and uplift in all COM
munities, according to w. F. Mulligan,
secretary, and accordingly holds that
billboards should be limited strictly to
| commercial areas Mr.. Mulligan de-
clared the Grange was the first coun-
try-wide organization to discuss and
give serious attention to the billboard
problem, having debated It more than
two years ago.
Mr.. Mulligan declared the Grange
seeks the elimination of billboaros
which he believes can be accomplished
| only through strict regulatory powers.
rather than by taxation as proposed in
certain bills now pending in the Mary
| land Legislature. when the billboard
companies willingly pay $150 or 5000
to put up signs. they will pay the taxes
to keep them standing" he said. amy
| conflscatory tax would be held uncon-
stltutlonal, without doubt, and that
is the only kind of tax that would salts
factorily solve the problem"
Desired Legislation Outlined.
What the grange would like to see &C
| complished in the way of effective lepis-
lation, he pointed out, is the passage
! OF bill giving the county commits
1 sioners full power to regulate outdoor
/ signs In certain areas. In this way bill
| boards could be forbidden in reSiden-
tial areas and confined strictly to COM
mercial zones, he pointed out or even
forbidden anywhere the commissioners
see fit.
A bill which really has 'teeth" in
| it, If presented at the present session
would receive the solid backing of the
grange. Mr.. Mulligan said. If 1t is I'M
possible to get any legislation save a
tax bill, he said the grange would favor
that as an entering wedge.
| The grange is cooperating actively
with the Community Council, a county,
wide civic organization which has long
been leader in the anti-billboard
movement. This cooperation is being
conducted through standing commit
tee on billboard appointed by the grange
November IA, 1929, at a Pomona meet
ing in Beltsville, on motion of DIR. H.
j. Patterson.
| With public sentiment strongly back
Ing the movement to clear up roadside
| conditions in the metropolitan area of
| washington prior to the 1882 Bicen-
| tennial, Mr.. Mulligan feels confident
that anti-billboard legislation will be
enacted at this session of the Legisla-
| ture.
Conditions Condemned.
| Brice Bowie, former county commits
, sioner and now clerk of the Board of
Education, told the grange the boule-
ward connecting Baltimore and WASH
lngton contains more advertising signs
than any other stretch of highway of
similar length in the United States.
Mr.. Bowie condemned such conditions.
F. B. Bomgerger of the University of
Maryland, declared recently before the
grange that if European countries were
cluttered with highway signs they
| would 'ose millions of dollars because
tourists would not flock to them as they
do now.
The county Grange also seeks the
eventual elimination of all dilapidated
structures, dumps and other eye-sorcs
along main roads. However, it realizes
that the elimination of all scenic OBJ
stacles can only be accomplished over
a long period and is conscious that
the advertising sign is the greatest
single destroyer of roadside beauty In
| existence.