Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-08
Few of Public Interest Groups
at First Session to At
tend Meeting.
PROPOSITION CAUSED
SPLIT AT PHILADELPHIA
Easements of View Along Scenic
Roads Crux of Plan to Be
Offered.

Another session of the Washington
Conference called by the outdoor adj
vertising industry and the National As
ISOLATION of Real Estate Board to reach
accord with public interests on legis-
lative proposals for the protection and
preservation Of roadside scenery will be
held here Friday.
At this session the So-called Con-
tinuation Committee formed last Janu-
ary-what is left of twill place be-
fore the conference model law pro-
posed by Herbert u. Nelson. executive
secretary of the Real Estate Boards,
the same proposal which proved the
rock on which the Philadelphia session
of the committee split. His sugges-
ton, in effect. proposes to deal with the
rural billboard problem through the do
nation of easements of view by private
owners along scenic roads. plus con-
demnation Of and payment for such
easements in such cases as the owners
will not make the public present of
them.
Few, If any, of the public interest
groups which attended the first Wash
ington session, it was learned, will be
represented at Fridays conference. The
only two public representatives who at
tended the Philadelphia meeting,
withdrew when it was seen that no
common ground existed for an agree
ment. The other public members of
the committee did not attend.
Pepper Headed Group.
The Continuation Committee was
originally composed of former Senator
George Wharton Pepper Of Pennsyl-
vania, as chairman, and representa-
tives of the American Automobile As
ISOLATION, American Nature Association,
General Federation Of Women's Clubs.
National Association of Real Estate
Boards, National Council for Protection
of Roadside Beauty, National Grange
and the Outdoor Advertising Associa-
ton Of America, with two places left
open for the Petroleum Institute and
the American Civic Association If they
would accept them. The American
Civic Association continued to refuse
to join; the General Federation of
Women's Clubs declined to serve, and
the National Council for Protection OF
Roadside Beauty, later withdrew.
The two vacancies on the committee
remained untitled when the Philadel-
phia conference was called.
At this session the two public rep
resentatives, Albert S. Bard of the Ma
| tional Council for Protection of Road
side Beauty, and Arthur N. Pack, presi-
dent of the American Nature ASSocia-
ton, made a counter proposal which
they frankly admitted was intended to
eliminate the rural billboards, estimated
by the outdoor advertising industry as
representing about 5 per cent Of the
total billboard units.
In a statement issued In connection
with the forthcoming conference, Mr..
Pack said: 1.-THE withdrawing organiza-
lions also resent having mere discussion.
with unreconciled, If not irreconcilable,
differences made a handle for the post
ponement of restrictive legislation upon
the alleged ground that the lion and
the lamb are on the point of lying
down together. We think those gen.
timely interested in a solution of the
billboard problem and in the protection
Of the beauty of American highways
will be likely to consider this proposal
(for easement of view merely red
herring drawn across the TRAIL
Provisions Of Proposal.
Mr.. Nelson's proposal involved the
creation of immune stretches of high
ways, not less than three miles in length,
which would be free from commercial
developments, including billboards, on
the vote of rs per cent Of the abutting
owners. Provision would be made to
accord some preference in the expen-
diture of public funds for the develop
ment of these zones, as an inducement
for their creation. This suggestion
contemplated an enforcement of the
plan against the non-consenting Is per
cent of abutting owners through con-
domination proceedings, with compen-
sation to owners. The other roads
would remain open to commercial de-
velopment, including billboards.
Mr.. Pack and Mr.. Bard took the
position that the admission of outdoor
advertising to private lands along rural
highways on O certificate of public
convenience is a contradiction of the
public view concerning the industry and
is contrary to the public interest The
proposal, they declared would leave all
the highways of the State, except those
selected for preferential treatment, open
to unlimited commercial development
not only by enterprises serving the
travelling public and other industries
having a natural relation to the ,loca-
ton, but also TO others, including the
billboards, which have neither quality.