Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-17
BILLBOARD LOBBY
STRIVES TO RULE
Maryland Lawmakers Seek
Compromise to Insure Pro-
lection to States Beauty.
Nv a star CORRESPONDENT Of TIL. star.

BY q stan Correspondent Of The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, Md, March 17.-"Are
the members of Maryland's General AS.
sembly going to continue to sacrifice the
safety and beauty of the States splen-
did highways and surrender in the face
of powerful group of lobbyists rep
resenting the organized bill board in
terests?"
Are they going to capitalize the OPP
portunity of creating favorable i'm
preston on the millions of visitors who
will ride over their highways to attend
the George washington Bicentennial
celebration in the National Capital next
year. or are they going to let the bill
board interests control the highways
they have erected at such large ex-
pense, and border them with a crazy
quilt conglomeration of clashing COM
mercial appeals?"
Are they going to be swayed again
by the selfish arguments of paid lobby
lists, some of whom have been imported
from other States, or exalt their boasted
home rule principle and make their
roads real assets instead of liabilities?"
Fate of Bill in Balance.
These were the outstanding questions
in the Senate and House last night as
the Legislature convened for week,
that will probably determine the fate OF
the bill designed to put an end to the
unrestrained construction OF the signs
that have so largely crippled two OF the
States most valuable assets-its natural
beauty and historic shrines.
The answers lay IN a large measure
In the hands of Delegates Lavinia Engle,
Kent r. Mullikin, Oliver Metzerott and
Lawrence p Williams, joint sponsors OF
the bill, who are holding a series OF
conferences with the billboard repre-
sentatives in an effort to reach a COM
promise that will insure the passage OF
a satisfactory bill.
An encouraging feature of the situa-
ton last night was the fact that the
sponsors of the bill were awake to the
danger of conceding too much in a
series of conferences now being held
with representatives Of the billboard
concerns.
The chief storm center" of the bill
is the tax provision.
Fearful Of the existence of a bill
board tax in Maryland as an argument
in favor of similar taxes in other prog
ressive States where the necessity for
billboard control is recognized, the bill
board companies ask that the word tax
be eliminated entirely from the bill,
and some other term, such as permit
fee" used in its stead.
The quarrel who introduced the meas
ure, believing a. tax by any other name
would be as effective, may concede this
point.
The bill as now drawn calls for a g.
cent per square foot annual tax on
each individual sign, which the COM
panies say would be financially ruinous.
The hackers of the bill were in &C
cord last night over proposed amend
ment reducing this tax to / cent a
square foot, which viii establish the
area-taXing principle and at the same
time probably meet with the indorse-
ment of the billboard people themselves.
Report Expected Soon.
Miss Engle and her associates hope
TO have this and few other minor
amendments drawn and presented to
the Ways and Means Committee, to
which the bill was referred, today.
committee report then is expected to-
morrow or Thursday.
Indications are that the report will
be favorable, as many of the members
of the committee recognize the neces-
sity of signboard control and are al
ready committed to legislation of this
type. A few of the committeeman have
been hesitant for fear of crippling the
industry through oyertaxation, but their
reluctance should be overcome when 1t
is known that the amendments embody
q tax rate which the companies them
selves have approved as logical.
other features of the bill. which have
met with practically universal APP
proyal, place the signboards under the
supervision Of the State Roads Commits
sion and require a 5000 annual license
fee Of the companies.