Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-04
BILLBOARD AGENT
! PLEADS GUILTY IN
PERMIT FAILURE
Conduit Road Sign Repaint-
ed-W. T. Carrico's Per-
SonaI Bond Given.
FIRST CASE INVOLVING
GENERAL OUTDOOR co.
Application Disapproved Because
Sign Projected Over Building
Line, Say Officials.

Pleading guilty to a charge of re-
painting a billboard without a permit
from the District, w. T. Carrico of
the General outdoor Advertising Co.,
mad his personal bond taken from
Judge Gus A. Schuldt in Police Court
today.
Carrico was arrested yesterday on a
warrant obtained by D. o. Fletcher, an
inspector, attached to the District
Building. He was charged with having
large sign located at 1885 Conduit
road reprinted without securing a
permit.
This is the first case Of its kind in
volv1ng the General Co., largest bill
board operator in the District, the sign
In question being located at Conduit
road and v street. Thomas H. Roche,
assistant building inspector in charge
OF signs, asked for the warrant, after
visiting the site. He claimed no per-
nit had been obtained by Carrico.
1t developed that when the General
outdoor Advertising Co. made appli-
cation for permit for the sign after
the District of Columbia authorities
threatened action. Mr.. Roche diSap-
proved it on the ground that the sign
projected 9 feet from the building line,
which is also a violation of the new
regulations, he said.
Orderly Entrance Aim.
While the location at Conduit road
and V street Is a commercial area. Dis
trict officials are anxious to keep the
road, one of the main thoroughfares
into Washington, in as orderly a con-
dition as possible. Some time ago they
authorized the KasS Realty Co. to erect
a temporary sign on the site announc-
ing the establishment of a gas station
there at some future date. No per-
NIT had been given for any other sign.
Last Friday Mr.. Roche learned from
Capt. Collins of the seventh precinct
that an agent of the General Outdoor
Advertising Co. had substituted an ad-
vertlsement of gasoline for which no
permit had been issued.
For month now, District officials
have been in controversy with the Gen
eral company over the question of more
than 100 billboards which the industry
was supposed to have abandoned on
February /, the expiration of a two
month agreement. With the exception
of small-sized boards, the company has
failed to live up to this agreement, Dis
trict officials charge. A majority of
the boards in controversy are those OF
the large panel type. With the excep-
ton of few torn down to make way
for building operations, few, if any
of these larger boards. have been re-
moved under the agreement.
Await Metal Numbers.
Until District authorities obtain from
the work house factory at Quantico the
official metal license numbers, it is
doubtful whether they can do anything
about these controversial boards. When
the license numbers arrive, however,
they will be placed on the boards which
have been duly authorized. All other
boards, it is understood, will be ordered
down.
Maj. Donald A. Dawson, Acting En-
gineer Commissioner, as well as Capt.
Hugh P. Dram, his director Of inSpec-
ton. are standing squarely behind Mr..
Roche in his efforts to enforce the new
governing outdoor signs.
Mai. Dawson believes the General Co.
Should live up to its agreement with the
Sign Committee to take down all signs
not included in the so-called author
lied" list He intimated that the Dis
trict Commissioners could retaliate by
the company permission to re-
habilitate any of its authorized signs
which need repairing unless it keeps
this agreement.