Evening star., 1932-06-04
19NEW b|LLB0ARDS,
FOUND UNLICENSED,
TO Be TORN DOWN
Morton Signs Are Replaced
by General Outdoor Ad-
vertising Co.
Renewed VIGILANCE
WILL BE MAINTAINED
Dispute Over Displays at New York
and Florida Avenues Northeast
Still Unsettled.

While the question Of permitting sub
stitution Of new billboards for old ones
at New York and Florida avenues north
east Is still under consideration, in
quiries developed today the fact that
the General Outdoor Advertising Co.
recently had replaced 19 boards with
out knowledge or consent of District
authorities.
The matter was detected during the
course Of marking boards on the au-
tnorized list with official tags. When
the substitution was called to the at
tention Of the billboard company. II
agreed to take them down. Whether
this has been Gone or not in the case
OF all ]9 boards no one at the District
Building apparently knows. The boards
involved were small ones, 4 by 8 feet.
and formerly belonged to the Morton
company.
Competitor Absorbed,
Before the sign regulations were
nnally promulgated, the General Out.
door company took over all the Morton
boards in Washington, thereby gaining
complete monopoly Of the billboard
business in Washington. Its only COM
petltor Is the Criterion Co., which deals
only IN the small type Of board. Since
tnen the General Outdoor company had
put up new boards in place Of some of
the oio Morton boards without seeking
permission. When inspectors went 10
attach tags to the boards on the au-
tnorlzed list, they found l9 General
company boards in places designated
on the list as Morton boards. These
were scattered in various sections of
tne city. Each tag had been numbered
De1orehand for a particular designation
Inc inspectors therefore passed over
lne substituted boards and reported the
matter
John Shoemaker. manager Of the
General Co, said he believed some of
.he ~ boards were still standing. He
nao agreed, he said. to wait until the
official tagging job was completed and
then remove any or all boards on the
authorized list which have not been
marked with permit numbers.
New Boards Substituted
When The Star made inquiries about
the matter some time ago, it was led to
DelleVe that the substitution was merely
matter of changing the advertising
poster and the name from Morton to
General Later inquiries. however, de-
veloped the fact that the old boards
had been taken down and new ones
substituted. Since the Morton Co. for
merry operated several hundred boards
on what Is now the authorized list
most o! them 10 by IS feet-the likeli-
nooo OF an unlimited number of substi-
tutlons arose. So far as can be learned
however, the practice stopped with the
l9 small boards.
Inc incident served. however, to i'm
press upon the public interest groups
.ue necessity OF constant vigilance, If
.he sign regulations are to be effectively
enforced against the billboard company
as tney are against individual business
concerns and department stores.
The replacement program planned nv
the company at New York and Florida
avenues northeast involves, in effect
INC same principle, but under conditions
tnat MADE the plan appear plausible to
the Board of Commissioners when II
approved the scheme two weeks apo
only 10 reconsider at a later date. The
question is still hanging fire.
District Partly Responsible.
the billboard company carefully Sc
e-4S WoAoI SQudIeS In Ine
CITY TO win the consent of the Com
tnnlssloners to new and higher bill
poaro fence to serve as screen for
conditions which the municipal gov
ernment is partly responsible for itself
Inc plan was an adroit one, as il would
eliminate batch Of billboards so de-
preclated that three or four of them
were removed by the company with the
consent Of the lessee of the lot. This
oHIy served, however. to accentuate the
unslghtly conditions on the lot
The American Civic Association con-
tended that the Commissioner had
authority to improve conditions on
the lot without resorting to a new
billboard fence. although the associa-
tlon had agreed to accept the plan. il
no other way could be found to
bring about removal of other boards
from residential areas Since then the
District has ordered the public space
occupied by the lessee, 1. CHASER,
cleared OF wreckage and further in
quiries developed the fact that the
boards on the o street side also were
occupying public parking space.
Public alley space running through
the lot from N to o street is being
used as an automobile dump pile. So
also Is much Of the public square In
the center Of the lot. II the Com
missioners wish to improve conditions
In this square they have every legal
right to do so.