Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-12-29
State VS.. County
Debate Seen on
RoadsideBiII
Maryland Assembly
To Weigh Control of
Signs, Hot Dog Places
BY the Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS. Dec. 29.-It will be
States rights against county rights
in General Assembly debate over
roadside control.
For the third time in four years.
the Legislature next month will con-
slider bill to give the State in
creased powers to regulate the
growth of billboards and hot dog
stands along Maryland highways
The measure lis aimed only at
Anne Arundel County, says State
Senator Wilbur R. Dulin, Demo-
cratic leader of the county delega-
ton. I'm going to fight like the
devil against any Statewide control
over our roads"
AS approved by the Legislative
Council-Interim Committee of
State egislators-the bill is a modi-
fed version of measures killed by
the General Assembly in l945 and
1947.
Explained in Report.
The Maryland Roadside Council,
created by an act of 1943 to help
preserve the natural beauty of State
highways, gave it's explanation in a
report last year:
Strong opposition developed to
any roadside control bill in l945,
practically all of it quietly engi-
neered by some badly advised COM
mercial interests, who stirred up
farmers and roadside property own
ers by giving them false advice as
to the meaning of the legislation. y
The latest bill would give the State
Roads Commission power to deslg-
nate any key artery as roadside
protected highway The commits
sion could regulate commercial
establishments in a zone 200 feet
back from the right-of-way on
either side.
Clause Waters Authority.
One clause waters down the
States authority. 1t gives county
coming regulations precedence over
any conflicting State Roads Com
mission regulations.
House Speaker C. Ferdinand Sy-
bert, Democrat, of Howard County,
chairman of the Legislative Coun-
ellis Roadside Control Committee.
says he will support the measure as
okeyed by the council.
Speaker Sybert was voted down
IL ct ~,optt m on apoep6mept tn MT
more teeth in the bill by giving
State regulations precedence over
county regulations.
He will not press for this change
when the bill reaches the General
Assembly. Il frankly don't see
much use in putting it in," because
a fight on this point could jeopar-
die the whole BILL" Mr.. Sybert
says.
He will recommend minor
change, however. The present bill
exempts existing or prezoning struc-
lures. Speaker Sybert wants an
amendment giving billboards "a pc
Rod of grace"-one or two years
after which they would have to be
pulled down anyway.
Lane Favors "Some Control"
While taking no stand on the bill
itself, Gov. Lane has said he favors
some form of roadside control" to
prevent the beauty of our road
sides from being unnecessarily
marred."
A focal point of the State-county
coming battle has been Anne Arun-
del, which embraces the Richie
highway from Baltimore to Annap-
oils and the intersecting Revell
highway to the Sandy Point ferry.
Anne Arundel is one of five
counties which have set up their
own highway coming regulations.
Others are Montgomery, Prince
Georges, st. Marys and Baltimore
Counties.
State officials protested after the
Anne Arundel County commission
ers last April opened eight Richie
highway intersections to business.
After a series of heated sessions,
the commissioners stood pat, refus.
ing to change the commercial CLASH
f1cation of two intersections when
highway beauty proponents de-
manded a rezoning.