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Show Bmldm WiJespreaJ Resentment Against Roadside Uglies The worst disfigurement of the roadside road-side scenery has been billboard advertising. adver-tising. Resentment against it 1ms become be-come widespread, but, since It Is usually usual-ly oil private property, it has resisted attempts to remove It by legislation. But what lawmakers have not been able to do Is now likely to he accomplished accom-plished by the pressure of public opinion. opin-ion. The advertisers themselves, seeking seek-ing public favor, have begun to realize real-ize that publicity in a form that is objectionable to the public taste does not pay, and already fifteen large tirms, all so-called national advertisers, advertis-ers, have announced that as soon as present contracts expire they will voluntarily vol-untarily desist from defacing the rural landscape. In time others will probably prob-ably find it to their advantage to follow fol-low the same course. The movement began last year in England, where one big concern after another announced that it had given up billboard advertising as being against public sentiment. Their gain in good will was immediate Restrictions Restric-tions on the size and position of roadside road-side billboards have been adopted recently re-cently In Massachusetts and in other states. But there are other unsightly structures struc-tures by the roadside that the owners ought to remove for the common good ramshackle barns, abandoned shanties, shan-ties, broken-down fences covered with tlnplate signs, rickety lunch stands, unkempt stores, public dumps, untidy yards and littered porches. Such eyesores eye-sores give an unfavorable impression of a town or state. Spring is a good time to clean up. Automobillsts too have certain obligations. obli-gations. Among them are the duties of respecting the roadside scenery by refraining from building camp fires In dangerous places, leaving picnic sites untidy and destroying flowers and shrubbery along the roadway. The trailing arbutus, the mountain laurel, willow hedges, the black alder and the holly have all suffered so severely from the vandalism of those who ride In automobiles that public opinion has been roused to vigorous protest and In some places has resulted in restrictive restric-tive legislation. Youth's Companion. |