MASSACHUSETTS FEDERATION OF PLANNING BOARDS 3
Legal Regulation of Bill Boards
Since tlie issue of Federation Bulletin No. 11, which brought the story of the campaign for legal restriction of out-door advertising up to August, 1923, the substantial progress made in Massachusetts now calls for another bulletin to recount that progress and to give a clear view of the existing situation. The present bulletin undertakes to do this, under the following titles:
I—The Year’s Accomplishment in Massachusetts.
II—Bill Board Law as it Now Stands.
III—	Limitations of the-Law.
IV—	Present State Regulations.
V—Suggestions for Municipal Regulations.
VI—Proposed Form of By-Law.
VII—Adoption and Enforcement of By-Laws.
I—The Year’s Accomplishment in Massachusetts:
Numerous bills proposing to amend the bill board law were presented at this year’s session of the General Court. Of these, the four favored by this Federation were enacted, and all others, which we opposed, were defeated. Most satisfactory was the enactment of the bill, ■ introduced last year by our legislative committee, per- J mitting cities and towns to make ordinances and by-laws • for local restriction of out-door advertising without requiring the approval of the state division of highways,; which was demanded by the old law. To win this right for the cities and towns has been the objective of the Federation’s effort since the beginning of the fight for a constitutional amendment in 1916.
Our bill, (which is now chapter 327 of the Acts of 1924) was defeated at last year’s session; and to persuade the same legislature to reverse its action, against the strenuous opposition of the well organized bill board interests of the country, required arduous work by the officers and members of the Federation. Our success was made possible by the active co-operation asked and received from public spirited organizations and citizens outside the ranks of the planning boards. Among these were the Massachusetts Civic League, the State Federa-