the good will of the public, and will therefore be glad to heed public opinion if expressed with sufficient strength and in the right spirit.
State Federations Urged to Co-operate.
Therefore, the General Federation, through its Art Department, sends to each State Federation an urgent invitation to join in this general expression of protest. Eleven states have already appointed a State leader and are organizing the work. Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Florida are already well organized with many committees actively engaged in the Protest-by-Letter Campaign. Other states are starting. We were sending out in June approximately 1,000 letters of protest per week, directly to the advertisers.
Endorsed by Seventeen National Advertisers.
Already 17 leading national advertisers have agreed that signboard advertising should be regulated, and have signified their intention hereafter to confine their boards, so far as possible, to commercial districts, due allowance being made for present contracts not yet expired.
Forty Organizations Co-operating
to Restrict, Not Abolish.
The General Federation is not alone in this work. Over *10 organizations are co-operating in the movement. Twelve of these are national and many are men's organizations.
It should be clearly understood that this movement does not seek to abolish billboards. It seeks only to restrict them to commercial districts where business belongs.
Restriction Affects Only 5% of the Billboards.
The movement is conservative and reasonable. The restriction urged would affect only 5% of outdoor advertising and only 4/10 of 1% of the total advertising of the country. Business would still have 95% of the signboards for its use, and 99 and 0/10% of total advertising. These figures show the absurdity of the argument that this restriction would cripple business and throw thousands out of employment.
; Away With the Rural Billboards.
It is true that the signboard companies have greatly improved their industry in the last ten years. The boards are better built and better maintained. Better artists are employed and the copy is carefully censored. For all this we are grateful, but it is not enough. The boards at their best arc commercial, in intent and appearance. They never blend with the landscape. If ihey did they would bo worthless as advertisements. They have no place in rural locations.
There should be no rural boards!
Why commercialize the entire countryside? Why destroy the beauty of our highways as fast as we build them? Why not keep business where business belongs, and save the beauty of our “open spaces" for the. re-creation and uplift of our generation and generations to come?
As Mrs. Thomas Winter has well said: “Natural beauty is coming to be recognized not only as an asset, but also as a public right." It belongs to the people, and no individual, no corporation has a right to commercialize it for their own private gain.
Each State is urged to appoint immediately a State leader for the work. Each club is urged to appoint a committee. The details of the work may be obtained from Mrs. W. L. Lawton, Billboard Committee, G. F. W. C.
National ■’dvertisers ■who have agreed to confine their ouedoor advertising, 2s far as possible, to commercial locations. Due allowance is to be madde for present contracts not yet expired.
Fisk Tire Company
Kelly-Springfield Tire Company
B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company
Hood Rubber Company
Ajax Rubber Company
Kirkman & Son (soap manufacturers)
Pillsbury Flour Mills Company
Washburn Crosby Company (Gold Medal Flour)
Champion Spark Plug Company
Ward Baking Company
Dodge Brothers
Flc-ischmann Company