OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 



59 



greater or less extent, protected 

 against things that offend all the sense 

 excepting that of sight alone ; yet this 

 is in many respects, more important 

 than the others, for ugliness is an of- 

 fense against the mind, and has a 

 subtle, but very important, effect on 

 popular education and happiness. 

 Billboards are made in no sense for 

 public, but entirely for private gain, 

 are thrust upon the view of as large a 

 part of the public as possible, and are 

 perhaps less necessary, less justifiable 

 and more easily mitigated or sup- 

 pressed altogether than any of the 

 things that disfigure our open spaces. 

 As time goes on it will become clear 

 that private persons have no right to 

 inflict what they please on the vision 

 of the community, nor to expect the 

 community to endure it. As billboards 

 are made to exploit the public it is no 

 more than just that at least they 

 should be taxed for public advantage 

 and that their appearance should be 

 regulated by public officials. 



Existing Legislation. In Pennsyl- 

 vania the Acts of June 8, 1881, and 

 March 10, 1903, forbid under penalty 

 of fine or imprisonment the placing of 

 advertising signs on State property or 

 on private property without the own- 

 er's consent. 



In Milwaukee an ordinance exists 

 regulating billboards on grounds of 

 safety from fire and falling, and for- 

 bidding advertisements on jjublic 

 streets or structures. 



Ordinances regulating billboards 

 have been sustained in Texas and Mis- 

 souri. 



Linder a decision in the case of Com- 

 monwealth vs. Boston Advertising Co. 

 188 Mass. 348, billboards could not be 

 restricted on grounds of unsightliness. 



Billboard Regulation Abroad. Out- 

 door ad\ertising is regulated and taxed 



in Germany, France and Buenos .Aires, 

 and taxed in Rio de Janeiro. 



Control of Billboards. Billboards 

 can be controlled by existing legisla- 

 tion principally on grounds of trespass 

 and danger from fire or falling, also of 

 advertising alcoholic drinks or inciting 

 to vice and crime. But the only way 

 of reaching the real causes of their un- 

 popularity will be through constitu- 

 tional amendments enabling them to 

 be regulated under the police power 

 on the ground of injury to amenity or 

 pleasing quality, comfort and livable- 

 ness of a place and consequently to its 

 real estate values. 



NATIONAL PARKS 



The A. S. L. A. believes that addi- 

 tions should be made to the number of 

 our National and State Parks in order 

 that examples of our most characteristic 

 and rapidly decreasing natural scenery 

 may be preserved against encroachment 

 by economic forces. 



PRESERVATION OF 

 NIAGARA FALLS 



The A. S. L. A. is opposed to diver- 

 sions of water from the Falls for power 

 or other purposes beyond those permit- 

 ted under the Burton Act which expired 

 March 4, 1913. We urge the perman- 

 ent public control of the diversion of wa- 

 ter from the Falls. 



COMMENTARY 



Niagara Falls, one of the most beau- 

 tiful, thrilling, impressive and popular 

 of all natural spectacles, has the ad- 

 ditional distinction of being unique. 

 Mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, and 

 other wonders of nature are multiplied 

 on the earth's surface, but there is only 

 one such cataract accessible to most of 

 mankind. It is not a private, nor even 

 a State possession ; it is actually con- 



