ROADSIDE CONTROL 251 



remember, was the first one to alert this country on what was happen- 

 ing to its highways. We learned our ABC's from Mrs. Lawton, but 

 unfortunately she died in 1954. We have been at a loss to replace 

 her, and we have not had a national clearinghouse for information 

 and help since. It is desperately needed. 



In order to bring such a clearinghouse into being, naturally, we 

 need to have it properly financed. The original one was financed 

 by a foundation I suppose it was before the days when the tax 

 issue loomed so prominently, but that is the second big must we 

 need to have our work reclassified as educational. It definitely is 

 this; we are not just a group of starry-eyed billboard fighters. The 

 roadside problem must be treated as a whole. We know that there 

 are other problems along the highways besides just commercial out- 

 door advertising. 



In order for roadside councils to operate effectively, we need to 

 have a tax ruling which would encourage foundations and indi- 

 viduals with extra money and they seem to have plenty of it still 

 to help us in establishing a clearinghouse for information. 



Unfortunately, our opposition has been able to write off the mil- 

 lions and millions of dollars spent in fighting what we are trying to 

 do. They have been permitted to lobby, to publish ambitious look- 

 ing, so-called educational materials on what philanthropists they are 

 by donation of billboard space, and they have been able to charge it 

 off as a business expense, while we have had to scrounge for stamp 

 money. We have no paid people. We are just volunteers trying to 

 fight for the beauty of our country. 



Thirdly, we need a citizens' advisory council, and not just an 

 advisory council comprised of interested groups. We need to estab- 

 lish a citizens' council comprised of the leaders of our State roadside 

 councils. They are the ones that have been doing the work. They 

 know the answers. They should have their right to advise at the top. 

 Whether they report direct to the President is something to be 

 determined. 



Fourth, and last, the existing Federal legislation must be amended 

 to remove the areas excepted from control which, as we all know, 

 constitute areas where outdoor advertising can flood the landscape. 

 We must make billboard control mandatory on the States. We must 

 prohibit off-premise commercial advertising and outdoor advertising, 

 per se, must be confined within areas zoned as industrial and 

 commercial. 



779-59565 17 



