266 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



Mrs. J. MELVIN NELSON. I have a question I should like to ask 

 you, Mr. Chairman. 



In view of what we are trying to do in this beautification confer- 

 ence and in view of what our President has suggested, why is it that 

 there is a representative of the outdoor advertising industry sitting 

 on this panel, considering their defamation of scenic views? They 

 are one of the most destructive elements of beauty in this country, and 

 I am talking about all kinds of signs, all types, including billboards. 

 Why didn't you call in representatives of the strip miners? Why are 

 they sitting in a position on beautification issues? Why don't we 

 have a junk car dealer, or water polluter, or beer can maker, or lit- 

 terbug sitting on the panel? 



Surely, they, too, have some ambiguous statements that they could 

 have made to defend themselves. 



Mr. TOGKER. May I reply? 



Mr. IVES. No, you may not. We are not going to start a 

 controversy. It has been a valuable adjunct to have Mr. Tocker here 

 and he has made some real statements. 



FRANCIS S. LORENZ. It seems to me that we are all over the 

 lot on this subject of natural beauty. What are we seeking 

 to accomplish? Who are we blaming? Who is going to give up 

 something in order that some other segment of our population gets 

 something? Beauty, as the saying goes, is only skin deep. What 

 might be beautiful in one man's eyes may be ugly in another's. A 

 person in love looks through a pair of eyes that sees beauty in every- 

 thing. 



It seems to me that the natural beauty of our America can be 

 enhanced. It can be done with a little give and take on the part 

 of all segments of society. 



The emphasis of preserving natural beauty should be immedi- 

 ately placed on educational programs to insure immediate results. 

 Litter, trash, garbage, willful and malicious destruction and deface- 

 ment of publicly owned and privately owned property are areas 

 where natural beauty can be restored almost immediately. Let's 

 all of us stop looking for scapegoats and roll up our sleeves and go 

 to work. We are all responsible and we are all culpable. If we 

 rebuild and preserve all the areas that have been mentioned in 

 the hearings yesterday and this morning, it is going to cost huge 

 sums of money, but it will be of no avail, unless you and I decide 



