274 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



By this same Town and Country Planning Act in England and 

 other northern European countries, all outdoor advertising on rural 

 routes was banned. That is why motoring is so delightful in these 

 countries. 



The Hawaiian Land Zoning that has just become law is very close 

 to greenbelt zoning in Europe. One State has done it. Other States 

 now have a precedent. Perhaps the Federal Government can tie 

 some of its grants to the provision that States protect farmland open 

 space by a new and stronger zoning with assessments and tax laws 

 to conform to it. 



MICHAEL R. FAGAN.* Under the title "Roadside Control" one 

 could easily discuss litter or billboards. The latter consumed the 

 greater amount of time on the panel discussion. The conference is 

 to be commended and will enjoy my support for its firm position in 

 this area. 



However, I should clearly like to establish my opposition to cor- 

 ridor legislation. Many counties and States have adopted regula- 

 tions which restrict property rights and freedom of land use develop- 

 ment in different forms. The figure 500 feet in the case of San 

 Bernardino County and 660 feet in the case of California have be- 

 come standards with regard to the abolition and control of billboards. 



The Federal Government's position that billboards and junk- 

 yards be similarly regulated to a point of 1,000 feet is only a further 

 indication of a complete lack of understanding of the redundance 

 and arbitrariness of our regulations. Further, it is this type of regu- 

 lation which has caused me to seriously question the over-all effect 

 of this corridor legislation. 



If it is the real purpose of natural beauty to be maintained and 

 preserved, then we must recognize that the Lord did not arbitrarily 

 terminate the beauty at 500 feet, 660 feet or 1,000 feet from the 

 traveled way. The traveler will enjoy beauty because of its presence. 

 The individual fulfillment will depend on his own tastes, but all of 

 us will acknowledge that while laws are often based on one or more 

 arbitrary conditions these indeed have created a dilemma. It has 

 been suggested that in order to comply with the 660- and 1,000-foot 

 setback, the average billboard character will have to be 8 feet in 

 height, all of which will give birth to a sign which is not less than 

 40 feet by 1 00 feet. The relationship of a series of advertising signs 

 of this dimension to the roadside and to the limitation of natural 



*This is an extension of remarks made by Mr. Pagan during the panel dis- 

 cussion. 



