Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 June 1917 — DOES AWAY WITH SIGNBOARDS [ARTICLE]

DOES AWAY WITH SIGNBOARDS

Illinois Highway Commission Orders Removal of Unsightly A d vertiaing - Along State-Aid Roads. In the belief that ungainly and unsightly signs of an advertising nature along public highways mar the ■beauty of the road itself and of the contiguous landscape, Tthe—Hiinois ißghway commission has directed that all such advertising signs be removed from along all state-aid roads. The order came in a letter directed from Chief State High way Engineer W. W. Marr for the commission to all a<R vertisers. Other communications sought the co-operation of county highway superintendents and through them -to township officials as well, to the end that the antislgn campaign may be carried to a beneficial conclusion. The state highway commission desires first of all, of course, to conserve the interests of the state-aid roads. The placing of signs has become such a universal practice that it has come to amount to nothing less than a nuisance, in the opinion of the commission. Moreover, the commission believes such staring objects as the majority of signboards of today do not really advertise; that, in many stances, they repel instead of attract the favor of travelers. The' order is expected to help bring Illinois’ chain of state-aid roads up to the top notch of taste and natural beauty.