WHAT NEXT?

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 24, 23 August 1928, Page 3

WHAT NEXT?

, to the editor i Sir, —I see that Stratford is to be further beautified by painting an adj vertisiiig sign aw the railway bridge. It Is futile for "citizens to object to u this being done, and they Will await jvitli eiigei expectancy to see what form the advertisement will take. They can be sure of one thing, however. It will be a miracle if it does not turn out to be an eyesore. Wo t live in a great age, and a great age, 1 more particularly, of advertising, and, while it is impossible to deny the utility of advtertising, sulrely there must be some limit —some point at which the public dan take a stand and. insist that bounds be set to the method and extent of advertising. The. Railway Deparhf-nt has now: managed to make its stations resem-

ble nothing on earth, by the erection of advertising signs. The] stations ar»2 .covered with these signs, and in more recent times tho Department has taken, to putting up hoardings on its property beside the railway lines. These arc far from being attractive features of the landscape, but apparently there is an insatiable demand for advertising space, and - the public can (expect}' these hoardings to increase in number as the years go by. Tho time is not far off, probably, when these hoardings will be recognised as a nuisance,, and the force of public opinion will compel the Railway Department to call a halt. In any case, it should' be borne in mind that' iu the United States there was an orgy df advertising on railway-line hoardings, resulting in the formation of an irrestible body of public opinion against them, in consequence oP which the Authorities were compelled to take steps to set limits to what might ibe done in this respect. But if it is a fact that the public must suffer in silence a s a. result of eyesores erected by tho Department i on its own property, the people of Stratford, praise goodness, have certain, rights as regards their own property. Tho Department, asks that the Borough Council should cut down , a willow tree on river-blink in orc|>r that the «ign on the railway bridge might be better observed from Broad; way. This is a cool request, if ever there was one. "Will the people of Stratford." it means in effect. ''Do good enough to destroy some of the town's natural beauty, no that our | eyesore may bo more effective] v jni dieted on the public of Stratford." I The people of Stratford can take a. i sthrid.in ■Kljis matter, and should, do so, oven if for no : other reason than to indicate to the Railway Department that they are jea!ou s of, the ap- ' pearance of th e town. 'However, there is a further good reason whv a strong stand should be made, and that i,s that citizens object to •ncri.ieinir the natural beauty of the town 'unless for some very good -reason. The ground advanced "by the Railway Department for destroying the wHW tree can surely - have very little weight with citizens. Stratford is not over-blessed with natural beauty and care should be exercised "to see that none the town has, should bei needlessly sacrificed. The willow tree in question serves To hide part of the ugliness of a rather drab-look-ing corner, and citizens would soon notice tho difference if it were removed. I liope the matten will nob be allowed to rest, but that the public, and more especially south-end residents will see that ' the Borough Council djoe's th c right, things.— [ am ete. NATURE. Stratford, August 22nd, 1.928-