Outdoor Publicity Company - Application for permission to erect a signboard corner Yuyuen and Jessfied Roads - refused. 1924. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-6880 (0382-0386). 

Outdoor Publicity Company to Commissioner of Public Works, Shanghai, January 4, 1924. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-6880 (0383-0384).

We beg to refer to the interview our Mr. Crawshaw had with you concerning the erection of painted advertising boards on the vacant lot bordered by the Yuyuen and Jessfield Roads.

Our original intention was to erect the boards in line with the pavement and on application we received from the Public Works Department Permit No. 9635A authorising us to carry out the work, the stipulation being that the boards were not to project over the Municipal Roadway.

Shortly after the said Permit was obtained and the work commenced we were told to stop our work on account of some misunderstanding in granting the permit and we understand that the reason was our erecting the boards in line with the pavement.

When we obtained the permit we immedialy made a contract with the owners of that vacant lot paid the rent for one year in advance and proceeded to prepare boards of a special size intended for that location only. In addition, we made arrangements with contractors to execute the work and ordered lumber for the construction of hoardings. The loss of this location as well as the failure to execute the advertising contracts which we have made with some of the firms will cause us a loss of $4,700.00, to say nothing of the loss of goodwill which forms one of the most valuable assets of an Advertising Agency.

Taking it that your Department objected to the hoardings being erected in line with the pavement we have now obtained the permission of the owners of that lot to move the hoardings 25 feet further in the lot and the boards would now be erected as per sketch attached. It is our intention to erect there only Art boards of the best workmanship and furthermore we want to arrange there a small garden with seats for the public. We hope that in view of the above the Council will reconsider this matter and grant us a permission to erect the boards as proposed on our sketch and also taking into consideration that a failure to obtain the permission would cause us such losses which would be a heavy blow to a young firm as ours is.

Thanking your in anticipation of a favourable decision, we beg to remain ...

Commissioner of Public Works to Acting Secretary, Shanghai, January 9, 1924. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-6880 (0385).

In 1922 an application was received to erect an advertising hoarding at the orner of Jessfield Road and Yuyuen Road opposite the Bubbling Well Police Station.

This was disapproved by the Council, vide Municipal Gazette dated November 22, 1922.

An application was recently received from the Outdoor Publicity Company to erect a hoarding at the same place and through a misunderstanding a permit was issued. As soon as the mistake was discovered the matter was taken up with the applicants and it was found that they had committed themselves to a lease of the land and to several advertising contracts and under the circumstances it would be a hardship to prohibit the erection of the hoardings.

The applicants have been prevailed upon to set the hoarding back 25 feet from the road line in the middle and 15 feet at the ends and as the hoarding will be of an artistic design, I recommend that under the circumstances its erection be permitted upon payment of the usual fee.