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ID891
NameOriental Advertising Agency. Advertising Hoardings. Western District (8)
TitleOriental Advertising Agency. Advertising Hoardings: Yates/Weihaiwei & Jessfield/Yu Yuen
Year1922
AuthorOriental Advertising Agency; Shanghai Municipal Council (Public Works Department)
CollectionShanghai Municipal Archives (SMA)
Sub collectionShanghai Municipal Council (SMC)
Reference NumberU1-14-3258 (2457-2486) 
Repository typeArchive
Description

Letter from the Oriental Press to the Public Works Department. Shanghai, October 25, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2458)

We are sending you herewith two applications for permit to erect advertising billboards at two spaces, namely at Weihaiwei Road facing Yates Road and at Jessfield Road corner of Yu Yuen Road. The attached sketch will show the kind of structure we propose to erect. 

In Weihaiwei Road, we propose to erect the billboards instead of the ugly-looking fence that is there at present. 

Letter from Commissioner of Public Works to Oriental Press. Shanghai, October 26, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2459)

With reference to your letter of the 25th instant, in which you apply for a permit to erect advertising hoardings fronting Weihaiwei and Jessfield Roads, I shall be obliged if you will kindly let me have a rough sketch showing the exact position in which it is proposed to erect the hoardings.  

Letter from the Oriental Press to Commissioner of Public Works. Shanghai, October 27, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2460)
 
Referring to your favour of October 26th, please find enclosed herewith two rough sketches showing the exact position in which it is proposed to erect the hoardings. 

Report by Commissioner of Public Works to Secretary & Commissioner General. "Proposed advertising hoardings - Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads; North of Cad. Lot 2610, Yates and Weihaiwei Roads, East of Cadastral Lot 2303 - Letters from the Oriental Press dated 25th & 27th Oct, 1922". Shanghai, November 2, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2461)

"Proposed advertising hoardings - Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads; North of Cad. Lot 2610, Yates and Weihaiwei Roads, East of Cadastral Lot 2303 - Letters from the Oriental Press dated 25th & 27th Oct, 1922". Messrs. the Oriental Press have applied for permits to erect advertising hoardings in the above positions.

As the corner of Yates and Weihaiwei Roads is now no longer residential district, and permits have already been issued for similar hoardings adjoining the Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads's site, I recommend that the permits be issued on the usual terms with a prevision that the entire structures be removed without compensation upon receipt of one month's notice from the Council, as both the proposed sites are on land scheduled for road widening.  

Extract from Municipal Gazette dated November 30th, 1922 - Council Meeting Nov 22nd, 1922. Shanghai, November 22, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2464) 

Advertising Hoardings. Applications which have previously been circulated to members are submitted for permission to erect advertising hoardings at the corners of Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads, and Yates and Weihaiwei Roads.

Dealing with the second application first, members record their approval to the issue of the necessary permit.

Dealing next with the first application, members expressed themselves strongly in favour of restricting advertising of this character in places which are situated in a residential district or, as in this case, at the junction of a road which is in proximity to and is the main road of access to such a district. Accordingly the applicants will be informed that in this particular instance their application cannot be sanctioned. 

Letter from Platt & Company - on behalf of their client Mr. HP Wilkinson-  to Secretary & Commissioner General. Shanghai, December 1, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2465) 
 

We are instructed by our clients, Mr. M.P. Wilkinson, to address you on the subject of a publication in the Gazette of November 30 under the heading "Advertising Hoardings". Our client, as a Ratepayer and owner of land in the vicinity of Yates and Weihaiwei Roads, would be glad to know at exactly what point or points at the corner of these roads it is proposed that hoardings should be erected. We are further instructed to point out that the corner of these two roads is still a residential district and the junction is one of two roads which contain many foreign residences and each of which is a road of access to many other residences. 

Similar facts in the case of the Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads are expressly stated in the publication as the ground for refusal of a permit for hoardings in those roads, and our client hopes that on reconsideration of the matter, the Council will conclude that a permit should be refused in the case of the two roads first mentioned. 

We are also instructed to ask for an early reply. 

Memo by Assistant Secretary to Commissioner of Revenue - "Advertising Hoardings - Jessfield & Yuyuen Roads, Yates & Weihaiwei Roads". Shanghai, December 7, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2467) 

In dealing with the enclosed copy application from the Oriental Press, the Council has approved the erection of an advertising hoarding at the corner of Yates and Weihaiwei Roads (as shown on rough sketch), but has refused the application as regards Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads. To enable a reply to be addressed to the applicants, will you please inform me what annual rate per square foot you would recommend should be charged. 

Report by Commissioner of Public Works to Secretary General - "Advertising Hoardings - Yates & Weihaiwei Roads - East of Cadatral Lot 2303 - Letter from Messrs. Platt Company dated December 1, 1922".  Shanghai, December 8, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2469) 

Although the Yates and Weihaiwei Roads lead and pass through a residential district, the hoarding in the position proposed will not be in sight of any foreign occupied house, and as the applicants for the permit are prepared to construct a hoarding of superior design, I do not consider that it will be detrimental to the locality. The site of the proposed hoarding is shown on the plan which accompanied my report of the 22nd ultimo on this subject. 

Letter to Oriental Press from Assistant Secretary. Shanghai, December 30, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2472)

With reference to your application for permission to erect an advertisement hoarding in Weihaiwei Road, on the South West corner of the Junction between this road and Yates Road, I am directed to inform you that the Council approves your application in this respect, but is not prepared to sanction your request to erect a hoarding at the corner of Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads, as in the latter case the Council considers that such a structure would be detrimental to the neighborhood, which is entirely residential.

As to the hoarding in Weihaiwei Road, the Council, after dure consideration, has fixed the rate payable thereon at Tls. 2 per sq. Ft. Per annum.  

Letter to Messrs. Platt & Co. from Assistant Secretary. Shanghai, December 30, 1922. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2473) 

I am directed to refer to your letter of December 1, relative to the erection of an advertisement hoarding in Weihaiwei Road, and in reply thereto to state for your information, that the proposed site is situated on the South West corner of the Junction of Weihaiwei and Yates Road and, the Council is informed, would not be in view of any foreign residence. The Council has given consideration to your suggestion that a permit for the erection of the hoarding should be refused, but regrets that it is unable to accede thereto, as in its opinion the hoarding will not be detrimental to the locality

Letter from Oriental Press to S.M.C. Secretary. Shanghai, January 6, 1923. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2474-2475)

We are in receipt of your communication of December 30th, 1922, No. 1641 and are glad to note that we are authorised to erect an Art Billboard structure in Weihaiwei Road on the South west corner of the junction between this road and Yates Road. We also note that the rate payable thereon has been fixed at Tls. 2.00 per sq.ft. per annum. 

We would state in reply that owing to the tax being 2, 000% higher that the usual tax paid on other locations, we shall sustain considerable losses, however, we are ready to bear it because we are convinced that our structure will undoubtedly improve this place by covering the black fence and the old chinese house which have no decorative value. We shall in this ways be able to show that the new Art advertising billboards which it is our aim to introduce in Shanghai are in no way a public nuisance or an eye-sore. 

It is our amibition to improve as much as possible outdoor advertising at this Settlement and we have therefore decided to pay the tax demanded in this instance and hope that this time we shall be able to prove to you that billboard can very well serve to beautify surroundings. If we can convince you of this, we hope that you will in this instance (p.2/2) reconsider the prohibitive taxation imposed.  

***

Oriental Press' Application for Permit - to erect advertising signs in front of land in the Yu Yuen Road corner Jessfield Road - Opposite Bubbling Well Station - for a period of 30 days. Shanghai, June 15, 1923. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2477).

Please grant permission to erecting advertising signs for the purpose of advertising in front of land … in the Yu Yuen Road or Jessfield Road in the Western District for a period of thirty (30) days and I/we hereby undertake to comply with the following and such other conditions as may be contained in the permit granted by the Council.  

Oriental Advertising Agency. Shanghai, June 15, 1923. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2478).

We beg to request herewith your authority to erect for a period of one year a single deck art billboard station on the vacant lot situated at the corner of Yuyuen and Jessfield Roads facing Bubbling Well Police Station. 

It is proposed to erect a station similar in appearane to the one erected at the corner of Muirhead and Yangtzepoo Roads, a design of which is herewith attached, the only difference being that only one row of boards would be erected. 

We would also appreciate your informing us of the tax per square foot of board exhibited which the Municipal Council would decide to impose fo the use of the location in question. 

In conclusion we would assure you that every effort would be applied to produce a station which would in every way conform to the high standards of workmanship which we may have set to ourselves. 

Letter from Commissioner of Public Works to Oriental Advertising Agency. Shanghai, June 28, 1923. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2480). 

With reference to your application for permission to erect an advertisement hoarding on the above unregistered land, I beg to refer you to the Council's letter, on this location, dated 30th December, 1922. I have nothing further to add to this decision. 

Letter from the Oriental Advertising Agency to Secretary.  Shanghai, December 7, 1923. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2483).

We refer to your letter No. 1641 dated the 30th of December, 1922 from which we take the following passage : "but is not prepared to sanction your request to erect a hoarding at the corner of Jessfield and Yu Yuen Roads, as… "The Council considers that such a structure would be detrimental to the neighborhood which is entirely residential. We agreed and sumbitted at once to this decision of the Municipal Council - in fact, we respected this decision, which seemed to us to be final, even in so far that we did not approach you any further on the subject. 

Now we learn however that a permit has been issued to a competitor of ours to erect a hoarding on the same place where permission had been refused to us less than on year ago. 

The condition of the neighborhood has not changed since the date of our application, it is still entierly residential. There must be therefore some other reason why permission has been refused us and we would be very much obliged if you would kindly inform us of same, if existing. We may say that a treatment on less favoured lines from the one meted out by the Municipal council to our competitors would put us in a unfavourable position as far as competition in our business is concerned, and we hope that there is no reason for same. 

A reply at your convenience to the above would greatly oblige us.  

Report by Commissioner of Public Works to Acting Secretary - "Advertising Hoardings - Letter from the Oriental Press dated December 7th, 1923". Shanghai, January 9, 1924. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2484).

In 1922 an application was received to erect an advertising hoarding at the corner of Jessfied Road an Yuyuen Road opposite the Bubbling Well Police Station. This was disapproved by the Council, vide Municipal Gazette 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 ws 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 fees.  

Copy of Minute of Works Committee Meeting - Advertising Hoardings - Held on Tuesday, the January 15, 1924. Shanghai, January 15, 1924. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2485)

Advertising Hoardings. The Commissioner of Public Works reports that through a misunderstanding, a permit has been issued to erect and advertising hoarding at the corner of Jessfield Road and Yuyuen Road opposite the Bubbling Well Police Station, although an applciation from the Oriental Press was refused in 1922 for the same privilege. The latter now inquire why a permit has been issued to a rival firm, after their application had been refused. After short discussion, members directed that a letter be addressed to the Oriental Press expressing regret that the permit was issued inadvertedly. 

Letter from Acting Secretary to Oriental Press. Shanghai, January 24, 1924. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3258 (2486).  

I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 7, 1923, relative to the permission granted to one of your competitors to erect and advertising hoardin at the corner of Jessfield and Yuyuen Roads; a similar application as submitted by yourselves, having been disapproved in December 1922. In reply thereto, I am directed to state that the permission in question was granted through a misunderstanding on the part of a Departmental Official, for which I have to express the Council's regret. I am also directed to assure you that it was not the Council's intention fo accord preferential treatment to the competitor referred to in your letter under reply.  

Comment

The company insists on the fact that the billboard will be of superior artistic design and that it will not be detrimental to the residential neighborhood (it will not be in view of any foreign residences) and that it will even improve the appearence of the vicinity (hiding an old Chinese house and a black fence with no decorative value). 

For a competing version of the story (Outdoor Publicity Company), see : https://madspace.org/Archives/?ID=887

Keywordsaesthetics ; artistic ; hoarding ; International Settlement ; Western district ; Public Works ; competition ; mistake ; residential ; taxation ; landscape ;
URLhttp://madspace.org/Archives/?ID=887
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