See Also : SMA (SMC), U1-3-582 (1509-1510).

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.  

Letter from the 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 neightborhood 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 entirely 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 applicatns 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 Orient 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.