Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-08-08

Collector Russell and does rot object to his receiving large salary. if the city receives benefit in comparison io the commissions received by him. We would be glad to see the city collector earn 5000 annually if the treasury of the city was likewist benefited. But what the Graphic is objecting
 to is the fact that the aldermen cannot
 see that they have made serious mis-
 take in providing a commission for
 Citv Collector Russell for collecting
 police department receipts, which eX
 nense is absolutely unnecessary. Al
 derman Fred Fox chairman of the l finance committee of the council, in
 statement yesterday, says that the
 cash collections for the past thrae
 months in the police department amount to s792S3 per month, and that
 the commission for collecting same, based on the per cent compensation provided for City Collector Russell un- der the new ordinance, would amount to $23.7S per month. If the receipts of the police department average $792 S3 per month the city will be pay ing in commissions for collecting it about $500 annually. But the receipts for the past three months have beer smaller than for some months previ- ous and the cash receipts of the de- parment will easily average $1000 per month throughout the year.
 The Graphic contends that the coun- cil is wasting the money paid the city collector, when it could just as we'll let the chief of police or police judge, who have always collected the fines and forfeitures without extra pay for their work, continue to do so There is absolutely no work to the duties transferred from the police officials to the city collector.
 The money that is being paid put unnecessarily is a waste of funds that rightfully ought to go to aid in nlak- ing needed public improvements, such as better lighted streets and imp,ov- ing sanitary conditions. The careless ness of the council in providing :hese apparently insignificant commissions is responsible for the inability of the city employees to sell their scrip for more than S5 cents. The total indebt- edness of the city is about $S5 ,000. In- stead of increasing it's expenses where increases are not essential the coun- cil would do better by their constitu- ents if it made use of its revenues in bettering the condition of it's streets and alleys, giving property owners more light and better sanitation; im- proving and enlarging the police de partment adding to it's small street department and doing other things that would add materially to the de velopment and progress of this mH- There are a thousand was i the money can be spent where t would improve the general conditions that exist in this city The money should not be wasted
 The council made it appear as if it wanted change in the police !e- partment before the duties of collect ing the police receipts should be re- I turned to that department. Chief of Police Stanley has been installed and he ought to be given the duties of col leetin@ the fines and forfeitures, as heretofore The city can in this wise save $500 or more annually that is now being practically thrown away.
 The Graphic is for no individual or set of men. It is for Pine Bluff and her interests and because it believes that the city needs this money and needs it badly, it merely suggests that the council repeal the recent ordinance regulating the collection of fines and forfeitures at police Headquarters. and