The Pulaskian., 1915-03-26
ACT NO. 3 AND PULASKI HEIGHTS


 Last week The Fuiaskian published the financial report of the City of Put laski Heights, showing all receipts and the sources from which they were derived, as well as all expenditures, in itemized order. This publication is called for by the new publicity law. It gives to the taxpayer the information as to how his tax money is spent. The books of the city are always open, but their contents are not as easily re- ferred to as is plain, concise pub lished statement, showing where the city's money came from and where it went to, such as was made by Re- corder Edwards in his review of the eity's finances for the past six months.
 A copy of this paper containing the financial statement was placed in every home in the incorporated city of Pulaski Heights, and doubtless hum dreds of citizens, who never before had given the matter of the city's finances a moments thought, scanned the long column of figures and weigh ed in their minds the wisdom of each end every expenditure. How well they are satisfied with the administration of their funds will be voiced in their comment upon the report That the city got along very nicely for six months at an expense only a little in excess of $3,000, (about $500 a month) and that it had a $2,500 balance on the first of the year out of only S5,- 511 collected, looks to casual ob server as being evidence of pretty good business Judgment on the part of the city managers. There is one thing certain, the public knows the financial condition of the municipality, and for this knowledge it may thank the pub licity law.
 Enemies of this publicity law-the men who would keep secret all of the governments financial dealing, in county and state, as well as city sought by every means available to destroy the publicity law at the last session of the Arkansas legislature The law had been put on the statute book by the invocation of the initia- tive and referendum, the voters in the last election expressing themselves by a large majority as being in favor of publicity in all matters affecting pub lie finances. It was sought to repeal the law When this failed it's enemies tried to defeat it's purpose by intro ducing disabling amendments. In their last efforts they finally succeed ed in passing law requiring that a statement giving the cost of each pub lication should be published at the head of each statement "in type twice the size of that in which the text ap pears the object being to make un- popular the publicity bacuse of the expense.
 Such a statement is made only twice a year, and the cost in this instance, including the cost of the space occu- pied by the double-sized and useless lines added by the legislature, was not as much as would have been the post age should the statements have been mailed to the taxpayers privately, to say nothing of the cost of printing the statement, which would have been necessary in any event.
 Publicity is like sunshine. It is good anywhere The people of Pulaski Heights have higher regard for their public officers now that they know how well they have managed the cor porations affairs and handled the puh- lies money. The publicity law is all right.