| Show PUBLICITY As confession is good for the soul of an individual so publicity works to the advantage of a corporation there comes to mind the case of a local mining company which since an important strike was made on its property not many months ago is refusing to give out any information regarding either plans or developments the plea is now made that the press by published statements has caused a rise in the price of stock to a point where the insiders can no longer make money ty by speculation speculation these are not the exact words used but simmered down it amounts to that and nothing more there are two sides to the matter as there are to any question if stockholders and the general public are informed of actual developments by any company the stock will go to the point justified and will remain close to the mark warranted by changing 0 conditions in the case cited if the company had given the press unbiased reports of actual developments as they occurred the stock would now be selling at about actual value in other words there would have been no undue inflation it is a regrettable fact that in the competition for news there is a tendency among some writers to guess at developments along any line if the actual facts are withheld when these statements appear in the press the public accepts them as true in the absence of any denial from the company which does not believe in publicity and in the case of mining rumors of an important strike never lose anything in the telling retelling re no matter how flimsy the foundation upon which they are it is an interesting cem commentary on the subject in hand that this company before it found its great body of ore was more than willing to accept favorable mention j from the press jn the days of its development when it was running on assess ments and with no particularly bright future in sight just the merest mention of the property was welcomed for there are 1 business me men n at the head of the corporation men who know the value of keeping a n new ew enterprise before the eyes of the public ic abines cannot be made without money very often they cannot be made n with it but whether the property be worthy or not there is nothing else that will coax assessment money from the pockets of stockholders as effectually as the knowledge that the company is not a dead issue the fhe knowledge that the name of the property often appears in print and is being talked of among men outside of this the small stockholders of any concern are entitled to full information regarding the venture it is their right to know once in awhile just what is being done and the progress that is being made and they get their information through the press the company which dodges publicity under the plea that it is an evil or un der any other plea is really covering up the facts fa from many who are vitally interested in its success or failure from many who have a perfect right to know developments and so we suggest let there be light at least enough light so that matters of public interest will not get badly garbled in the telling |
