Cities are taking a lesson from the dental profession which knows that patients don't mind pain so much when they know (1) they are being hurt for good reason and (2) how long the pain will last.

According to the American Public Works Association, more and more cities are making an effort to tell their residents why they are being inconvenienced by any construction project and how long it will be before the project is finished.

In Cincinnati, O., for example, where a major thoroughfare was torn up along one side, forcing motorists to use a narrow lane, a sign informed them that the work was being done to give citizens a better water supply.

Winnetka, Ill., prepares mimeographed notices describing the work under way and distributes them by messenger to each family or business in the affected area.

Vancouver, B. C., sends two men to interview all businessmen along a street where work is planned. The interviewers try to find out how construction can be arranged to lessen the inconvenience to the merchants.

Burbank, Calif., puts an announcement in the envelope containing the water and electric bills. The announcement tells about projects planned for construction.

New Orleans, La., has adopted a system that minimizes the chances of payroll fraud and at the same time furnishes an identification card for employees.

According to the Municipal Finance Officers Association, the city has a new two-part form which an employee fills out his first day on the job. He puts his signature on both sides of the perforated card, which is then torn apart. He keeps one side, which serves as his employee identification card. The other side goes to the payroll department for a signature record.

The payroll department periodically matches signatures on cancelled pay checks with the signatures on the cards to make sure that the two are alike. Any check endorsements that do not jibe with the signatures on file are investigated.

Cities with central payroll offices have found the need for safeguards when there is a large number of city employees and the pay is by check through a central office.

New Orleans officials told the association that they find the system of periodic matching of signatures a good way to lessen the possibility of fraud.

Big cities led the way about 30 years ago in passing zoning laws that, for instance, protect a family living in an area zoned as residential against the possibility that some day the lot next door might become the site for a glue factory.

But now, says the American Society of Planning Officials, comprehensive zoning revision has become "a formidable and discouraging task" for such cities because of pressure from special interests and because of "sheer geographic size and diversity."

Since World War II, large-sized American cities that have succeeded in bringing their zoning laws up to date include Atlanta, Ga.; Buffalo, N. Y.; New Orleans, La.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Toronto, Ont.; and Denver, Colo.

Denver's ordinance, which was adopted last winter, had been in the process for eight years, despite the fact that it was developed under a municipal administration that was sympathetic to zoning revision.

This fall, a full-scale revision of Chicago's zoning ordinance was presented to city council and is still under consideration. A new zoning ordinance was prepared six years ago for New York city and remains in the proposal stage.

A new device that looks like a parking meter makes it possible for the parking violator to pay his fine without appearing in court or using the mails.

The manufacturers told the American Public Works Association that their product allows for curbside fine-paying, thus saving some of the space and time taken up by courtrooms and collection offices for motorists who park in the wrong places or over-stay their time limits.

This is how it works: The parking ticket put under the windshield wiper is designed to fit into a slot in the collecting machine. The motorist inserts the ticket halfway and put in the amount of his fine—in coins. He then pulls a lever, and the machine cuts off and retains one half of the ticket. The other half is stamped "paid" and is the motorist's receipt. Both ends of the ticket bear the same serial number.

Two things the machine can't do: deliver a lecture on the need for observing parking regulations and accept a plea of not guilty.