The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-03
MONEY IS WAITING
 FOR CLAIMANT IS
Georgia Has S50OO In Treas
 ury For War Veterans
TREASURER WANTS 10 PAY
Interstate Commerce Commission Must Decide Whether a Georgia Rail- road Conductor Can Compete
 With Coal Dealers.

Atlanta. May 2.-(Special )-There is ap- proXimately 5000 in the state treasury awaiting claimants. It belongs to soldiers who enlisted from Georgia in the Spanish American war. and is extra pay whcf was allotted to them about seven years after they were mustered out of the ser 1 vice.
 About four years ago Governor Terrell succeeded in getting the war department 1 to pay additional compensation to the Georgia officers and troops who enlisted for the war with Spain. this extra pay be- l ing for the time which eslapsed between their reporting at camp and their actual muster into the service.
 The total amount so paid was in the neighborhood of s9O,e0O. All but balance of Q little more than s50OO has been dis l tributed, and this balance is awaiting the claimants who have not yet received their share
 All the claimant has to do Is to send to the adiutant general sufficient proof of the fact that he was enlisted in the ser vice and is the man to whom the money belongs. and it will be paid.
 One reason why so much of the fund re- mains in the treasury is that in most of the cases in which payment has not yet been made the amounts due are very small, ranging from 42 cents in some cases up to several dollars. Some of the men evidently think it not worth bother ing about
 Every now and then one of the Geor- gla soldiers is heard from. and as soon as he establishes his identity and his ser vice the money is promptly paid.
 The state treasurer would like very much to get through with paying out this money and mark 1t off his books.
 A Puzzlng Question.
 Is 1t a violation of the interstate com merCe law for a railroad conductor to en- gage in the coal business and ot go on the road as a coal dealer between runs?
 This looks like question without very much sense to it, but 1t Is question which the railroad commission of Georgia has referred to the interstate commerce cor 7',ission for an opinion.
 A number of coal dealers of Columbus, Ga, recently made complaint to the rail- road commission that a certain conductor on the Central of Georgia railway, run ming out of that city, was engaged in selling coal in competition with them, and was travelling on pass, which privilege was denied to their representatives They considered it an unjust discrimination and asked the commission to put a .op to it.
 The commission took the matter up with officials of the Central, with the result that they called in the annual pass which had been given to the conductor in question because of his long and faith ful service with the company.
 He Is still in the service of the com pany, but goes out on the road to sell coal between his runs, it is said Now, however, he has to pay his fare.
 There still remained the question, so the railroad commission considered, as to whether a railroad employe was forbid den by the interstate commerce commis- sion act to engage ia business in compe- tition with others. The railroad officials did not think there was any interstate question in it at all. but the commission nevertheless submitted it to the inter state commerce commission, from which reply has not yet been received.
 Hoke Smiths Law Business.
 Two months before the expiration of his term, Governor Smith is finding his services as a lawyer extensively in de- mand.
 The governor has received numerous letters in the last few days, it is said seeking his services in various sorts of litigation. His reply has been, generally, that he will be glad to take hold of such matters after July l. and in the mean time if they wish anything done they may consult the firm in which his son is now a member and to which he will re- turn when he leaves the governors office.
 The office suite of the governors law firm has been recently enlarged, prepar- atory to this return to it. And he will jump right from the executive office into the courthouse, as it were.
 But 1t is not Governor Smiths purpose to make himself a slave to this practice He intends to devote portion of his time to his library and another portion to his farm, in both of which he finds abundant enjoyment.
 It Is known that Governor Smith had an offer from a western lyceum bureau for l an eight weeks series of lectures in the west. and at a handsome figure, but the idea of stepping right out of the gov ernor's office onto the lecture platform, 1t is said. did not appeal strongly to him. The governors friends state, however, that it is his purpose in the near future, 1 probably next year, to make a western | lecture tour. for which, it is said, the | opportunity has been offered him, and 1 1t is not unlikely that at that time he will accept.
 For the present. however, following the | conclusion of his term, he will devote | himself to his law office, his library and his farm.
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