Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-07-11

GOVERNOR HARMON CATCHES FISH AS WELL
AS VOTES.
were placed in single board of four,
while a single fiscal agent replaced the
nineteen stewards.
The advantage of purchasing sup
plies for all institutions in bulk and
the reduction in employees will save
the state 100000 a year. This law
makes it possible to utilize the work
of prisoners and also creates a market
for their manufactured products by
compelling all Ohio political divisions
to purchase such supplies as they
need from the penal institutions.
Employers and employees locked in
q struggle over a workingmen's COM
pensation act, and when it seemed
there would be no bill passed Gov
ernor Harmon stepped in and acted as
arbitrator. A bill was framed and
drafted that has been approved by
both employees and employers.
The compulsory provisions which
made the New York act unconstitu-
tional were not incorporated into the
Ohio act. Instead the employer could
elect either to pay into the compensa-
ton fund or not to pay. If he should
! not avail himself of the law, however,
the employee may sue for damages for
injuries, or his legal representative in
case of death may maintain the action.
And in such suits the employer is de-
prived of the common law defenses of
fellow servant rule. assumed risk and
contributory negligence,
The employee cannot resort to the
courts for damages when injured i'll
the factory of a corporation which
pays into the state compensation fuad
| except when the injury is caused by
the disregard of n law. ordinance or
order issued by an authorized public
| officer providing for the protection OF
employees or by the wilful wrong OF
an employer. his officer or agents.
The employer contributes 90 per cent
! of the compensation fuud and the en-
ployees 10 per cent Awards range
from $4,000 to &l.5GO ana are graded
on the scale of wages paid employers.
! The taxing laws ct the stat" were a
| joke when Mr.. Harmon WAS inducted
! into office and the tayraycrs had
no means To check eNtrava gauce OF
! their public officers ThrsP men decil
| ed on the amount of money they were
! going to spend IN wear ana then
made n levy 10 produce thai amount
Taxpayers could do uoInng hut pay.
The authority which denandS must
| be curbpd." said the CNpcutive in q
message to the general assembly. THAI
| body obeyed and passed the Smith Till
which limited the maximum tax raj,
| that could be levied by public Officers
in each district to per cent OF taN
duplicates. That WAS sufficient. til,
! governor held, for IN economical ad
| ministration If more money werC
needed there was incorporated in the
Smith bill a provision for Il referen
dunn vote on a higher rate.
There were a large number of taxing
| boards composed OF various state Off
GERS with jurisdiction over excise and
other corporate taxation, but different
! boards were made up of different Off
GERS so that there could he no uniform
and consistent action. Auditors In
lightweight Ohio counties had nearly
lightweight different rules of apprais-
ing property. with the result that no
one got square deal.
Governor Harmon had a bill drafted
to abolish all these boards and TO place
the entire taxing machinery Of the
common wealth in the hands of a sin
gle state commission of three mem
bers. Other new tax laws make 1t
possible to chase out of hiding millions
Of dollars of property and also strength
en- and broaden the inquisitorial poNA
ers of the state tax commission.
Ohioans expected big things from
-i--ss ~ -~t---4 a. 49, a-z.--s