Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-06-06

holders will have a double check
against loss from defalcation and
forgery.
Some. Specimen Cases.
Here are some of the cases which
moved the comptroller OF the currency
to act:
George W. Coleman, bookkeeper Of
the National City bank of Cambridge.
Mass, kept a small personal account
on the individual ledger. He would
kite" his own checks through a Bos-
ton curb broker and abstract them
from the mail as they came back from
the clearing house. as the cashier
never saw the contents of the clearing
house letters and simply posted the
totals of the letters on the cash book.
The general ledger and the general
cash book were kept by the cashier.
In order to make the total amount Of
deposits in the individual ledger agree
with the amount shown by the gen
eral ledger. Coleman resorted to false
debit entries (plugs) and the reduc-
ton of balances when carrying for
ward accounts. Within five years
| Coleman looted the bank of more than
$500, 900 and he is, serving a long
term in the state prison. The direc'
tors noticed the reduction of the de
posits In the bank, but attributed 1t to
competition. The defalcation was not
discovered until the books were ex
amined by the auditors Of the Harvard
Trust company, to which concern the
directors had agreed to sell out.
Henry M. bearing, cashier Of the AL
i bion National bank of Albion, Mich.
is serving a term in prison. A search
of the cashiers desk, after the closing
of the bank, disclosed leaves removed
from the loose leaf individual and saw
ings depositors' ledgers carrying cred
1t balances aggregating $185.317.41
which of course represented a short
age In each of an equal amount. This
method of covering" had been in
vogue since the bank began business
The cashier stated to the examiner
that he found no difficulty at all In
deceiving the directors. The bills re
ceivable were added by him on an add
ing machine; the list was checked
with the notes of the directors, but al
no time, the cashier stated, did the
directors check the total Of the add
ing machine list with the genera.
ledger. The assistant cashier stated
that practically all Of the manufactur
ing customers notes owned by the
bank were %forgeries.
insect Quarantine Bill.
Representative Simmons of New
York on behalf Of ths committee
on agriculture has reported favor
ably a bill to enable the secre
tary of agriculture to establish quar-
antine districts for plant diseases and
insect pests and to regulate the i'm
portation Of nursery stock and othel
plant products. MI. Simmons says
that under our present laws the Unit
ed States has become a dumping
ground for diseased and insect infest
ed plants.
If the Simmons bill, is passed the
United States will be able to retaliatt
upon Austria-H Hungary, France, Ger
many, Holland, Switzerland and Tur
key, all of which countries absolutely
prohibit the entry from the United
States Of all nursery stock and ad
NIT fruit only when the most rigid ex
animation shows freedom from in
festation.
1t Is said that If the Simmons bill
had been made a law some years agt
the historic elms of Cambridge, Mass.
might still be standing, including the
great elm. which is still standing but
is almost dead, under which George
Washington took command of the Con
~tinental army of the Revolution. Il
was the embark beetle which was
the chief agent in the destruction o.
the Washington elm and the othel
elms of Massachusetts. This beetle
slipped in from Europe ,unchallenget
and unmolested. There was no quar-
antine to keep the pest out and as {
result splendid old trees are now be
ing chopped down to be used for fire
wood.
Pests Come From Europe.
The authorities In the department
Of agriculture have figured it up al
very carefully, and have come to The
conclusion that more than half Of thu
important insect pests Of fruits ant
farm crops are of foreign origin, ant
that they now occasion a tax of nearl,
half a billion dollars annually. 1t ha!
been reckoned, for example, that tn,
San Jose scale, introduced into THU
country from north China, and subse
quently carried into every state in thu
Union, has already cost the orchard
lists $50, 900, 900, and is adding to Thu
sum at the rate Of $4,000 900 a year
this annual charge coming from thu
expense of spraying operations ant
from the shrinkage In quantity ant
value Of the first yield. Another re
Gently introduced foreign insect pes
is the alfalfa leaf weevil, whose raw
ages in the great alfalfa regions o
Utah are SO we'll known.
No quarantine law, however good
can now repair the damage to prop
erty which these, pests have wrought
but the future can be s~afe-guarded
and the Simmons bill, It is believed
will go a long way toward accomplish