Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1913-12-26
PAYS BUCKEYE
STATE $4,000
Commercial National Bank of
Columbus Settles.
SAVES EXPENSE OF LAWSUIT
Sum Is the Interest on Public Funds
Deposited Contrary to the
Law by Former Treas
urers of Ohio.

Law by Former Treas
urers of Ohio.
D. A. DONOVAN,
Special Columbus Correspondent.
Columbus, Ohio.
"HE Commercial National bank
of Columbus has agreed to
make settlement to the state in
the sum of $4,000 as interest
on public funds deposited contrary to
law by former state treasurers.
This is the largest sum thus far
paid by any bank against which the
state has made claim for interest on
funds alleged to have been used ille-
gally. The claim against the bank
was made by Attorney General Hogan,
who Immediately after he entered upon
the duties of his Office began a cam
paign to force banks which used public
funds on which no interest had been
paid the state, to reimburse the state
The Commercial bank settled rather
than submit to lawsuit. It will pay
$4,000 in cash, and the remaining
$4,000 in quarterly installments. One
year will be taken in which to wipe
out the claim. Because of the banks
willingness to settle without a suit,
thus avoiding extra expense to the
state, the rate of interest was fixed at
3 per cent. In the case of the defunct
Columbus Savings & Trust Co., which
resisted the states claim for interest,
the state exacted Az per cent interest,
which was allowed by the court. The
Commercial National bank claimed
that it was not under any obligation
to pay for the use of the moneys
which were deposited with it by
former state treasurers, setting forth
that for many years it was one of the
principal agencies through which
checks, drafts and orders were col
lected for the state. The banks at
torney made this statement about the
settlement: ITO avoid the risk of the
states claim being sustained as tech
nically sound and to save the expense
and annoyance of protracted litigation,
the bank has agreed to pay the sum
Of $4,000"
Gives Miners the Decision.
Fifty thousand organized coal min
ers of Ohio are given the decision over
their employers, the coal operators, by
the state mining commission, which
has filed its report with Gov. Cox.
Despite the vigorous claims of the op-
orators that change in the present
screen basis Of paying miners will
result in disaster to the mining in
dustry in this state, the commission
recommends the enactment of a law
requiring payment on the run of the
mine" basis. The commission also
makes several recommendation for
legislation to reduce the increasing
number of mine accidents and to con-
serve the mining resources of the
state. Gov. Cox will ask the general
assembly to enact measures in line
with the commissions recommends
tions at the special session he will
convene on JAN, 19. Several operators
say that because OF the increased cost
of coal mining resulting from the pro.
posed change in wage basis and the
wiping out of the present narrow
margin of profit. they will be forced
out of business. Should the assembly
enact the proposed legislation, the op
orators will demand big reductions in
the wage scale to meet losses they say
| will result from the run of the mine
system.
Precipitates Hard Fight.
Figuring the physical value of the
small electric light plant in Bucyrus
has precipitated the hardest fight 81
the year before the Ohio utilities com
mission and has brought into the
controversy representatives of the
largest public utilities in the state
The hearing started Tuesday. The
fight appears to be over the exaci
methods of making physical valua
tions. Inasmuch as this is the first
public utilities commission, and thai
the value of the Bucyrus plant will be
the base for computing rates for serv
ice, the question has assumed large
Importance to owners of utilities anG
to municipalities.
|
Hog Cholera Expert to Quit Job.
Paul Fischer, for the past IL year,
head of the state veterinary depart
ment and foremost hog cholera expert
in the United States, will resign hi:
position and take employment will
the Hungarian government.
1 IL IL
that government to establish serum
producing plant at Reynoldsburg
near Columbus, for the manufacture
Of serum for use in Hungary, which is
the largest swine producing country
in the world.
| s~ses~~o-~.-.-.~~~~-~s-~~~
Favors Barge Canal.
A federal and state survey of Ohio
for the purpose of determining if &
barge canal across the state is feast
BILE and might be developed as ar
extension of the Erie canal system
through New York, connecting ths
lakes, the Ohio and the Mississippi
rivers, is the principal recommenda
ton contained in the report Of the
Ohio canal commission, just com
| pleted here. With this is the recon
mendation that the state assume al
once control of all Ohio waterways
natural and artificial,
Public Would Pay Freight.
Should the Ohio public utilities com
mission compel better wages for gir
telephone operators within this state
would the telephone companies com