Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-01-02

instances wherein taxpayers have
been feeced. The fleeing consists in
the employment by regular county Off
ciais of delinquent tax collectors, who
take as their compensation from 25 to
40 per cent of all the axes they col
lect. Thus, instead of being paid into
the public treasury where they were
intended to go, these percentages of
taxes go into the pockets of private
officials, in spite of the fact that the
regular officials are fully clothed with
authority in law to make collections
of delinquent taxes themselves. The
facts are in most cases that the delin-
quent tax collectors do very little ex-
cept write letters to the taxpayers
who are delinquent. A large per cent
of the delinquents readily pay, and
the collector pockets his large share
without having been put to any pains
excepting the dictation of circulars.
Members of the state tax commission
regard this practice as an imposition
on the general taxpayers and a bur-
den on the public at large. The whole
subject has been discussed at confer
ences of state tax officials with Gov.
asked to lend his aid in determining
just how far the fraud has perme-
ated the county taxing systems of
the state. 1t is estimated roughly
from figures now at hand that during
the last few years in Ohio millions of
dollars have been paid delinquent tax
collectors that ought to have gone
into the public treasury, and that
would have gone there had regularly
elected public officials performed their
sworn duties. 1t will be necessary,
probably, to make various changes in
the laws in order that the old prac-
| tees of employing delinquent tax col
lectors may be changed. The situa-
ton is so serious that it is suspected
that many instances have occurred
wherein elected officials have made
money out of their own delinquency.
The suspicion is, in other words, that
the elected officials purposely allowed
| taxpayers to become delinquent and
then employed collectors, with whom
IuOy oAdl Gu JuCs SpOllS.
ignorant Of Laws Provisions.
State officials are finding that hum
! dreds of employers throughout the
state are ignorant of the provisions of
the new workmen's compensation act
that goes into effect with the new
year, and that a big campaign of en-.
lightenment will have to be pursued
Much of the misapprehension is due
to the belief that only the owners OF
workshops and factories have to in
sure their employees. The facts are
that the new law throws mantle oi
protection over nearly every man and
woman in the state that works fol
wages or salary. The people who
work in Offices are just as much in
cluded as those who do actual manual
labor 1t is roughly estimated here
that fully 80 per cent of all the EN-
ployes in the state will be affected by
the new state scheme of industrial
!. insurance. The law says that ever.
employe of five or more persons mus
protect those employees against acci
dent. With the employers of less thai
five the question of protection is op
tional. Under the present law tn,
question is optional with all employ
ers. Practically the only class of EN-
ployes that are not included in tn,
new state scheme of insurance con
sists of railroad men. Because of tn,
fact that they are nearly all engaged
in interstate commerce it is held i'm
possible for them to lie included un
der the protection of state laws.
Find Increased Public Approval.
The Ohio Good Roads federation
officers say they are finding an in
creased public approval of the nev
system of market and intercount,
roads that already has been begun
The system comprises the improve
ment of little more than 5000 mile
of highways throughout the state.
is the present plan to complete thi
entire work within 10 years and to ac
complish at least 1000 miles of i'm
provement within the next year. TIL
federation people argue that when tn
whole work is finally complete Oni
will take( her place at the top of tn
list of states in the matter of i'm
: proved highways. Under the act @
the general assembly of last winte
, the sum of s3,500,O00 will be availabl
for road building during the year 1911
alone.
Professor Makes Charges.
Twenty-Five per cent of the workin
girls in Ohio cities are not getting
living wage, according to Prof. M. H
Hammond of the state industrial com
mission. Statistics of the department
} show their wage to be less than Sc
| week.
New Social Center.
A new social center bill prepare,
by Senator Carl Friebolin of Cleve
land, which will be introduced in tn
legislature as part of the ad
ministration school survey pre-