The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-12-16
NEWS CULLED
IN THE CAPITAL
ACTIVITIES OF STATE DEPART.
MENTS-OTHER HAPPENINGS
No Shortage Of Christmas Trees.


agricultural department prohibiting
the shipment of such holiday stock
from the gypsy moth infected parts OF
the New England states to Ohio. N.
e. Shaw, state nursery and orchard
inspector, has been advised that Mich
igan, West Virginia and other states
will furnish this state with all the
holiday evergreen trees, laurel and
holly that will be needed at the COM
ing Christmastide. This stock is now
coming in and it will be available in
such quantities as to keep selling
prices within reason. The gypsy
moth is one of the worst foes that tree
life has. Millions of dollars worth Of
forestry has been destroyed by this
pest in the New England states. The
federal government has been helping
the infected states to try to stamp out
the pest. 1t is gradually being elimi-
rated. Ohio has had two or three out
breaks of gypsy moth, and in each in
stance the origin was traced to ship
ments of stone from New England.
orchard department was able to eradi.
cate the pest.
State Tax Duplicate $6,27o, ,313,5o5.
The state tax commission gave out
statement Saturday showing that
the state grand duplicate for 1915 will
be $6,270, ,313,505, as compared with
$6,160, ,772,67 in 1914. The increase is
wholly on the real estate side, how
ever. The personal property on the
grand duplicate actually decreased as
compared with the previous year. The
decrease on the personally side was
$26, ,221. The increase on the realty
side was 09,540,826. The commits
sion says that the decrease in the per-
sonal duplicate was due to the foot
and mouth disease, to the conversion
Of taxable property into non-taXable
securities, and to the change of tax
lien date from April to February. The
figures given for 1914 do not include
the large reductions that were made
in the valuations of the property of
John D. Rockefeller and Dan R..
Hanna. To the above given figures Of
the grand duplicate of 1915 must be
added $1,147,65S,5S0, the valuation Of
the utilities of the state, an increase
over that of the previous year Of
$33,91S,03O.
Judge Goes to Washington.
Gov. Willis will be called upon to
oDnOiDt Tho cunnoccor to Tudoo Tim
othy T. Ansberry of Defiance, who is
to retire from the court of appeals to
go to Washington, where he will be-
come the law partner of Wade H.
Ellis, former attorney general of Ohio.
Judge Ansberry was appointed to his
judicial position year ago by former
Gov. James M. Cox. He was put on
| the bench to succeed the late Judge
Michael Donnelly of Napoleon, who
died in Office. Judge Ansberry's sue
cessor will serve until the position
can be filled at the next general elec-
tion. The salary is $4,000. Ansberry
served three terms in congress, hav-
ing been defeated for fourth term a
year ago last November
Time for Christmas Shopping.
Next week state employees will be
excused from work half hour earlier
than usual to give them time to do
Christmas shopping. The first branch
of the state government to extend this
privilege is the state industrial COM
mission, which has 200 employees, who
will be let off at 4:30 each afternoon
instead Of being kept until 5 o'clock
the usual stopping time. Other de-
partments are considering the plan
of giving their employees a half holi
day 80 that they may reach the stores
when they are not so crowded. Hun
dreds of employees will not do much
shopping unless the supreme court
upholds the civil service act under
which they were appointed because Of
the holding up Of their pay by the
auditor of state.
Robbed In Pulpit.
The Columbus police were shocked
by the declaration of Rev. A. J. Wag
ner of the Avondsle Avenue U. B
church that he was robbed Of hii
watch while he was in his pulpit Sun
day morning preaching a sermon
They were inclined to discredi+ the
claim, but Rev. Wagner was firm il
his statement that he had the watcf
in his pocket when he began the ser
mon and it was gone when he hat
finished.
County Auditors to Meet.
The state tax commission has fixed
Dec. 16 as the date of the convenint
of the county auditors of the state fol
schooling" on the provisions Of thu
new Parrett Whittemore tax act
which goes into effect on Jan. l. Tha
date was selected for the reason tina
most of the county auditors will wan
to be here at that time anyhow to at
tend the annual meeting Of their stat'
association.
A Joke on the Governor.
J Gov. Willis is not the fret chief OK
: ecuitve to be interrogatsd as to hii
identity upon going to the attorney
generals office to see the head of tha
department. Naturally, the governor
was a little taken back, though no
provoked, when the alert Office boy a
the attorney generals office Monday
before Office hours, politely informed
his caller, whose identity he did no
suspect, when he asked for Mr. Tur
: ner, that he could see the latter II h
would return at 10 o'clock when the
public was admitted. The governor
treated the incident as a good joke
Money Still Coming In.
The golden stream Of coin is still
: flowing into the state treasury. Tht
balance is now around $S,000,000. b.
: the middle of the month 1t will be $40,
100000. Tuesday afternoon the STATE
liquor license commission turned {