The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-02-07

of course, a lawyer must be en-
ployed. A petition must be filed,
and along with it a plat of the
lands in question, marked as direct
ed by the Act. All parties having
any interest in the lands are to be
made parties, as are all adjoining
land owners. These several parties
are to be served by the sheriff as in
ordinary actions. In case of non
residents, the summons must be
served by publication as in ordinary
actions. In addition to this an ad'
vertisement must be run in local
paper for four weeks in which the
public is advised of the nature OF
the action. When the parties are
all before the court, the matter, is
referred to one of three examiners,
appointed by the clerk of court, to
make an examination of the title,
who shall report to the court within
thirty days. If there is a contest by
any of the parties the matter is
tried before one of these examiners,
and the case may be appealed as
other actions are appealed.
When the examiner has made his
final report and the matter if the
title is settled by him, or by the
court on appeal, the title is register
ed, and all persons including
infants, lunatics, etc. whether
named in the petition or not, are
barred of any interest in the lands,
and the petitioner is adjudged to
be the owner thereof, if his title is
established.
To take care of the interests Of
minors, lunatics, etc. an annual tax
or fee is collected from the owner
of the land, which goes into fund
to which the interested party must
look if his property has been confis-
Gated by a designing petitioner, or
otherwise.
There are other provisions in the
law which need not be here noticed.
We call attention to these provisions
because it at once becomes evident
to any reasonable man that the ex-
penses incident to a proceeding of
the kind provided are necessarily so
great that the law provides no ad-
vantages commensurate with these
expenses. And to divest third par
ties of their property, or Of an in
terest in property, in favor Of a
petitioner, without some such pro-
ceedings as those Incorporated in the
act whereby all adverse claimants
might have their day in court, would
be too unjust to be considered by
thoughtful legislators.
The truth of the matter is that
the title to property in this state
is not now the subject of specula-
ton. 1t is less expensive to have an
abstract made than it is to have a
title registered under the present
law, and if the abstract is made by
a capable lawyer and kept up-to-
date it will answer all the purposes
of a registered title with the money
lending institutions.
The great trouble with the bor-
rowing public in this section is not
the security. Money may be had
from several life insurance compan-
les now at six per cent. and there
is little trouble in convincing them
as to the title to the property, but
people in this section have trouble in
loans because as stated by
a northern man recently, "The peo-
pie of the South are slow to pay in
terest, and never pay the principal"
Of course, this is a humorous state
ment of what we all know to be our
trouble-we are not prompt; we
have not been schooled in meeting
our obligations on the day they be-
come due. When we learn this les
son, farmers and others in this Sec
tion will be able to borrow money
on their real estate at six per cent.
interest. Until they do learn it, the
Torrens Land Registration System
and the Farm Loan Banks will not