The Alaska daily empire., 1921-03-26
i MAY ESTABLISH
 OFFICE PUBLIC
 ADMINISTRATOR
Ross Introduces Bill Creating Ofice-Both Elective
 And Appointive.

| House yesterday by Representative Ross, of Fairbanks, providing the office of public administrator and the election or appointment of ad- ministrators, jurisdiction is con ferrcd in specific terms by Section Five, dividing estates into four gen eral classes.
 Section Five reads: The public ] administrator has power and juris- diction and it is his duty, upon being elected or appointed, and quali- persons dying within his precinct (and in adjoining precincts or pre- , cincts in which there may be no judge of probate) as follows:
 First: Of the estate of deced- ents for which no administrators qeunce thereof, are being wasted, uncared for, or lost;
 Second: Of the estate of deced cnts who have no known heirs; i, Third: Of the estates ordered into his hands by the court;
 
 which letters of administration have been issued to him by the court.
 Elective Commissioners. The act seeks to create the office of public administrator in the sev- eral precincts which now exist or may hereafter be created having U. S. Commissioners as ex-offici0 probate judges. These precincts it is proposed to divide into two classes, those of the first class being those in which are situated towns of the first or second class under the incorporation acts and have a population of 1000 or more and those of the second class in the sparsely settled portions of the Ter. rtory.
 In precincts of the first class it is. provided that the public administra tors shall be elected for term of. two years at the same time and in the same manner as provided for election of Senators and Represen tatives. In precincts of the second class the office shall be filled byI appointmnet of the probate court upon petition signed by q majority of the electors of the precinct" based on the returns of the general election just preceding. It is also provided that the offices created byi the bill in precincts of the first class or approval of the act appoint administrators to serve until thcl next general election.
 General Provisions.
 Whenever a stranger or person without known heirs dies intestateI in the house or premises of another the possessor Of such premises, Orl anyone knowing the facts must give notice thereof to the nearest, public administrator and failing to do so is liable for any damages that may be sustained by reason of such failure.
 Reports are required from public administrators every six months re- lative to the estates coming into their hands, together with the amount of fees and expenses of each estate and the balance on hand. Final reports and accounting are also required on complete settle ments of estates.
 Division of Fund. ! Section Eight includes provision that after final settlement of the affairs of any estate, if there be no 1 heirs or other claimants thereof, the probate court shall by order direct the payment thereof to the Terri l torial Treasurer to be by him cred tied in equal proportion to the Ter ritorial lndigent Fund and the fund for the support and maintenance of the Pioneers Home, as by an escheat thereof
 It is prohibited that an admin istrator must not be interested in nor associated in business or other wise with anyone who is, in the expenditures of any kind made on account of any estate which he ad- ministers.
 Institute All Suits.
 The public administrator is re- . 4ulTeu lO institute all dCllOnS UeCeS- sary to recover property, debts, etc, being empowered, with the approval of the probate court, to employ legal counsel whose compensation shall he fixed by the court He is required to make a perfect return of all estates taken into his posses sion and deliver control of and pos session of all estates to persons to whom letters testamentary may be granted by the court.
 Summary administration is auth orized upon estates amounting tC $200 or less. In such cases the administrator is allowed a fee oi $10 in lieu of commission and fees for services in full. Compensation in other cases is to be covered by the fees and commissions allowed by law to executors and admins. trators but the total compensation in any one year not 10 exceed S3 900 and any surDluSage of that