Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-05
OVER !||'.I. $4,000
APPEAR FROZEN
IN N. D. BANK
Under The Law Warrants
Should Have Been Issued
4. June ! Last
Grand Forks County's Share
In This Amount q
Nearly $1,000

800 l = E &NHSAA
violation OF the law has withheld
S46.731.20 belonging to volunteer fre'
departments in more than,gtwo hun
dred towns in the state, and fire.
mems relief associations in cities with.
paid fire departments, and used it for
purposes OF its own.
In Grand Forks county the
Y amounts due to various cities il =
as follows. Grand Forks, 32,-
S0l.S7; Inkster. $4s.21; Lari-
more, $237.51; Northwood, $173,-
is. Total $2,sss.44.
The laws of North Dakota (section
1898, Compiled Laws Of 1879 pro-
vide tina to every town having an
organized volunteer fire department
OF at, least fifteen members, together
with certain fire fighting equipment,
and which fire department shall be a
member of the State Firemen's Asso-
.ciatioh,. shall. be paid two per cent Of
the fire premiums collected for fire
insurance during the year in that
particular town.
In addition thereto the usu-
al appropriation Of $4,000 in state aid
to the North Dakota Firemen's Asso-
citation. The funds, in the Ease Of
the volunteer fire departments, are
used to pay the mileage of delegates
from fire departments who attend the
state firemen's annual meetings, tour
naments, and other incidental ex.
penses connected with such an or
g~anization.
No Money Paid This Year.
The balance in the firemen's fund,
according to Deputy State Treasurer
J.. o. Lyngstad, is $~50,s26.23. OF this
amount $45,731.2O was certified tc
be paid to the various towns and cit
les entitled to consideration by the
insurance department under date OF
which is very explicit, the state au-
ditort should have issued the, war.
rants on or before June i
For the first time in the thirty-five
years since this Law was enacted thi.
money has not been turned over te
the f1remen, says H. T.. Reade, score.
tary of the North Dakota Firemen'.
Association. and former state fire
marshal. Mr.. Reade was Informed
in a letter from Deputy Commission.
er Of Insurance A. r. Aslakson or
paid in by the different insurance
| companies doing business in the state
and certified and ready for payment
MI. Aslakson also sent Marsha
Reade a list of towns with fire de:
partments entitled to consideration
under the law together with the
amounts due each department.
Foot Their Own Bills.
But the men who. are giving thei1
time free of charge in order to pro.
tect their towns from losses by fire
had to foot their own bills at the
state meeting and the tournament:
this year. The law say that they
must be represented, df they wan
their share Of the 30 insurance tax
the tax was paid into the fremen'
fund long ago and the distribution
should have been made on the frs
day OF June at the, latest. But tn,
various fire departments have not re
ceived a penny &C far. 55
The state auditor acting under or
ders from the industrial commission
according to advices from Bismarck
has refused or neglected to issue tn,
warrants, presumably on account O
the Bank of North Dakota being un
able to- pay. The industrial commits
sion has used the money for othe,
purposes, as it has done in SO man,
other instances with other funds.
What the Counties Have Lost.
Distributed among the various
counties in the state, which have fir,
departments qualified under the Law
for such compensation, the sum
withheld : in the followln,
\ q M AIN e A'EH,N 4Fgsl7yF ENh.H.E. N.wT s|tt'