Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-09-23
Scope OF Attorney
General ENLARGED
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personally assisted in some of the
outstanding cases handled by the at
torney generals office, notably in the
mortgage moratorium and homestead
preferential tax and income tax con-
test.
Mr.. Erwin resides in Minneapolis
and was an outstanding member of
the Hennepin county bar when first
appointed to the attorney generals
office. He is a graduate of the Man.
kato high school and the University
of Minnesota, and was admitted to
the bar in 1910. He served as Pine
county attorney for four and one
half years. Mr.. Erwin was born in
Birmingham, Iowa, on Sept. 4, 1886,
and his family moved to Minnesota
when he was six months old.
Leading Rate Fight.
At the present time the attorney
general is leading the legal fight to
obtain telephone rate reductions
amounting to 100000 a year for
subscribers in the metropolitan area.
The Railroad and Warehouse Com
mission has ordered these reductions
effective as of June l, 1886, and
this order he successfully defended
before Judge Gustavus Loevinger in
the Ramsey county district court
The Tri-State Telephone and Tele-
graph Co. is now appealing the case
to the state supreme court, and Mr..
Erwin is employing every possible
means to avoid unnecessary delay.
Bonds totalling S750,000 have been
put up by the telephone company to
insure performance on the reductions
| if the case is sustained in the high
courts.
The attorney generals is the larg-
est law office in the state, has the
most clients, tries more cases and
is called upon to solve more import
ant legal problems than any other
The term, attorney general" sug-
gests strictly legal work. But in adj
dition to the large volume of legal
work handled in this office, the at
torney general discharges highly i'm
portant duties which directly affect
the welfare of our people. He is a
member of the executive council, the
state investment board and the par
don board.
Executive Council.
Tn executive council looks after the
business of the state in somewhat
the same manner as the board of
directors looks after the business of
private corporation. The executive
council is the agency through which
the state administers relief. The SILL
100000 appropriation which was re-
Gently made for relief purposes will
be expended under its supervision
The board of investment has charge
of the states permanent trust funds,
which amount to approximately $780,
100000 This board invests the sink
ing funds of the highway department.
the teachers insurance and retire
ment fund and the state employees
retirement fund. These funds run
into millions of dollars, and out OF
them the board makes loans aggre-
eating millions of dollars to counties
school districts, cities, villages and
townships.
The pardon board meets four times
year. 1t has power to grant par
dons and to commute sentences OF
all persons convicted of offenses
against the laws of this state. II
makes careful investigation of the
records of each applicant for Glenn
ency to see that he is justly treated
taking care to see that no one is
released from prison who will be a
menace to society.
The attorney generals office looks
after the administration and collec-
ton of inheritance taxes and through
his office millions of dollars in in
heritance taxes are collected Under
law which was passed at the recent
special session of the legislature a
tax on gifts was imposed and the ad-
miniStrative duties of collecting il
were imposed upon the attorney gen.
erals office
| Assists Peace Officers.
The attorney general has super
vision over the bureau of criminal