The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-02-16
RELIEF CRISIS IS EASED
WITH A PARTIAL PAYMENT


National Bank, stated Wednesday
morning that mo 1889 county orders
had ever been presented or refused
here" Later on Wednesday Miss Mil
Ter asked him if he would handle the
order and he replied that he Couldn't
discount it because it hasn't any def
mite maturity and until the question
of interest is settled it is not nego-
table instrument"
Delbert Davis, cashier of the First
National Bank, said that they weren't
handling any county orders because
"the County Commissioners announced
they would refuse to pay any inter-
est" The County Commissioners at
torney, Mr.. Whitworth, had advised
them, Mr.. Browning said, that any
payment of interest on county orders
was illegal.
In former years county orders con-
stituted tax anticipation note and
their issuance had been a regular pro-
cedure when the county treasury was
low during the first few months of the
year because tax payments had not
started rolling in.
Status of Treasurer's Office
According to law the county treas
urer is authorized to pay county or
ders only when the fund against
which they are levied has some COL
lected taxes to it's credit, and is not
authorized to pay a 1889 order from
money received from 1888 taxes.
Neither is he allowed to pay an order
drawn on the contingent fund, from
the gas levy fund, or from the County
Commissioners salary levy. When
funds are not available in the various
levies, the orders have been "peddled"
to banks or individuals, as third
parties in the transaction. Taking
care of county orders in the early
part of the year had been a custom
for number of years. These would
be redeemed when the money was
available. 1t was always assumed
that the interest on county orders
was balanced by the interest that the
treasurer would collect on delinquent
taxes, causing no extra expense to the
taxpayers. Several banks and indi-
viduals are now holding county orders
on former levies.
The question of the possibility of
discounting county orders which
might make the $1,000 available to
the welfare board, minus the discount
of 6 percent, was advanced, but it
was Mr.. Davis opinion that the We'll
fare Board could not legally discount
county order. Mr.. Davis is former
chairman of the Welfare Board.
Miss Miller was uncertain about that
part of the law, and Joseph Fahey,
of Grantsville, present chairman, was
not available for comment.
300 Cases Are Assisted
Miss Miller said that checks to more
than three hundred cases coming under
Aid to Dependent Children had been
mailed on Monday. Only $168 was nee
essary from the county to release APP
proximately $1,000 under this division
The county must furnish one-sixth of
funds for old age pensions. Last month
$4,000 was expended for pensions. The
county must furnish all funds for gen.
eral public assistance, of which there
are 100 or more cases.
The county order issued last week
for 3,700 was to take care of all needs
for February, but on account of the
condition of the county treasury this
order could not be turned into cash
Until actual money is available the
Welfare Board is prohibited by law
from issuing any checks from state
and federal funds.
In announcing that no old age pen
sion checks had been mailed yester-
day, Miss Miller stated that although
it was highly improbable that anybody
would be falling dead in the streets
from starvation, yet there would be
many who would suffer from malnu-
triton if the situation was not
remedied before long. "Many of the
old age pensioners live alone, and
need the nonneu hadlvn she said