Twenty-five availed themselves of the grace shown them, before I had posted the books. The balance failed to get on the rolls. As you notice from the statement above, many were suspended for nonpayment of dues since the roll of membership was furnished the Secretary. At the close of the year, I sent out, as has been my habit of doing heretofore, about 300 statements. Of these 180 paid in the course of three months. In June following, I again sent to 85 delinquents, the following circular. June, 1900. DEAR SIR: In accordance with the provision of the Constitution printed below, I heretofore notified you of the amount of your dues remaining unpaid on December 31, 1899. The approaching annual meeting is the last opportunity to pay dues and avoid suspensions. You owe the Association from $ to If there is any possibility that you may not be in attendance at the annual meeting, you had better forward the amount to me prior to July 9th, next." From all these I realized about $70.00. You can now form an idea, that inclusive of the new members placed on the rolls, the Treasurer has to keep an account and make entries on two books of at least 450 members. All who forward a check want to have a receipt returned to them. In addition, the Treasurer had to correspond on various subjects, with 65 members. For this laborious work, including 4 or 5 days attendance, which the Treasurer has to devote exclusively to labor in collecting and receipting for monies, the Treasurer has received no compensation for 5 years. In '92 there was paid to him $50.00 for past services and afterwards $75.00 annually. Last year the Treasurer presented to the Executive Committee a claim for $25.00 for additional labor and additional clerical help. The Executive Committee, however, deemed $75.00 sufficient compensation for all his labor, when none of us would willingly perform an equal amount of work for a client for $300.00. I could not bring this matter before the Association last year, as the election of officers and final adjournment took place one day prior to the time fixed by the program, and while the Treasurer was absent from the building, my personal friends persuaded me not to resign, but present to the Association the fact that the Executive Committee has hardly treated me fairly. I think a charge of $50.00 extra in the foregoing account for the two years of 1898 and 1899 for extra services, and additional clerical hire is very moderate. I hope you will give it fair consideration. July 9, 1900. Respectfully, L. H. PIKE, Treasurer. On motion of Mr. Mykrantz the report was accepted. The Chair called for the report of the Executive Committee, Mr. J. O. Troup, of Bowling Green, Chair man. Mr. J. O. Troup: The Executive Committee, Mr. President, has no written or formal report to make. It would be difficult to make a formal report of the work of that Committee. It has had three meetings during the year, and the results of its labors are apparent in the program and in the transportation rates secured to members of this Association to attend the convention, and in the hotel rates and the intellectual and social entertainment that is provided. We trust that the result is satisfactory. We have done our best to make it so. The matter referred to in the report of the Treasurer came before the Executive Committee, and they did not feel authorized-the majority of the Committee-in allowing the extra compensation asked; they thought better to let it go before the Association; and I don't know whether the acceptance of the Treasurer's report under the motion recently put was intended as a final disposition of the matter. Mr. Simeon Johnson: I move that the Executive Committee be requested to grant the Treasurer's request for additional compensation of fifty dollars for the last two years, and that the same be ordered paid by the Association. Motion seconded, put and carried. Mr. J. O. Troup: In order to avoid some embarrassment to future Executive Committees, because they feel that they are handling the money of the Association, and ought to be exceedingly careful about it, more so than they would be about their own funds, I think the matter of the Treasurer's salary for the future ought to be considered now, and let the Association determine whether it shall remain at $75.00 or whether it shall be properly increased. Mr. W. H. A. Read: As Chairman of the Committee on Membership and Admissions it has been my province to be with Judge Pike a good deal in the last two or three months; and I know the immense amount of time that he has devoted to it. It has given me an idea of what the Treasurer has to do at two or three periods of the year; and whether the present Treasurer continues or not, his services are worth much more than $100 a year. I move you, Mr. Chairman, that the compensation of the Treasurer of this Association be fixed at $100.00 annually, until otherwise ordered. Carried. The Chair called for the report of the Committee on Judicial Administration and Legal Reform, Mr. H. J. Booth, of Columbus, Chairman. Mr. Booth submitted the following: Report of Committee on Judicial Administration and Legal Reform. To the Ohio State Bar Association: Your Committee on Judicial Administration and Legal Reform submits the following report: 1. We recommend that another effort be made to secure a plan of organization of municipal corporations which shall be uniform in its operation throughout the State. 2. We recommend also that the Association be invited to consider the advisability of materially diminishing the periods within which various classes of civil actions may be commenced in this State. 3. We recommend that the statutes of the State relating to garnishment proceedings, be so amended that final judgment may be had against the garnishee in the original action. 4. We call the attention of the Association to the statutes of this State which require various classes of insurance companies to make deposits of securities with the State Insurance Commissioner for the protection of policy-holders, but do not provide any adequate means of distributing the funds realized from such securities among the policy-holders for whose benefit they are held. 5. Your Committee recommends the passage of a bill relative to sham pleadings, substantially as follows: Section 5087a. A sham pleading is one which is not pleaded in good faith and is false in fact, as to all or any of the material allegations contained therein. The subscribing, filing or verification of such sham pleading, by an attorney or party, if corruptly done, may be punished as contempt of court, and the court may for such offense fine such attorney or party in a sum not exceeding $50.00 for the use of the adverse party, and may sentence such attorney or party to imprisonment in the county jail until such fine is paid. Such sham pleading may, on motion, be stricken from the files by the court, upon such terms as the court may in its discretion impose. Respectfully, H. J. BOOTH, CHAIRMAN. SIMEON M. JOHNSON, Secretary. A. F. BROOMHALL, E. B. KINGSBURY, W. R. HOPKINS, JOHN J. ADAMS, CHARLES FILLIUS, A. B. JOHNSON, Committee. On motion, the report was received and its consideration passed for the present. The Chair called for the report of the Committee on Legal Education, but as there was no response, the same was passed. The Chair called for the report of the Committee on Grievances, Mr. Chase Stewart, of Springfield, Chairman. |