Nemaha Fair Ass'n v. Thummel
Nemaha Fair Ass'n v. Thummel
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This is a proceeding in mandamus, brought originally in this court by the Nemaha Fair Association, to compel the chairman of the board of county commissioners of Nemaha county to issue and deliver to the plaintiff an order on the treasurer of the county for $200. The claim is made under the provisions of “An act for the encouragement of agriculture,” and particularly under § 8 of that act. (Gen Stat. of 1889, ¶¶ 6249, 6257.)
In an earlier stage of this litigation, the validity of § 8 was challenged and sustained. (Fair Association v. Myers, 44 Kas. 132.) Since that time, Thummel was elected chairman of the board of county commissioners, to succeed Myers, and he has been substituted in the place of Myers as the defendant. The Sabetha District Fair Association, upon application, was made a defendant herein, and alleged that it was entitled to the $200 in controversy, by reason of being a district agricultural society, and having held a fair, collected $500 by voluntary contribution, and having made all necessary reports to the secretary of the state board of agriculture, and performed everything else required by law to be done to entitle it to the sum of $200 from Nemaha county.
The statute having been held to be constitutional, the question remains whether the plaintiff has complied with the requirements of the statute so as to be entitled to demand from the county the statutory allowance. It is alleged in the alternative writ, that the plaintiff is a duly-organized agricultural society, formed November 24, 1882, “to encourage agriculture, horticulture, mechanics, and the fine arts, the im
“That the secretary of the plaintiff has made monthly reports to the state board of agriculture on the last Wednesday of each month since its organization, of the condition of the crops in its county, and made a list of such noxious insects as were destroying the crops, if any, and stated the extent of their depredations; and reported the condition of stock, giving a description of the symptoms of any disease prevailing among the same, with the means of prevention and remedies employed, so far as ascertained, and such other information as was of interest to the farmers of the state; and did also make out a statement containing a synopsis of the awards at the fair at the current year, offered and awarded as premiums for the improvement of stock, tillage, crops, implements, mechanical fabrics and articles of domestic industry, which exceeds the sum of $1,500, and an abstract of the treasurer’s account, and reported on the condition of agriculture in its said county of Nemaha to the state board, said statement being forwarded by mail to the state board on or before the 15th day of November of each year.”
The facts which have been agreed upon, however, do not measure up with the allegations of the plaintiff. It is practically conceded by counsel that the Sabetha District Fair Association has not met the requirements of the statute, and is therefore not entitled to demand from the county $200, or any other sum; and counsel for defendants insist that the Nemaha Fair Association is not entitled to the allowance for three reasons: (1) That it is not such an agricultural society as is contemplated by the act; (2) that it has not made the reports required by the statute; and (3) that it has not raised from
The second objection urged against the demand of the plaintiff is good, as it has clearly failed to follow the directions of the statute in respect to the making of reports. The conditions upon which a society can demand an allowance are clearly stated in the act providing for the same, and the making of monthly and annual reports to the state board of agriculture are among the most important. In respect to the monthly reports, it is provided, in § 2 of the act—
“That the secretary of each district or county society, or such other person as may be designated by the society, shall make a monthly report to the state board of agriculture, on the last Wednesday of each month, of the condition of crops in his district or county, making a list of such noxious insects as are destroying crops, and state the extent of their depredations, report the condition of stock, giving a description of the symptoms of any disease prevailing among the same, with means of prevention and remedies employed, so far as ascertained, and such other information as will be of interest to the farmers of the state.”
After the fair has been held, another report is required, containing a synopsis of the awards, as well as other information. The record discloses that no report was made for January or February of the year on which the demand was made, and that the first report made was on March 31, 1888, which is called a quarterly report, and contained most of the information required to be furnished in each monthly report. On May 31, 1888, a postal-card report was made, giving the condition of the crops, including apples and cherries, and also reporting with reference to rainfall and chinch-bugs, but no mention was made of the condition of stock. A postal-card report was made on June 30, 1888, similar to the one of the preceding month, and it contained no reference to the condition of stock, or the diseases prevailing among the same. On
As the Nemaha Fair Association and the Sabetha District Fair Association have both failed to comply with the statutory requirements, neither of them is entitled to the relief demanded. The peremptory writ will therefore be denied.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Nemaha Fair Association v. C. B. Thummel, as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Nemaha County
- Status
- Published