xii REPORT OF THE COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY,

The Act of 1894, Chapter 329, provides that "in the
month of October in the year 1895, and in every second year
thereafter, the Treasurer of every Savings Bank or Savings
Institution in the State of Maryland shall deliver to the,Comp-
troller a written statement, sworn to by him or the President
of such Savings Bank, containing the name and amount stand-.
ing to his or her credit of every depositor who shall not have
made any deposit therein or withdrawn any money on their
accounts for the period of twenty years next prior to the first
day of the preceding September provided, that this section
shall not apply to the deposit made by any person known to
the said Treasurer to be living. The Comptroller shall com-
municate the statement which shall.be so delivered to him to
the General Assembly in his next report."

Several Savings Banks have complied with the require-
ments of the statute, and an examination of Statement"F"
will show in detail the names of the Savings Banks, the names
of depositors and the amount to his or her credit. If the Gen-
eral Assembly will make provision for general publicity of the
names of depositors and the amounts of money to their credit
in these several banks, I am confident a very considerable part
of this money will be demanded by the depositors or their
heirs or legal representatives. I would respectfully recom-
mend that the General Assembly provide by law for the re-
verting or forfeiting, after a period of two years, to the State
of all sums not demanded by depositors or their representatives.

The aggregate amount reported is very considerable, one
bank having more than sixty thousand dollars. Providing
for a reversion or forfeiture of this money to the State is not
without precedent. Many of the States have such laws, and
it could not be successfully contended to be a hardship on
these banks, for already they have had the use of these sums
for more than twenty years.

The State, rather than the banks, should be the benefi-
ciary of these sums of money.

The very gratifying exhibit which I make of the financial
affairs of our State is in a very large measure due to the sound
discretion and financial ability of my associate in the Treas-