New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-03
ale,v orleans Republican.
0FFIcIAl JOURNAL Of THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
CITY COUNCIL--OFFICIAL
REGULAR MEETING.

REGULAR MEETING.
OrY HALL NEW ORLEANS,
November /, 1870.
Mavor Flanders, called the Council to
order at Z p. NJ, and presided over the
meeting.
Present: Administrators J. r. West I'M
provements), Alfred Shaw tAccounts), l..
r. Delassize Public Buildings), Z. W.
Pierce fPolice), J. S. Walton (Finance). and
H. Bonzano (Assessments).
Absent: Administrator 5. c. Emley Com
merce).
Reading of minutes dispensed with.
Reports from Administrators.
By Mr.. Shaw:
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC Accounts,
November /, 1870.
To the City Council Of New Orleans:
At former meeting of the Council l
made a report in reference to n bill of Mr.
Mccormack for portion of work done under
an act of the Legislature requiring the
transfer of certain mortgage records from
the Office of Recorder of the parish of Jeifcr-
son, to the mortgage and conveyance ofhces
in New Orleans. The records to be trans
sections of jefferson parish lately coded to
New Orleans.
No price was fixed in the act. and the only
indication of a price was. mot more than the
sum of one dollar and fifty cents for each
and every inscription In this state OF
affairs it seemed that great injustice had
been done the city in requiring 1t to have
certain work of great magnitude performed
by particular person with no power on the
other hand to contract freely or limit its OBJ
legations within reasonable sum. Accord
ingly Mr.. McCormack's account was not
paid, and the city took defensive position:
declining any payment On account uhth
proposals be made and accepted for the en-
tire job. / employed Mr.. Andrew Hero to
examine and estimate the amount aud value
of the entire work. His report is as follows:
NEW ORLEANS, October 8. 1870.
Hon Alfred Shaw, Administrator of Public Ac-
counts, New Orleans Louisiana.
DEAR S1R-Agreeably to your instructions
have carefully examined the original re-
cords of the parish of Jefferson, whereof
transcripts are about being made under
act No. 4S, of the extra session OF 1870, and
respectfully report that l find, by actual
count. that the number of inscriptions so
to be made from the conveyance books,
amount to eight thousand and forty; those
from the mortgage books relative to mort
cages, donations, marriage contracts, Juds-
ments and privileges excepting tax judg-
ments or privileges), amount to twenty
eight hundred and forty; and the tax
judgments or privileges in favor Of the city
Of Jefferson, Police Jury and the State,
amount to three thousand one hundred and
fifty for State, and to two thousand nine
hundred and fifty for the others. l also
find that the present Recorder claims that
two books relative to the drainage tax,
should be also transcribed; these books are
in the office, and no one can say what they
are. They were, in my opinion. merely
made and filed there to facilitate the Re
eOrders in keeping q record OF such parties
as may have paid and released their drain
age, and are not absolutely necessary to be
transcribed as the two judgments for
drainage, which cover the whole subject
are included in the number of judgments
about being transcribed. These drainage
books have two thousand two hundred and
seventy-fve inscriptions.
Altogether the number of transcripts az
above, amounted to, viz: From convey
ance, 500; from mortgages, etc., 2of0; from
State taxes, $3.50; from city and police
jury taxes, $3.50: from drainage, 2275.
making in all nineteen thousand two hun
bred and fifty tl9,255l, for which the
Recorder proposes to charge one dollar and
fifty cents per inscription, making total
sum Of twenty-eight thousand eight hundred
and eighty-two dollars and fifty cents.
n But the total cost should be only seven
teen thousand nine hundred and ninety-tive
dollars. As follows:
1910 inscriptions from convey
ances at 81 5O................ Sl2,O60
2340 inscriptions from mortgages,
etc, at 81 50. ................ f,2oo
3l50 inscriptions from State taxes
at ~ cents. oo'
$3.50 inscriptions from city and
police jury taxes at 70 cts. 3Vo
2275 insc riptions from drainage
books at 20 cents. 400
Total. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $l7 ,s93
The allowance OF one dollar and fifty
cents, per inscription, above made IS reason
able besides being the regular charge, and
the number of lengthy inscriptions to be
transcribed makes it no more than just and
proper. As to the tax judgments, privileges
and drainage the allowance of twenty cents,
per inscription, is all that they are worth.
as those for taxes amount to no more than
'Name-No of lot-Square-Year, and
amount of tax" only line OF writing. and
the drainage is but little more, not over
two lines Of writing: moreover twenty cents
is all that is allowed originally by the State
for recording taxes. 6see section Il OF ACT
68, extra session of 1870.
am, sir, respectfully, your obedient,
ANDREW HERO, JR.
/ presented the above as an informal
proposition on the part of the city, subject
TO the approval Of the Council. He de-
clined it and claimed as follows:
Conventional mortgages, conveyances and
donations, II 300 at 81 so. SIC, 800
Privileges. 5000. At 81 5000
Total s24. 800
1t will be perceived that the chief differ
ence Of these estimates is in relation to
transferring the records of State taxes, city
and police jury taxes and drainage.
On examination of the laws relative to
these subjects, l have no doubt the city could
hold Mr.. Mccormack to the charges as re-
ported by Mr. Hero, were it not that the
Law TACT No. 43, statutes of 1870, section
one) requires him to make indexes, furnish
good and substantial books, etc.
This makes one point of difference. and
goes SO far in rendering inapplicable the por-
tions Of the law fixing the rates for record
ing taxes.
Mr.. Mccormack urges other points of
difference and further reasons for declining
the estimate. But desiring to bring this
laboTiOus and tedious matter to a close,
proposed to recommend to the Council to
contract with him at an advance Of $500
upon Mr. HerO's estimate; and to this Mr..
Mccormack assents: l presume a lawsuit
would give Mr.. Mccormack at least what
Mr.. Hero reports; and the uncertainties as
to how much more may, perhaps, be advan
tageously compromised at five hundred dol
lars.
ALFRED SHAW, Administrator.
Laid over to be printed.
BY Mr.. Delassize:
DEPARTMENT OF WATsKwoRxs AND
Public Buildings, November /, 1870. }
TO the City Council of New Orleans:
At the last meeting of the Council pre-
sented report in favor of laying water