New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-16
THE BILL OF THE RECORDER OF
MORTGAGES AGAINST THE CITY.

The following report Of the commissioners
appointed by Mr.. BOnzano to examine the
bill Of the Recorder of Mortgages finally
disposes of the many misunderstanding
and misrepresentation upon the subject.
The character and standing Of the COM
mssiOners (all of whom, we believe, are
Democrats), put beyond question the re-
liability Of their report, and it is only to be
regretted that in the interests of justice,
the Administrators did not sooner investi-
gate the matter:
New ORLEANS, August 9, 1870.
H. Bonzano, ESQ.,, Administrator OF Assessments:
SIR-The undersigned have the honor to
report that they have examined the account
of DR.. M. A. SOuthwOrth, Recorder of Mort
cages for the parish of Orleans, for work
done in conformity with act No. IO5 Of the
legislative session Of 1869.
In considering the said account they
have divided the same into two parts, to
wit: The one embracing items first, second
and third, forming an aggregate amount OF
twenty-seven thousand five hundred 1927, :
500), and the other embracing items fourth
fifth and sixth, forming an aggregate OF ten
thousand and one dollars t$lG,OOll. This
latter part your committee have had no
difficulty in approving, the services beng
specified i'll detail, and charged for. IN the
main, at rates for which there were legisla-
tive precedents, to wit: AT the rate OF one
dollar and fifty cents for the Transcription
of each mortgage from the original into the
new records, as prescribed by said act No.
los. of the session of 1869, and of one dollar
for the transcription. in the same manner,
of a number of releases. (Refer to act No.
1O1. of 1854, and act No. 49, of 1870, concern
ING the transcription OF records from Jeffer
son parish to Orleans)
~ oc IL
charged for in the first part, your committee
had not the advantage Of being guided by
settled rule-the making of an index to
each book of record having always been
considered an incidental duty of the office,
and no fee having ever been specially pro-
vided therefor by law. The undersigned
have, in consequence, had to consider the
compiling or making Of the general indexes
required to be made by said act No. los, in
the light of work undertaken and per-
formed without any stipulation or agree
ment as to the cost, and to be paid for ac-
cording to its value, to be determined after
completion by the rules of usage OF equity.
Analysing the work performed. your COM
mittee find, that there were SO books OF re-
cords of conventional mortgages, contain
ing ON an average $50 fOlios each, making
a total of 81 $50 pages Tor toliosl, and each
folio having an average OF 3i2 mortgages.
taking each entry to contain but one name
of mOrtgagOr, would give a like number Of
names to he indexed, say 202.475. Thirteen
books of judicial mortgages, averaging 750
fOliOs each, and seven names to Il page, say
$3.50 pages, by seven, 6S,250. Eight books
of donations, averaging GOO foiios, each, and
five names to folio, say 1900 folios, by five,
$4,000. Making a total OF 29l.725 names.
But in the matter of judicial and convan-
f;oua1 ,nortOaUaS II sometimes and ypr-
haps often happens that more than one
name had to be indeXed (for instance. when
several joint owners mortgage the same
property, or the Judgment is against the
firm), making due allowance for which we
have computed by this rule, the number of
names inde xed at 300 900.
Not satisfied with this, we have examined
the indices themselves, OF which there are
five sets of twenty-seven each (beiHg the
number of letters in the alphabet. and an
extra one for names beginning with Mel,
making of conventional mortgages, 135
books of index.
One set of judicial mortgages. twenty
seven. One set of donations, twenty-scven.
Say 1S9 indices, in which about 6736 pages
of names are written, at fOrty-five lines to a
page. giving q total of 3O3, 100 names, which
verified our previous computation.
Now, taking into consideration the nature
Of the work to be performed, the particular
care and attention which it required, the
frequent revisiOns. tests and comparison
which it necesitated, both before as we'll as
after being entered in the several books of
index, the number of clerks occupied in
the compilation and revision of the prepar-
atOry and of the final work, the fact that
said clerks (nOne Of whom received less
than three dollars per diem, as we have
been informed) had to be paid weekly, and
the money for their wages advanced bv the
Recorder, the responsibility of this officer,
and the emolument to which his position
entitled him for work done in his Office
your committee have thought that an allow
ance Of ten cents per name would not be
unfair, and have come to the conclusion !
that the amount of $27 500, large as it ap-
pears at first glance, is not an overcharge
Respectfully submitted,
P. C. CUVELLIER,
r. H. HIGGINBOTHAM,
T. GILMORE.