The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-29
PUBLIC WORK WELL DONE
A YISIT 10 TWO MODEL COUNTY
OFFICES.


How Register George ID. Fielder Has
Brought the New System to Perfec-
tion-County Clerk BIcLaughlin's Adj
mirable Methods of Work.
Visited the office Of County Register
and County Clerk today for the purpose
Of learning how thepublic affairs in these
important branches have been conducted
and to what state of perfection the sys-
tenn has been brought I first called on
Register Fielder. There found large
corps of clerks busily at work in cramped
quarters arranging papers and recording
legal documents
Besides, q number of lawyers were
making searches and examining records.
had heard that the new system Of index
ing in the Registers Office had to great
sired to investigate the records and was
much surprised to find how perfect the
machine was.
The Register has labored under the
disadvantages of having insufficient room
for the records and the work of those de-
string the use of them, and the Hall of
Records is being built as a remedy.
PERFECT SYSTEM
Many and great changes in the man
ner of making searches have during the
past two years been made owing to the
great changes for the better made by the
present Register, George B. Fielder, and
the Legislature Until the changes were
made none but a lawyer or expert clerk
in the Registers office could make a
search correctly. Now anyone may ex-
anime the records and learn what they
desire to know.
The system has been so simplified.
After noting the clean and business-like
- <l<.l Ia T Id
on Register Fielder and asked him what
had been done during his term of office
to help the public in ascertaining what
was desired from the records. He told
me this
'sWhen / was installed in Office found
that the alphabetical system of indexing
was in use. 1t was what is known as the
Lusk system, and the indexing was done
by vowels. My predecessor, Mr. Cleve-
land, had perfected this system so far as
the recording of deeds and mortgages
was concerned, and l followed his ex-
ample, and arranged indices for assign
ments of mortgages, satisfactions of mort
cages, releases and chattel mortgages
under that system, and for that purpose
had books provided.
THE BLOCK SYSTEM.
"On March 30, 1888, Governor Gre en-
approved of bill that made a radical
change, and two Commissioners and the
Counsel of theBoard of Freeholders were
appointed to establish the present
successful local or block system. This
only provided for counties of the first
class order, and Hudson is the only one
where it is used. This plan, before it be-
came law by the adoption of it by the
Board of F'reeholders, was submitted to
me, and recommended it,"
ut decreased your fees, believe" re-
marked
ssVaS b11t IL was q onod r,1aD and T l;Lad
it. 1t has resulted in 2,378 blocks on in
dividual maps being thus far described
and the work it required has filled"
Say Charlie" " turning to a clerk, how
many volumes have the maps made?"
Just 103 to date" was the answer.
ooh, yes," said Mr.. Fielder, turning to
book, tfifty-twO are deeds and fiftY-one
are mortgages. 1t is splendid plan to
facilitate the proper examination of
papers, records, etc., in the Office, but it
requires the extra employment of three
expert clerks.
ADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM.
The system insures o perfect and COR
rect way of receiving complete descrip-
tion of property and the paging of the
records is correct. 1t must be SO or the
Register is personally responsible for it
and any damage that might ensue from
an incorrect record of indexing and re-
cording.
1u0 system Is D6uGHClai TO VHe Sell6r
and buyer. mortgagor or mortgagee. /
do not believe that books of record can be
kept better than the present law re-
quireS."
IN THE COUNTY CLERKS OFFICE.
Thanking the Register for the informa-
tion, 1 visited the Office of the County
Clerk and there found John Fisher, the
Deputy County Clerk, hard at work nat
uralizing citizens.
By his consent | made an inspection of
the two offices and the vault, and con-
cluded my labors much gratified. In this
Office all contracts, certificates OF incor-
poration and papers in suits in litigation
are filed.
found them arranged in most meth
odical manner, and so placed that any
one could find the document or book
which he sought without the slightest
trouble. With slight interim Mr..
Fisher has had charge of this work for
fifteen years and the result can not but
be as satisfactory to him as to the
thousands who weekly visit the office.
County Clerk Mclaughlin has, so far as
| am able to discern, made his office
complete piece of machinery and every
thing in it has a place, and every thing is
in its place.
Several old lawyers that saw subse-
quently, told me that never in the history
of this county had the records of the
Registers and County Clerks offices
been in such an excellent condition fos
examination as they are today.