Los Angeles herald., 1890-10-29


No indictments were brought in. The
report is given below:
Los ANGELES, Oct. 2S, 1890.
Honorable W. A. Cheney, Judge of the Superior
Court:
The grand jury herewith submit to
you a partial report of their committee
on county officials, sheriff, tax collector,
and county recorder, as adopted by the
grand jury. Yours, respectfully,
JOHN H. F. PECK,
Foreman of the grand jury.
Recorders Once.
The committee on county officials begs
ieave to report herewith the result of
the experts, examination of the Office of
the county recorder from May l, 1889, to
September L, 1890:
Number of instruments of writing
placed on record, AZ ,332, producing fees
amounting to $48, 121.70, which amount
was paid into the treasury.
The cost of the office to the county in
the same time has been $40. 1927 81,
which does not include books, stationery
and similar charges.
The accounts of the Office are well and
accurately kept, and we have only words
of commendation in this regard. We
desire, however, to make these recon-
mendations in the interest of the public
good:
First. We have caused to be counted
the words in number of papers of
record, and find that the system of max
ing estimates of the number of words in
any given number of papers, on the
basis il use in the office, works to the
advantage OF the county and against the
person presenting papers for record ;
and we are satisfied, from the average
charge on the papers counted, that not
less than $4,000 per annum has gone into
the county treasury that should have
remained in the pockets of the people.
We therefore recommend that the re-
corder, by actual count of a sufficient
number of instruments, form a new
basis of estimate more just to the people,
while giving to the county its just dues.
Second. There has been considerable
testimony showing thatin the past trans
actions eraoures on the records and cor
rections of words and figures and many
interlineations on the books of record
have been made without any certificates
appearing Herewith to show when and
why made. Quite lately an improve
ment in this regard has been made, but
we recommend that in future no erasure
of any kind shall be permitted in rec
ord book, and that when an error has
been made, the comparer shall cause to
be drawn across such error parallel lines
of red ink, sufficiently light to leave
plain the words to be defaced, and the
words there above substituted or inter
lined shall be closely written; and that
the comparer shall certify such changes
at the bottom of the instrument, signed
by the recorder.
Third The law contemplates and re-
quires that in all cases of sales of prop
erty for taxes, the tax collector shall file
Ncopies of the certificates of sales with
the recorder. The intent OF this is that
any taxpayer may examine the record
and ascertain whether by mistake or
otherwise, his property may have been
sold for taxes, a very proper and just
provision, to which the recorder should
give effect by causing to be prepared
suitable indexed record book, by which
the person desiring to satisfy himself
may do so in moment and without be-
ing subject to expense.
We suggest that the board of super
visors shall put into effect these several
recommendations.
Tax Collector.
In reference to the Office of tax col
lecter, the committee reported as fol-
lows:
Your committee on county officials,
to whom was referred the experts report
of the tax collectors Office, beg leave to
say that we have given patient, careful
and critical examination to said report,
and also to the report of Expert Black
man to the board of supervisors on the
same object; after having the testimony
of G. w. Blake, clerk of the board, and
J. T. Smith, cashier of ex-Tax Collector
Platt, we have been unable to deter
mine with any degree of positiveness to
whom in exact justice belongs the sum
of $20402, which is apparently surplus
after Mr.. Platt's accounts for tax rolls,
with which he is chargeable, as they
passed into his hands.
The collection of one and one-third
million dollars, evidenced by $4,000
stubs, involves so many transactions
from few cents to hundreds of dollars,
that it is not at all strange that some
errors and discrepancies occur. and the
wonder is, really, that so few have oc-
CURED. The adjustment OF the same
should have been approached on either
hand with the fullest exercise of pa
thence and disposition to do right, in
the spirit of frank fairness. Whether
or not such was the case in the settle
ment recently had, we do not express an
opinion. Mr.. Platt does not claim the
apparently smallssurplus above named,
and we deem it impossible to determine
to whom it should go, and it, together
with the sum of $132.71 now in the
county treasury as rebate fund, may
never be called for and will, if not, re-
vert to the county.
The cause of the apparent surplus OF
16,S55.54, arising from the 50-cent
charge for advertising delinquent taxes
and the 5O-cent fee for certificates Of tax
sale, will appear, we presume, when the
examination of the auditors office shall
be made by the committee having the
same in charge. and we can only recon-
mend that in future the settlements
made monthly should be adjusted to the
mutual satisfaction of the board OF
Supervisors and the tax collector.
sheriffs ONCE.
Concerning the conduct of the sheriff s
Office from May /, 1889, to October l.,
1890, the report is as follows: Arising
from an imperfectness of the register in
use and incompetence of persons (gener-
ally prisoners) who kept the record pre-
uiOus to last June, errors OF Overcharge