New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-20

In 1886 the total receipts Appropriated $780,
SIT. In 1880 they had shrunk to $59,l63. In
this item it appears that from this period there
has been decrease of receipts Of 80 per cent
q year over the preceding year, showing an
annual loss to the city Of some $4,000. To
this must be added the expenditures for the
preservation Of the public records, copying, com
pairing, map work, and book-binding, from 1883
TO date, SlIs,17s. or about $4,000 year BY
these two items of $4,000 and $4,000 it thus
appears that the County Clerks office is now not
only not self-supporting but has actually cost the
city annually $4,000. The volume Of work b
not now half Of what it was in 1884, but the
number of employees under salary is the same.
partial explanation Of this heavy loss in
receipts is found in the fact that the bulk Of the
searching is now done by the title guarantee
companies But there Is no apparent reason why,
when the volume of business and work OF tue
office is annually decreasing nifty per cent, the
number Of employees should be gradually increased
year by year and the salary list maib tanned In
violate. In the course OF their employment Gov
eripR in some cases several years, the searchers
had collected valuable data regarding titles, ana
upon the formation Of the new title companies
many Of these searches became directly or lndi.
recriy interested in them. These data, although
collected within office hours, the searchers claimed
as their personal property, and ohe city. Ia order
70 continue the search work OF the ONCE ana
compete with The title companies, was obliged to
purchase this data for something IKE $3o,oo9:
All searches must be returned within ten days.
days the statute allows an additional fee of one
ha!f Of the regular fee the purpose being 10 pro
vide for such extra help as might be necessary;
sss Under theory that
il The work ives done by them after hours they
wsss enttSaed to the tees. Prom 1885 to 1888,
while Gr WIS dsnHy under Flask tis shssa exa
cent Or s. .Sz4; GAroy, under the after hours
or N.ies: ThcIs son William. IS bookkeeper.
20 per cent, or $3.50. and about 100 a year to
the wstohman while the city got what was left
Regard the preservation of public records,
curious fact was developed Prior to the Act OF
1889 the County Clsrks payroll for this class of
JS aai ne 81 he sup@e Court who certified to
the Hoard Of Estimate for payment But now.
under the Act Of last winter. the Supreme Court
work and no longer audits the account; so that
as the Board of Estimate and Apportlonment are
obliged to make the appropriation thus certified,
now actually aud1ts his own bill
The amount expended in the last eight n years for
the preservation Of records Is $4,000. This
covers l4O volumes, or s4,336 pages, OF which
only eighteen volumes actually bear the certif-
cate of the County Clerk and nd, can oe use, ed in court
as legal evidence; For TINS WORK the city Is
therefore paying 81 "a a page.
REGISTERS OFFICE.
The Registers Office is as its present chief,
Frank T. Fitzgerald, acknowledged, "a Tammany
heirloom" BY the act Of 1884 this became
salaried office in 1887, the Register receiving an
ennual salary of $l2 900 and the city taking the
fees and bearing the expenses. This is the same
act that placed the County Clerk under salary
in 1856, but the operation Of the act dlnered, as
the County Clerk and Register ore not elected In
the same year.
With the exception Of 1886. there are no data
Of record showing the income Of the ONCE as con-
Quoted under the fee system. The report OF ex-
Register John Reilly to the Secretary OF State ior
1885, however, shows that the net pront nom
the office for that year was SOL 400 AS the
Office is now managed under the salary plan, the
city is losing every year what was formerly
monthly profit The volume Of business PRIOR 10
1887 was double what it Is now. whik the ex-
penses were one-half. The following comparison
shows difference in results under the Two
methods:
A. conducted by Mr.. Reilly: p,os,.
Loss .a ascs sls 81 sif Seass sa.iso 20
Az conducted by ssiaried empoyes:
1887 SIS ksse rs sisos es sesso preas.
!sss ::: .::::::::: issse5 isss:s IN r.:
10 October 1, 1850. 96415 s7oOo vi"
In the item OF searches alone, the expense OF