Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
Reform In the Recorders Office.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
As public attention is being call1d through
the press TO needed improvements ana re-
forms in the District recorders Office.
desire 10 present a few suggestions n re-
laticn thereto.
That the real estate transactions Of this
country have long since outsr, wn these
primitive methods Of keeping the records
thereof is a fact patent to every one no
is the least familiar with our public records.
That there Is a great necessity Tor some re-
form that Will improve cur present system
TO electually lift our records out OF
this cll rut is also very evident. from the
fact that private enterprise has been
obliged TO take hold Of The public records
as a necessity for the dispatch and safety
Of business.
While oar records are thus practically
passing from the publ, as the mere Gus
c,iians thereof into TIE control OF private
corpora tons as abstractsrs of titles. this
is more the work OF necessity than de-
sign. IL has been brought about. and IL Is
still being continued through parSimony
and want Of enterprises in our public off,
Gals looking to the general public gooi
and convenience.
While IL is undoubtedly true that there
viii ever be a necessity for searchers and
ahstracters Of titles who thus become
familiar with the records; while the fire.
quent changes I'm the officers prevent the
officials from becoming thoroughly posted
on such records: yet any Improvement IN
methods becomes an aid TO them. But
aside from this consideration, the records
should be made for the public what they
are designed and intended TO be-thSt "a, a
reliable and ready reference from which
any person OF ordinary intelligence could
ascertain for himself or through his at
tcrneys any desired information direct from
the records.
This could and should be made obtainabls
from the records. with certainty and dis
patch.
Attempts are being made In numerous
states already, through the press. guber-
material recomme ndations and Legislative
action. TO inaugurate a reform IN the matter
OF the public records. far the real
estate transactions are concerned. To this
end they are enncavoring TO Introduce Sir
Robert Torrins land transfer system. which
he inauguratcl in Australia However. hav-
ing thoroughly Investigated IL. having oil
the laws pertaining 20 the same, and also
having visited Canada, where they have
II upon their statute books. i hiil say that
il never has been and never viii be brought
into successful operation with old volunli-
rous records. such We ha e here in WASH
ingtcn. for the reason that they seek TO
issue a certificate OF title that the courts
r,.ust defend. How could the 1870 volumes
of records in the District recorders Office
here he examined and PASSED upon. as 10y
n registrar general. SO as to issue a certif-
cate of title therefor? How go through all
III So records. and by at least a quT si-judi-
cial inquiry. pass upon the titles? The IN
vestigation of these titles retrosnectively
car not be dispensed With. Some other
remedy must therefore be rc.crted 10 Tor
reference TO the past transactions and 10
pro,i-, for the future, so as TO also d.
n inish the volume Of the future recortS
One remedy I will suggest, and that is
that all transactions like mortgages trust
deeds SC having a limited period TO run
and then become imperative. should not
be spread upon the records. They should
NE made out in duplicate or triphoate. as
occasion requires. and both executed as
,tirin:ls and both taken by the mortgage
"a the recorder. who files them both and
rc,ains one on file and returns the other
"a the holder. When the mortgage is paid
AID evidenced TO the recorder, then such
mortgage Is withdrawn from the files aud
motel upon the index 10 sucs files as with
drawn This and many other remedies
might be profitably adopted TO reduce the
seless accumulation Of dead matter now
recorded JAMES THORNE.