The Portland daily press., 1895-06-01
FROM THE CAPITAL.
What the State Board Of Health is
Doing.
IMPORTANT CIRCULARS RELATING
TO VITAL STATISTICS.
A Departure That Has Made Rapid Ad-
vance and Done Good Work-Some-
thing About the State Assessors and the
Perplexities of Their Work.

thlhS ABOUT the state Assessors and the
PerpIexities of Their Work.
Augusta, May 81 The State
Assessors are busily engaged just
now in preparing for two years
work. During the next two years the law
requires them to meet in one or more
places in every county in convention with
the local assessors. They must also go
into eight counties where there are wild
lands and hold meetings with the wild
| land owners. A special feature of the
work of the board for some time to come
will be the visiting of manufacturing
concerns, in order to equaliZe the valua-
tlon OF such properties Many towns in
| order to encourage the introduction and
maintenance of manufactures reduce the
| taxes indirectly by putting a low valua-
ton on the plants. The State Assessors
do not interfere with this practice SO far
as it affects the towns alone, but in max
ing up the valuation for purposes of State
taxation, they establish another valua-
| tion for these indirectly exempted mills
and factories In consequence, if town
wants to tax $500, 900 plant for half its
value, it may do so but in making the
valuation for the State tax the Assessors
will include the whole $500, 900. Then
there are other matters which call for
adjustment. Sometimes manufacturing
concerns ask for a hearing to explain why
they regard their valuation too high. The
Edwards Company at Augusta was given
hearing some time ago, and the Lock
wood mills at Waterville, and the Cabot
mill at Brunswick have asked for an op-
portunity to confer with the assessors
The valuation of mill property is a prob
lem with many perplexing features For
the reasons already given the State As
cal valuation as in other classes of prop
erty. Then some mills own the water
powers which run their machinery, while
others use the power furnished by another
corporation as is the case at Biddeford
and Saco. That makes another condition
which confronts the assessors when they
come to fix the valuation.
. DIR. A. G. Young, the Secretary of the
State Board of Health, has had little
spare time since the last legislature adj
Journed. The changes made in the health
laws necessitated the preparation of sew
eral new blanks, and the writing of a lot
of new instructions for the guidance Of
the local boards of health and the town
and city clerks whose duty it is to record
and make the returns of vital statistics.
Since the adjournment of the law max
ers an asbtract of the amended health
laws has been prepared and printed max
ing a pamphlet OF 19 pages. DR.. Young,
who is Registrar of Vital Statistics as
well as Secretary of the State Board of
Health, has also been sending to the town
and city clerks circular letters of in
structions, some parts of which are inter-
esting as showing how careless returns
may be the cause of omissions in the rec
ords which it is soon impossible to sup
ply For instance, the registrar thus calls
attention to the trouble caused by report
ing marriages at 'Jones's Corners" and
in 1.-THE johnson neighborhood -
To avoid as far as possible such errors,
the department of Vital Statistics has
prepared forms of the blanks required un-
der the laws and these are sent to the
town clerks free of charge when asked
for, which fact has just been called to
the attention of the clerks in another cir
cular issued recently. Perhaps this little
list tells as well as an elaborate explana-
tion the scope of the work of collecting
the vital statistics of the State. 1t is as
follows
"In recording place of birth, marriage
or death, give the name of the town Or
CITY, instead Of a local name which may
not be universally known. For instance,
there may be more than one Spruce
Point in the State, and if there We're but
one bridge by that name the town in
which marriage at sSheepscot Bridge
occurs, depends, perhaps, upon which
side of the river the clergyman lives
"Of a marriage, birthplace of groom
and bride is very important part of the
record, and should never be omitted
Some blank certificates of marriage, not
issued from this office, have given much
trouble by not calling for these facts.
'sIn every record the year should be in
cluded as a part of the date. %
Blank certificates of birth, for the use
of town clerks, physicians, midwives
parents and householders.
Blank certificates of marriage for town
clerks clergymen and justices of the
peace.
Blank certificates of death, for town
clerks, physicians, undertakers, and rela-
tives and friends of deceased persons.
Books of blank burial permits for TOWN
clerk and sub-registrars
Blank cards. for the use of town clerks
| in making their annual returns in June.
Blanks for the use of town clerks in
making returns of the names of persons
who fail to comply with the requirements
of the law
| Blanks for assessors.
Blanks for monthly report from town
clerk to town clerk
Classification of the causes of death,
and notes to accompany, for physicians,
town clerks, etc.
Blanks for clerks of courts.
| In pamphlet the Act providing for the
registration of Vital Statistics.
| A synopsis of the requirements of the
Act for posting in public places.
In another letter, this one to secreta