The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-18
REPRESENTATION Commits
SiOnerS Furnish Facts.
Comparison Left Out of the
Mayors Message.
Statistics That Show the Old System
Was More Expensive.

A communication was sent to the Com
mon Council last night from the regis
tration commissioners with the expecta-
ton that it would be read. For some
reason Mr.. West opposed the reading and
carried his point. Mr.. Vests motive Is
very apparent upon an examination OF
this report, which is given below.
The resolution referred to is the one
providing for clerk hire which was ve-
toed by Mayor McGuinness.
THE COMMUNICATION.
The resolution in question follows chap
ter 632 of the ordinance OF 1895, approved
bisrch .92, 1895. This latter ordinance
appro priated 800 for clerical assistance
ana under il these clerks were paid from
March II, 1895, until the same was ex-
hausted on June J., 1895. Ii also follows
Joint resolution 2S6 OF 1895, which was
approved June Is, 1895. Under this last
resolution these clerks were paid from
June l until December Is, since which
time no payments have been made, the
appropriation being then exhausted, or
speaking exactly, there being but 20 cents
left of the same.
The present resolution was introduced
on the first day OF the municipal year,
January q, 1896, and was referred to the
hoAaAA 49, FA's CB0ahl ~
that committee was further continued by
the council for two weeks and until Feb
ruary 3, when the same passed both
branches OF the City Council.
The clerks employed by the board have
been paid weekly at the rate OF $3.50 per
day for day work and approximately
the same sum for night work, viz: 40
cents per hour, two clerks icing contin-
uously engaged working nights from
about Novemb Der 8 until February 1.
nIaAA 4 .Kna mi los 1nRs A2I
night work from March IL to April 20.
AS TO the expenditure OF this money ii
Is TO be noted:
First. The finances committee, after
full hearing, have approved of the same
therein mentioned as requisite and necess-
airy.
Second. The itemized pay roll Of this
department is approved weekly by this
board.
Third. After approval by the board it
is passed upon by the city auditor before
payment
Fourth. Said payroll is also approved
by the joint committee OF accounts I'M
DER Section 80, of Chapter II of the or
dinances. Every dollar expended by
this board has also been audited in the
same manner.
As TO the necessity Of clerical assistance
during the past year it should be noted
also that,
First. To comply with the-state law it.
was necessary to ascertain the address by
street and number of every voter, prop
trty and registry alike, nearly 20, 600 in
oil, and locate and transfer the same to
their proper ward ana voting district; the
addresses OF property voters not having
been hitherto printed on the lists, as re-
quired by law.
Second. The names OF several thou
sand property owners, voters, were trans
mitted 10 this board by the former boards
of canvassers, without any record or in
d~icstion whether the same were qualified
as real estate voters or as personal proper
ty voters. The name of every property
voter, neary 1900 in all, on the list
was first separately examined and com
pared with the tax assessment of 1894,
and prior years to 1889, in order TO ascer-
tain its qualih cation.
Third After the tax assessment
of 1896 was completed every name
then remaining, nearly $4,000 in all,
was again a second time examined by
thet assessment In order to ascer-
tain, whether a real estate voter retained
that qualification or was assessed for per-
sonal property or not at all; to ascertain
whether a personal property voter re-
tanned that qualification or was assessed
foEreal estate or not az ali; to ascertain
whether a registry voter retained that
qualification or had acquired real estate
or was assessed for personal property.
This requisite transfer from one class of
voters to aaether was mad in each case
ana was, of course, entered upon the
official records of the board, and was
n labor OF many weeks duration, involv-
ing the examination OF twenty-five voting
lists containing nearly twenty-three
thousand names, and the examination OF
the duplicate tax assessment furnished by
the board OF tax assessors, fourteen man
uscript volumes of over fourteen hundred
pages.
Fourth. Upon the completion OF that
rrNrI- aarIu Ia Nax.aV,Lnr a. ko,et,a ,,,,e-
sary, In order TO prepare the lists for the
principal election, TO still further correct
the lists OF personal property voters, OF
whom there were nearly seven thousand,
by the returns of perEonal property taxes
paid to the city treasurer.
The final canvass meeting for the last
municipal election lasted five days ana
nights, ftom 9 O'Clock in the morning
until II o'clock each night, the Official
lists not being completed until after mid
night OF the day oil the election, the three
comm ssioners and q force OF four clerks
being at work during that time. ).
Fifth. On tho Gay succeeding the mu-
nicipal election work was at once begun
TO separate, as required by law, the names
of real estate and o sonal property voters
into their respective classes (they having
hitherto been printed ind lscriminately
together) in order 90 mako ready for the
spring election. This work was not com.
pleted until January IS, 1895.
Sixth. During the year 5000 registry
voters personally registered their names
In this office, OF course constantly inter-
rupting the routine work Of the Office,
and for the latt,r part OF the year requir-
ing the entire attention OF two clerks at
eli times and during the latter part OF Dc
oember the whole force OF the Office, both
commissioners and clerks.
seventh Since early i'm November two
clerks have worked nights and two by
day posting these 5000 registry voters
from the ;our registry books, where their
names were entered irrespective OF loca-
ton, into p voting district lodges, re-
curing careful cxaminatio on Of the speil-
ing of each name and the accurate deter
| IMITATION OF the proper voting districts in
each case, there being - voting districts