The morning times., 1896-11-25
TO RECLASSIFY SALARIES
Assessor Trimble Wants Congress
to Re0rganize His Office.
Its Growth Has Been so Great That
He Cannot Keep Up with
the Work.

Based upon the recommendation I'll the
District assessor, Congress Will he akcd ut
the Coming session To reclassiry the s'iaIies
of his official force, which, If carried oct,
Will result IN an entire reUr ganizati IN II the
clerical service upon Il basis which Mr..
Trinible says will he commensurate with
qualifications OF the individuals.
THIS assessor has adopted this mnthnd of
serving the interests OF his office in PREFER
encc To asking for an increase of I'll. num-
Der or clerks. The employees, he says. find
IL absolutely necessary work extra hours
the very slight increase in the clerical f,rce
being not at all commensurate with tie
increase in TIE work, ard an adjustment
OF the salaries would be accepted us a
partial recognition of the extra work Il
ready rendered and which will be neces-
sarily Continued.
He refers to the accumulation of rork in
lis department, specifying it some what in
detail. For instance, he shows that IN 1871
the entire tax accounts for the cities of
Washington and Georgeto wn and the county
were carried iii i've tax ledgers, and the
annual number nf transfers of property at
that time amounted to only few hundred.
II now takes nineteen tax lcdecrs 10 carry
the accounts and an annual average of
5000 transfers of property.
The number Of accounts has increased
since 81 from 13, 512 to 90 for the
present year being 81 900 real estate and
1904 personal tax accounts.
This large Increase in the number Of
entries is due To the many Subdivisions
that have been made, especially IN that
Portion Of the District designated :is the
county.
The odd farm" that in 1850 toDE hut
nne entry To carry it ON the records md
hut one bill to render the account liz saws.
is now subdivision with hundreds Of lots
belonging To different owners Each addi-
tiunal owner is of Course a duplication of
the work necessary over and above that
which was nccessitatcd by the entry # the
original farm.
In 1880 there We're only abOat 0on
different pieces Of property in he culnty.
There are about 80 600 this year, which
means more than five times the am.nnt of
clericallabor tobe performed. The increase
uf the number Of propcriy items IN the city
the assessor says, is not so large, hut still
there Is an increase, and the aggregate Of
the additions to the list is eh;niiins in
creased labor upon a force that has not in
creased propOrtionately.
1t had been customary, he adds to make
an appropriation of 81 900 or s.. 900 in
the year set apart for the triennial as
sessment, to be used in the employment
Of a temporary force but the character Of
the work is such that il cannot he done
ence, and rather than ask for the usual
appropriation. he suggests the rcclaSsifica-
ton alluded to.
There is an inconsistency, the assessor
says, in the fact that clerks qualified as
experts, and these are necessary in his
office, and he has them, should serve, at
salaries as low as $500 and 81 900 Der
annuIn. No clerk, he says, capable of
performing the duties should receive less
than 81 200 year, and the requirements
Of executive ability and Il thorough knowl-
edge of all the details of the office upon
the part OF his two assistants, suggests to
him that the salaries attached to their
positions areSnot commensurate with the
responsibilities involved.
He alludes, also, To the character of the
work required of the license clerk. There
are more than thirty different kinds of
licenses to be issued annually, aycracin
about $3T5,0uu, as IL revenue to the Dis
trict account These are all in charge of
one clerk, who, in addition keeps Ill of
the records pertaining to insurance matters
The assessor believes the salary of this
position should be increased.
The suggestions made have passed into
the hands OF the Commissioners, and will
doubtless receive their sanction