The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-06
BY THE NUMERICAL SYSTEM.
Contract for IT'S Preparation Let ~
County mmfssieners-Task VIII
he Tedious and Cost Heavily
Claimed to Ne m Improvement.

The county commissioners yesterday
took q step when viii almost rev alafi0h-
lie the present system of recording FeaG
estate titles in the county ausi1oT oi-
fee
After an investigation Of several ~e Ks
the comm .onera have decided 10 adopt
tbs tract" or numerical system Of IN
dexlng the records and yesterday RESI-
hutton was passed letting the contract Tor
preparing a set 81 Index hooks under the
new system 20 Il. A Knapp and u. ID
ODDS, two expert clerks. one 81 whom
Mr. Knapp. wzs formerly employed ii
the county assessors of3cs and - Tow IN
the employ OF the city
Just what the new set Of indexes Will
cost has not been exactly calculated The
contractors will De paid at the rate OF ga
cents for eaca tract or parcel o. land In
dexes.. County Auditor Evsnson said
yesterday that at a low estimate the in
6eges would cost the county sS..s and
would take several years to complete un-
ie-Ss the contractors shoald employ
large force OF afsstTaCtarS to assist the m.
A. present the county All lisor's records
Of real estate titles are ln1exed by the
names N owners, each instrument affect
Ing the title or piece Of property oeiIs
double indexed hy the ma meS Of both the
grantor and grantee, that Is the person
conveying and the person TO whom the
conveyance is made. THIS alpha bef.cai
system Will have To be- maintained. II is
alleged. after the numerical system is
adopted the law prescribing IL and max
Ing the index part Of the records
themselves
The numerical. or tract. system Will.
Auditor EysDson says. prove great boon
To property owners and lawyers. making
IL possible for any person OF ordinary IN
teihsence To ASCERTAIN the condition Of
any real estate title without the expense
Of employing a professional ahsETactor 10
g
seem to think also that the new index
system wili be a great Improvement On
the Old one and VIII tend 10 prevent tan.
gied titles.
But or this question there liz a differ
ence Of opinion. Naturally the profess
slonal abetractors are not friendly To any
system which may affect their business.
ard Il IS from them that the severest
criticism OF the numerical index comes
L. s Booth who has been in the abstract
business In Seattle for years and who -
now member OF the firm Of Booth-Whlt-
tlesey-Hanford Abstract Company. the
largest in the city. said in effect last nigh.
that the adoption OF the new index sys-
TEN was an expensive piece Of folly. II
VIII cost the county. he said at least $2n,-
Np. and in ali likelihood d great deal
more, when complete. and will then be
worthless 10 the general public.
We have In oUr Office. said he, "a
very complete numerical index OF these
same records. but to one not familiar with
the business it is Of no value Every alb
stractor knows that such an index Is Of
no tisse 10 the general pubic. The system
was adopted in Spokane county
but has proved a failure. SO far as
know only few semi-profes
sional afsstractoFa have found it Of
any us The Spokane abstractors who
have their own records and indexes, tel
me that the new Index has not affected
htlffneSs In the least
II might further say that I'm my opinion
,he county commissioners in resolving to
let the contract for the preparation Of
this new index without competition has
not dealt fairly with The ahstractors OF
the city. My own company for example
would have been glad Of "a chance 10 bid
on the job