The Portland daily press., 1899-03-15

Cramped for Room-some New on
GERS May BE Needed.
Some extra clerical help will be re-
quired In some Of the city departments
and some changes made about the build
Ing will be necessary owing to the add
tional work and space required by the
annexation of Wards and o.
In the city clerks ONCE no extra help
will be asked for, but with the, many
Deering records which must be at hand
for reference and the crowded condition
of the room, 1t Is possible that an attempt
will be made to add the city messengers
room to the city clerks office. 1t is
stated that this change can be made at
very small expense and the increased
space will allow of q better disposition of
the numerous books and records which
must be at hand at all times. 1t is sug.
gested that the city messengers office can
be located in the ante-room between the
aldermen and councilmen's rooms, and
the present city messengers office can be
made into a private office and record
room for the city clerk. City Clerk Dyer
has not yet brought the Dsering records
into Portland, but this change will be
made soon as some arrangement for the
storing of these records can be made.
No extra help will be requested in the
city auditors office and this 70 ON, one of
the pleasantest and largest in the build
| ing, will not be changed in anyway.
In the city treasurer's office few
minor changes will probably be made.
The counter will be extended to the size
of the room and this will give additional
space behind the counter for o desk. 1t
! Is believed that one extra clerk will be
necessary at this department the year
through, while at present an extra clerk
is employed only portion of the time.
City Treasurer Libby went to Dcering
yesterday and there looked over the books
| in the city clerks and treasurer's Office.
These records will be moved into the
Portland office as rapidly as possible.
| THE ASSESSORS DEPARTMENT.
The assessors department will find its
work largely increased by the annexation
of the two new wards. The record of the
valuation of property in Deering has not
been kept in the same way in which it Is
in Portland. The Deer ing assessors have
made one valuation on lands and build
ings. while in Portland the real estate
and building valuation has been kept
separate. 1t will be necessary for the
Portland assessors, in order to reduce these
| records to the same system to separate
the real estate from the building valun-
| tion as rapidly as possible. This will be
| commenced at oncs and the assessors will
| require two more clerks than usual be-
sides the chief clerk of this department,
| who will probably be Joseph II. Butch
| ms who was one Of the Deering asses
sors. MIR. Hutchins went TO work in the
assessors department yesterday and will
superintend the changes In the Deering
valuation records which are necessary
MIR. Hutchins's salary has not yet been
fixed, nor hns he been formally appointed
He began work yesterday on authority of
the Mayor and his position will undoubt-
eddy be made permanent one at the next
meeting of the city government The
salary of chief clerk of the assessors de-
partment rs this new position will be
designated, will undoubtedly be fixed at
$1,000 year. The election of Mr.
Hutchins will probably be made by the
board OF assessors and confirmed by the
committee on assessors department.
This may not be done in just this way,
however. Alderman Lamson contsnds
that this Office should be filled by election
of the committee ON assessors depart
ment. but others claim that should this
be done in every instance 1t would result
in the selection of persons, often times,
who could not be used by the assessors.
The assessors now have in their Office
the tax books of Deering. including all
the papers and records of the old DeeriDg
department The assessors would like
more room in which TO store all of these
records and do their work in, but they
will probably be unable to obtain more
They also need a private office in which
to interview taxpayers who have com.
plants to enter or who have certain
disclosures to make concerning property.
This business now has to be conducted
in a public room and is often source
of much embarrassment to citizens as
we'll as the assessors.
The assessors also say that they need
very much vault In which to store their
valuable records and protect them from
loss from fire. The city CLERK also needs
such vault, but it is not probable that
these needs will We supplied during the
coming year.
A CLERK OF COMMITTEES.
Some years ago an attempt was made
to create a new city office to be known as
clerk of committees. The motion is now
being considered in a different form, but
amounts to about the same thing Port.
land has grown to such size now that
the Mayors office is overun with visitors
who come ON all kinds of erran6s and
who take up a great deal OF the execu-
tiye's time. IL is suggested that the clerk
of committees could act as private secre-
Il