The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-29
AFFAIRS OF The THE DISTRICT
Secretary Tindall's Annual Report
to the commissioners.
Attention Called to the Constantly
Growing business of the slanief-
paIity, InyoIvz,ae Considerable
Increase IN the work of the Eari-
Gus oaiceS-orders and Decisions.

DR., William Tincp5il, Secretary to the
Beard Of Commissioners, today submitted
his annual report of the operations of his
Office for the past year. IN pars he says:
The record system in operation in the
executive office appears to meet all the
practical re, Trements of the business Of
the Office, and to be sufficiently adapted
TO the character OF the work performed
TO justify its retention until it shall be
thought advisable TO rearrange the whole
method Of keeping the correspondence
records OF the District Government.
"A number OF propositions on the sub
iect have been considered The most al
Turing of these plans is to have one rec
ord Office for the entire municipal CORE
spoHdence system. with a single numeri-
cal series of letters received and one of
the letters sent, At present nearly every
Office or department has separate Sc
rles OF its own.
While a system OF that nature might
be productive of delay and embarrass-
ment in an organization having branches
or subordinates doing business in parts
OF the country or parts OF the District re-
mote from the Central Office, the fact
That il is practicable TO have all OF the
offlces of the District Government in the
same city and nearly. al in the same
building. seems TO render the project
feasible.
las an alternative to such a record
system, the correspondence records of ali
OF the several offices under each Com
missioner could have series distinct
from those of the Offices Under the otter
Commissioners. as is now the case in
the Engineer Department. At present
the record of the one entry clerk in the
Secretary's Office. with the work OF the
clerk who keeps the account of papers IN
transit between the Commissioners and
the system provided by the order of July
i, 1887, suffice to ebYiate embarrassment
In the premises. but must be regarded as
a tentative provision
1T is yery desirable that a card index
OF the minutes and orders of the Com
mlssioners from July 3. 1874, and a card
index Of the opinions of the several At
torneys Of the District of Columbia
should be prepared as early as practi-
| cable. and thereafter kept up to date;
| also that like index of the letters re-
eeiYed from the same date until the date
OF the adoption Of the present card sys-
TEN for those records should be made
Large portions OF the Indexes Of those
records which are now in use. as well as
the records themselves, are in many re-
but dtscreditabie TO the Office Some CT
/ the persons who were engaged at diner
ent times IN the preparation OF those in
dexes we're materially untitled TO ade-
! duateiy perform the work entrusted 10
them, and the results of their employ
msnt we're such as 10 lend emphatic en-
/ deTsement to the Commissioners, recon-
mendations for civil service requirements
in the matter of appointments of District
[ officials, which would preclude a Tepeti-
! ton OF such a state of affairs but 1 am
/ glad TO state that this criticism is not
| applicable 10 any Of the clerks at present
/ employed IN the executive Office. Not only
/ was the character Of the work done I'M
! der those circumstances detective. but in
+! consequence OF the insufficient clerical
force il the executive Office for years
many forms OF record of Indispensable to
/ q proper standard Of Official business were
altogether precluded.
! The accumulation Of laws, reports. and
| documents Of various kinds. and the ne
/ eessity for frequent references thereto, as
well as 10 the old records ii former mu-
| inequalities in the District. has reached the
/ stage wben the creation OF the Office OF
| librarian is advisable
s'The librarian might In adsatcn tn nr-
binary duties Of arranging and caring for
the books he subject [ othe duty of or
; gaRizing and preparing statistical infcr-
nation and other miscellaneous work The
compensation should be sufficient 10 OBJ
| tain an incumbent having capabilities enu-
mensurate with the character Of the srv-
ice he would be expected TO perform
With the $500 provided in the defcisn-
cy appropriation Of June 6. 1900 for CON
pIeting an index OF the laws affecting the
municipal government OF the District OF
| Columbia very encouraging progress was
| made upon a system OF said indexes of the
municipal laws. ordinances, and regula-
tons in force in the District. and to other
| facts OF current and historical Importance.
to which means Of ready reference is de-
sirable-