Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1903-11-25
OFFICIAL GRATING REPORTED
BY THE TERRITORIAL GRAND JURY
Scathing Arrangement Of the Management Of
the County Hospital===Board Of Supervi=
sols Condemned for Lax Methods.

of the information sought concerning
the abstracts and certified copies
made, and of which no account could
be otherwise obtained.
The data and information so dis
covered has been carefully copied and
arranged and appears in the following
pages.
The attached pages numbered from
five to twelve both inclusive, show
applications for mineral patents in the
local U. S. land office, each of these
applications was accompanied by an
abstract of title made by the recorder,
and this showing is a good index as
to the volume of work in this line that
is positively known to have been
done; it is also a fact that certified
copies of numerous papers are re-
quired in the majority of these ap-
plications.
The attached pages numbered from
sixteen to twenty four inclusive, show
abstracts made by the recorders
office during the period shown; this
period is somewhat limited, yet fur
nishes valuable and reliable informa-
tion as the showing is taken from the
original search notes; an examination
of the prices charged for this work
shows that no fixed rule was followed
aud that the average price collected
was at least twice that allowed by law.
compiling the estimates shown
in all the following pages we have
made DO allowance whatever for the
form books of the Office, but all work
has been figured as having to be cop
led in full; these forms reduce the
actual amount of copying from 20 to
30 per cent.
We find that the recorder has made
up and recopied several indexes the
help to do this has possibly amounted
to one during the greater portion of
the time, but the difference il the
above item of forms would very much
more than compensate for this index
work
II seems clear that little if any of
the fees of the Office from making alb
stracts have been accounted for, and
that a great part if not all of this
work was done during Office hours and
has been paid for by the county as
time of deputies on regular work; We
have thoroughly questioned the re-
corder on these points but his answers
are indefinite.
We inspected the records of the
board of supervisors as to the amount
paid for running expenses of the
office, and attached pages numbered
10, IA and 10 show copy of the items
found.
We find quarterly reports filed by
the recorder with the treasurer of the
county, these are not under oath and
do not contain itemized lists of fees
accounted for or collected.
The cost per folio that the county
is now and has been for some time
paying is from two to three times
what the work might be done for
under contract. and the work of the
office during this time might have
been done by two deputies with ease,
the average being but seventy two
(72) folios per day.
1t is also a very noticeable fact that
the first two quarters work of the year
1901 show a net saving to the county
of thirty nine 800 per cent and that
from then to the present time the per-
cantage has diminished and for the
second and third quarters of the pres
ent year it is but seventeen 40 per
cent.
Another condition that cannot be
accounted for is that for the year 1901
the total fees for recording being
S7S76. %, the fees turned in for
"extras" were SSIl.35, while in 1902
the fees from recording were 1862. 20
ian increase of nearly $4,000 while the
fees for "extras'' were only s409. 90,
reduction of nearly one half.
From the records and information
we have gathered, as shown on page
"A. it appears that considerably more
than $4,000 worth of abstract business
has been done by the office and that
but little if any of this has been &C.
counted for.
Respectfully submitted.
Ziba o. Brown,
Chas. f. Ashley,
NJ. Il HaZeltine,
Committee.