The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-03-15
Grand Jury Reported.

at the Burlington County Insane asylum
on Friday, and after inspecting that in
stitution as well as the almshouse, renderet
the following report:
To the Court of Quarter Sessions of tn
County of Burlington:
The Grand Jury summoned for tn,
! December term of Court report tina
they considered about "a complaints. o
this number there were returned 80 tru'
bills of indictment. OF these there hav,
been % convictions or pleas of guilty
three acquitted; untried because thu
parties are fugitives from justice, 8; IN
tried because of absence of witnesses, 2
remaining to be tried (the indictments
having been returned only three days
since)7
In addition to acting upon such bills Of
indictment as were presented to them by
the public Prosecutor, the Grand jury al
charged by the Court, have given careful
attention to the condition of the various
county offices and institutions. AS we
have previously reported to the Court, We
have visited the Jail and found it In 9
clean and generally satisfactory condition.
We should be glad, however. If more win.
dows or larger openings for light and
ventilation could be provided, If this
is consistent with safety, as many Of the
| corridors and cells are rather dark. The
low cost of feeding prisoners under the
present Sheriff we think shows excellent
management
The condition of the County Clerks
ONCE we are of opinion leaves much to be
desired. We make this criticism as of a
condition coming about through no fault
OF the present County Clerk, who has put
the offices on a business basis and is, we
are assured, making effort to remove some
OF the bad conditions which have come
from former administrations. This Grand
Jury, based upon their personal experience
with the office, also after consulting with
conveyancers, attorneys and officers of
banks and trust companies In this county,
In Camden county, and In the city of
Philadelphia, present the following:
Several years since a very elaborate
system of induces for deeds was put into
operation at a considerable cost to the
County. After these induces were COM
pleted, however, they were not compared
with the records in order that any omis-
sions or errors might be detected and
supplied or corrected. The consequence
was that large number of emissions and
errors have been found from time to time
and when found the omissions were sup
Piled and the errors were as usual thing
corrected, but this has been done only
when called to the actual attention of the
CLERK. 1t is not at all unusual for a per-
son making an extensive search to find
errors In the indices and the only sure
way to remedy this trouble will be by
careful comparison of all the indices of
deeds with the records themselves con-
tanned in the books. This will be an ex
pensive thing to do but we shall never be
entirely safe In relying on search until
1t has been done. A new index was made
for mortgages few years ago. If a COM
parison of this index with the records
themselves has not been made, it should
now be done. We make the following
suggestions:
First-The large induces of deeds and
mortgages should be brought to
date as soon as it can possibly be DONE
AS we find the indices at the present time
the large indices have been allowed to get
very much behind and it is necessary after
examining them to the point to
which they have been carried to examine
the small index books, one being carried
for each record book of deeds and mort
cages, subjecting the person examining
the records to much labor and to much
risk OF overlooking names searched against.
Second-A complete record and index
should be prepared showing all the judg-
ments, attachments, mechanics liens,
sherin's and other bonds, recognizances,
other liens recovered or filed during the
last twenty years, and every item con-
corning the county and court business
should be recorded and indexed, These
lnd1ces are now contained In number of
different books and are in wretched con-
dit1on and it is unsafe for a person not
thoroughly familiar with the office and
with the exact location of the different
lndices to undertake make any search for
liens of this nature.
Third-In order that the induces of deeds
may be safe and reliable it is absolutely
necessary that all the induces of deeds as
found In the Clerks Office should be COM
pared with the records themselves from
the beginning of the County to the
present time.
Your Grand Jury has learned that at
times in the past the Clerks in this Office
have carried the record books to their
homes In the evening to be worked upon.
We regard this as unsafe and in the posi-
Bile case of fire likely to result in damage
to County records.
The Grand Jury fully recognizes that
this work will be expensive but should it
cost as much as two miles of good stone
road, we believe the money would be well
spent. In the present condition of the
County Clerks Office there are Title In.
surance Companies which will not insure
Burlington County titles and in conse-
quence many companies requiring insured
titles refuse to take mortgages on Bur-
lington County real estate, thus narrowing
the money market for borrowers 1t was
testified before this Grand Jury by the
present Search Clerk that only a limited
number of men in the County would be
fully qualified to make thorough search
for titles, whereas in the Judgment of the
j ury this should be so easily done as to be
possible for any good conveyancer. If it
De objected that granted, the present con-
ditions, money is always forthcoming when
mortgage is to be placed, this Jury
makes the point that searches are more
expensive and difficult. than they should
be or are in the Clerks offices ofIadioining
counties, which limits the number of
banks and trust companies willing to make
them, increases the risk of investment and
thereby places the county at large at
since this Grand Jury began its sitting
the Board of Freeholders, in organizing
for the current year, have made several
changes in their methods of
procedure, which we are sure will cause a
considerable saving to the county, notably
the resolution to meet but seven times in
a year instead of thirteen times, the aboli-
ton of the Advisory Bridge Committee
and the Purchasing Committee, and re-
ducing other committees from five to
three members, at the same time deciding
not to build new bridges or new roads this
year, etc. We find, however, that the
present methods are such as lead to dupli-
cation of offices and involve cumbersome
methods, far behind modern business
practice, only suffered to continue because
handed down from one year to another.
We think that members of the Board of
Freeholders should secure teams, men and
material as near as possible to the scene of
operation, using as many teams and men
as can be worked to advantage, and re-
quiring ten hours of actual labor. They
should give no contracts to bidders that
have previously proven themselves unre-
liable, and give no jobs on small bridges
to recognized loafers. Each supervising
Freebooter should have careful oversight
of men employed by him on all work.
Bridges should not be torn up for weeks,
as has frequently been the case, when
few days would suffice. When large sys-
TENS like railroad companies replace or re-
build bridges. travel is delayed but a few
hours. All standing committees should
carefully and impartially scrutinize all
bills submitted to them, and endeavor to
conduct business as a conservative indi-
viduaI would his rorSonol h,,o;DaSs