The Alaska citizen., 1911-03-27

time is insufficient to pay its run
 ming expenses which, including the
 amount allowed the commissioner
 as maximum compensation, is about i six hundred dollars ($Guo.0D) per month; this amount covers also i clerk hire. janitor service, heat. i light and necessary stationery, and l office supplies. all f which are eX- 1 pensiye items in this part of Alas
 ka By far the greater ion of
 the re ording in this judicial divis | ion has hcen done at Fairbanks. l fifty thousand documents on file in | he office While the instruments | filed for record from day 70 day ! are nat very numerous al the pres 1 ont time and the fees received are | rhertfo comparatively small, the l public is constantly consulting the | records in the office and the services
 If clerk are almost cons'a antly re- | fuired 70 give information and facil-
 itate inquiry. and for this service | there is no comp nsa'ion. A large 1 amount Cf clerical labor is involved | in executing the multfarious duties | assigned by law to the commission | or. who. as occasion may require | fulfllS the offices f coroner, pro | ha.e judge and justice of tho peace | He is also required tO pass up~n [ the reports and audit the accounts | of road oyersecrs. define election | districts. appoint election judges and l preparo forms for their use and | Oerform other du'ies which render 1 he assistance of COmpe' ent clerks | lu'ely necessary. We therefore | recommend. in the interest of pub 1 lie service. that the commissioner | of Fairbanks he paid a fixed salary l he equivalent of the present maxi | mum compensation, and that the l necessary clerical aSsis ance and of | fee expenses he provided for an6 | hat The fees received by the office | he turned in al the end cf each ! quarter 10 the clerk of the district 1 court for such uses as the court l may direct. Under 'he pr sent con | 'i'ions. the commissioner al Fair
 banks is obliged 10 keep up the
 office, practically without compen- | -ation, as the income Is barely suf- l fcient t0 cover the exp nses of the | office. Under these circumstances Te consider tha' urgent necessity | Nists for the change indicated.
 We believe that more satisfactor! | results to the public would follow | ahangc in the law fixing the mini | mum compensation of United State | commissioners at 0 her precincts in
 his division at fifteen hundred dol
 'ars per annum, leaving the maxi | mum cOmpCnSafion as at pr sent | Many of the sp1rSely settled pre- | cincfs yield SO little income to the | commissioner under the present law l hat it is difficult 10 secure and re | ain the scry'cs of competent and
 satisfactory officers.
 If not in conflict with any pend
 ing CT contemplated changes in the | matter of the entry Of public lands. | We recommend that all applications | for homestead entries be made in
 'ha land office and that the neces- ! sary change De made in the law ] 10 make such filings obligatory.
 i From an inspection of the court l house, We believe that fir the con | yenicnce of the officers and employes
 and the public, and for the i'm, | Droyement Cf sanitary conditions. | he city water should be installed:
 hat sufficient hgdrants. basins
 sinks, flush toilets and fixtures per raining theratO 10 meet the neces- | sary requirements should be pro- vided. We recommend that a sui | ticient heating plant be installed in 1 he court house or jail. to be of i such size as to furnish heat for l both buildings. and believe that l these improvements will effect a | substantial reduction in the expense 1 of heating and sanitary regulations, | We recommend that the fire hose | in the hall of the courthouse be 1 placed in a flat rack instead of | reel. so that ii may be ready for | instantaneous use; that fire evtn- | euishers he provided and distributed
 in suitable places about the court | house and that fire cscaDeS te erect
 ed at the back of the building.
 We find the affairs of the city | of Fairbanks to he conducted in a l businesslike manner. Substantial | reductions have heen effected dur | ing the past year, and all efforts | 10 reduce city eypenses should be continued in order to reduce the | burden of taxation.
 An nnuiry into the school affairs l shows that the present school board 1 has reduced expenses about five | thousand dollars (s5,000) during tho | last year. We consider it necessary | to keep the limit of expense dur | ing the coming year at ten thCus and dollars (s1O,OOO.OO) The school
 buildings are in ex client condition. | being very neat and clean and un ! der strict sanitary regulations. There l is a very efficient corps of teachers. | and the present enrolment of pupils 1 is one hundred and fiftv-two
 Recent events very forcibly de-
 mand the enactment of more strin,
 gent laws to control the bankine 1 business in tho territory. The lack | of such leeislation has resulted in 1 serious damage to the business and l flicted financial loss upon a large ! number of people, many of whom l find their entire savings unavailable | at a time when thev are most need | ed. We recommend that the federal l laws governing national banks be
 made applicable to all hanks in the
 territory so far as may be practica- | hle. that all banks be required to
 submit their books, records and se- ] curitieS to inspection and eXamina- | ton by competent authority from
 time to time. and that sworn state | mcnts of conditions be required to
 he published at such times as state
 ments are required from national ! .l @c