The Cordova daily times., 1915-03-09
VITAL STATISTICS BY TERRITORIAL
 SECRETARY

| Territorial Secretary Davidson, 1T submitting his report to the legisla ture, says that the total amount ot fees received from foreign and domes tic corporations since the law went into effect, to-wit, July 23, 1913, in cluding license fees and filing fees, is $21,77O,1O, which has been deposited with the territorial treasurer, as pro yided in said act
 l Following is a report of the corpo rations on file.
 For, Dom. Total Number of Dead"
 corporations .....515 169 713 Number of Tive"
 corporations .....426 40 S3G Number of corpora
 tions having paid
 license fees .....333 159 492 No. of corporations
 filed since July 23,
 1913 (date Chapter
 IT,, 1913 Session
 Laws went into eff
 IS1t '.s.s. s....... Do bZ l2S
 In connection with the registration of vital statistics under the present law as set forth in Chapter 35 of the 1913 Session laws, the following sug- gestions and recommendations are re- spectfully submitted:
 1. Said act requires record of the births, deaths and marriages in the territory to be made first in the office of the United States commissioner. second in the office of the clerk of the district court; and finally in the office of the secretary of Alaska, thus ere ating three separate and distinct offic- es of record
 In my opinion it is unnecessary and of no avail to require the registration of the vieal statistics of the territory in more than two offices at most and it might prove to be more efTicacious to have but one general office of rec ord, all reports being forwarded direct to the office of the secretary.
 ?. Section of said Chapter 35 pro, vides fee of $1.OO as compensation to the United States commissioners for recording each certificate of birth and death, and provides that the fees shall be included by the commissioner in his quarterly account of fees due from the United States. The federal gov. ernment has disallowed the payment of such fees and as a result some of the commissioners, notably those at Fairbanks, Ruby, Fort Yukon and Idit- arod, in the Fourth judicial division of Alaska, have refused to comply with the provisions of Chapter 35 as to the registration of births and deaths. although urgently requested by this office to do so. Other commissioners. particularly those at Juneau. Skag. way, Haines, Ketchikan, and in fact practically all of the commissioners in hte First and Second judicial diyis. ions of Alaska have been very ener. getic and thorough in the performance of their duties in connection with the registration of vital statistics, even though there was considerable doubt whether they would receive any com pensation for their services. It is therefore recommended that an appropriation be made sufficient to reimburse the commissioners for fees due them for services already rendered in recording the certificates of births and deaths, which will a mount to approximately $1,5OO, and ar additional appropriation to cover the fees which will become due in the flu ture for such services rendered by said commissioners, their accounts tc be submitted to this office and paid from the funds of the territory.
 Generally speaking this law has not been adhered to as closely as il should have been and provision should be made for it's strict enforcement.
 If the records are to be filed witf | commissioners, as the present law re ! la,aas