Evening star., 1947-06-02
House Hearing
SET on Shift Of
Recorder Office
Action to Be Token
On Bill Putting Unit
Under Commissioners
By WiIIiom A. MiIIen

~ eiic 0lStIEb commissioners and
giving them authority to purchase
equipment needed to speed up the
recording work.
The hearing, scheduled for Gas
In, will be conducted by the
Judiciary Subcommittee of the
House District Committee on a bill
eintroduced by Chairman Horan of
the House Appropriations Subcom-
fmittee now considering the new
District budget.
The bill would put the Office
under the Commissioners and en-
power them to prescribe from time
to time the manner, processes and
procedures by which deeds and
other instruments of writing shall
be recorded" They could purchase
machines and equipment deemed
necessary 30 speed up the work.
/ Backlog Increasing Monthly.
Since the war ended, the Office
has fallen steadily behind and now
/ is six months in areas. The backlog
is increasing at the rate of 1000 land
papers a month. A. Oliver Thornton,
first deputy recorder of deeds, blames
this condition largely on the FIVE
day week and an increase in land
activities in the Capital, with no
additional personnel. There are now
80 employees in the Office.
Under District law, he explained,
his office must copy legal papers by
typewriter and this would have to be
changed to permit any other method.
Only land and corporation records
are copied, Mr.. Thornton said. Chat
tells, corporation papers and auto
mobile liens are current, as these
are not returned to their owners,
he said. The land papers include
deeds, deeds OF trust, releases, etc.
MIR. Thornton said his Office has
used the fiscal year 1943 as the base
year for its study. He expects go
per cent increase in business dur
ing the current fiscal year, ending
July 80, contrasted with the fiscal
year 1943.
Would Save S195 per Book.
The District Bar Association has
urged that two reproducing ma
chimes, costing about $1,000 each,
should be purchased \ A Bar As
sociation committee, headed by At
torney George L. Hart, jr,, found
that not counting the purchase price
of the machines, the reproducing
cost would be $3.50 per book, as
opposed to the present cost of $345
book of 600 pages of legal records
"a saving of $195 a book.
Mr.. Hart said the machines would
be paid for in. a few months and
the rest would be "a.-saving. His
committee recommended against
microfllm, due to the difficulty of
indexing and viewing this method.
Harold Booch, assistant to Repre-
sentative Hoyan on District mat
tiers, who investigated the record
er's Office, said the present recorder,
the Rev. Marshall l.. Shepard, Phil
adelphia clergyman, is very agree
able to putting in the new devices
and has been very cooperative.
Mr.. Booch paid tribute to the ef-
f1ciency of the copying method now
used, compared with that in other
recorders Offices investigated, but
pointed out the method is now out
of date.
Would Change Personnel Setup.
The Horan bill, in addition to
providing for Photographic repro
duction of records, would put the
Recorder and his staff under the
Classification Act of 1923. Mr.. Booch
said at present, the employees enjoy
leave, retirement and other benefits
of Civil Service, but are named by
the Recorder.
Further, the proposed legislation
would place the Recorders auto lien
division under the Director of We
hicles and Traffic. The Recorder
points out this would mean placing
the recording of chatel mortgages
in two different places, because he
would still carry other liens such
as legal claims on furniture.
George E. Keneipp, Director of
Vehicles and Traffic, asked about
the situation, said:
I'm an effort to expedite service
to. the public in the matter of OBJ
tanning certificates of title and
license tags. I have recently held
several meetings with represent
atives of the District agencies con-
cerned. However, the procedures
that must be followed are outlined
In such great detail in the auto liens
section of the Traffic Act that we
nave found lit difficult to streamline
them. For example, we maintain
complete card file by motor num-
bers of all cars which have ever
been titled in the District of Co.
lumbia.
Could Combine Auto Files.
The recorders auto lien section
likewise maintains card file by
motor numbers of cars upon which
hens exist, Under Mr.. Horan's bill
II would be possible to combine
these files, Service to the public
would be further expedited under
the bill by permitting the payment
pf feeS for recording, certificates of
title and license tags all at the same
time. The bill will enable us to
take steps to reduce, some of the
delay and inconvenience to motor
lists who are seeking tags"
Rufus S. Lusk, president of the
Washington Taxpayers Association.
said in the past the Recorder of
Deeds office has fought to the last
ditch" the installing of modern
copying equipment. His group has
been attempting to get the equip
nfent installed to save money. Sc
cure true copies of the originals of
legal documents speedily and in
crease efficiency. He investigated an
automatic recorder at Mays Land
ing, N. j.. seat of Atlantic County.
and found it materially speeded up
the work
Mr.. Lusk pointed out that here
80 per cent of the material tvued
over and over again is standard
language in deeds and deeds OF
trust. This, he said, is done from
$4,000 to $4,000 times annually. In
1887. he declared, there were %, 600