New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-04-18
Our New Jury system.

Our New Jury system.
Mr.. Commissioner Walker has communicated
to the Board OF Supervisors the following expose
OF the first years operation OF the new plan OF
selecting and summoning Jurors. 1t seems to
work we'll and pays We wish serving on a
Jury was not 50 bad speculation q. it ia York
shilling for three or four days confinement, and
legal botheration. Can't the Commissioner devise
some relief for this
OFFICE OF TIE coaaIssIoSxR OF JuAoHs,
April 5. ls49. )
Hon Of Supervisor. City Coast, YoSt
Herewith 10 an account OF receipts and expenditures
al this office for the last year. The whole amount
ceived is So 1855 70; the amount expended including
salary Of Commissioner, 10 s2429 2-leaying
Vt receipts expenditures Of 500 81 OF this
amount $500 has been paid into the City Treasury.
Ii oush the mbersin per hs receipt fled In the
Controllers Otfce and the sum OF 500 81 remains In
my hands
Ny hrst object assuming the duties of this ofes
10 tighten the burden OF Jury duty heretofore borne
By those persons hsbtusy summoned TO perform this
duty Ii had previously reached 10 about three 10 i've
terms per snnum for each individual summoned. The
number formerly returned by the Assessors sbeut
hTe thousand OF whom ess than two thousand were
found liable The amount paid to the Assessors for
making these returns $500 per snnum Instituted
a tull Of the City. and obtained twenty four
thousand names cost OF 5Ii1 As directed BY law
notice wss given through the newspapers employed by
the Corporation for exempts TO register them
this Office. This, Ia great measure they elected TO
do Every effort was made to ooviste this difficulty by
obtaining returns from the uniformed militia. hre com
| psnies, the association Of exempt hremen, &c. sill
many exemptions remained unrecorded. and could rot
be obtained until, being drawn and summoned, the
persons claiming them appeared at this office and made
their exemption known. In this way the large isl fur
nished 10 becoming gradually cleared of exempts aud
the close OF the Jury year the s OF Juy next there
will remain clear list Of about ten twelve thousand
available nsmes-a number large enough 20 supply all
| Courts each
| once Ia that period
| During the year now pending from August ls4s TO
August le49, no person has been nor will be, called
to act as Juror more than once and this will be the
settled system hereafter The chief difficulty In the
first years operation OF the system has been,
that, OF the panels summoned, comparatively few
persons have appeared This Is owing to the number
of exemps yet remaining the lat, and will not
st after the ls OF August next In the meantime the
difficulty may be wholly Obvisted by Increasing the
number ordered by the Courts on each panel which
may be- carried any extent the supply In the Jury
box cannot be exhausted by the most liberal drafts
This course IL now adopted by the several Courts.
Though the expense OF starting new system has
been greater for the first year than will be- hereafter
IL has been greater indeed less, than that of the
limited sud In. cient sys stem OF former years My at
tention has not Oeen msinly directed 10 making u a
source of revenue. least for the nrst year but 10
tightening the burden Of Jury duty upon citizens
Nevertheless has yielded to the City Treasury the
Of $500 over and above its expenses and IL Is believed
thRt has heretofore been derived from
this source Hereafter there 10 10 expect that
the income from this source will be much greater,
though revenue IL Is considered should not be pri
mary object In this connection.
II will be perceived that the Of 5000 81 10 retain
ed In the hands of the Commissioner. intend unless
o,herw,e directed BY the Board OF SUPERVISORS to
tain this sum- together with the collections TO be made
during the present MONTH 10 meet the expenses OF
making the new Jury Hat 20 be commenced on the nrst
Of next month. Last yesr | was under advances for
this purpose TO amount equal to that sccrung during
the first FIVE months OF the year beside receiving moth
ing salary for that period AZ the weight OF the er
penditure takes place 10 the hrst quarter, when the
Jury lat 10 under preparation, and during that
time there Is leisure 10 make collections, trust the
Board of Supervisors will acquesce In this arrange
ment
The expense Of making the next liss will be much
less than for the last STILL every year, owing 10 re-
mOvsls and accessODs 20 our population. this expend
| turs must be renewed Nor can II be prevented by
making any considerable OF the City Directory /;
the law requires that the Jury list shall be furnished
and deposited with the County Clerk at about the date
at which the City Directory is annually published.
have AZ my command vouchers for all the expepdl'
lures charged and complete lis OF all persons fined.
with the amounts annexed all Of which are at the
service Of your honorable Board.
Respectfully submitted
| (Signed) WIN. A. WALKER.
Commissioner Of Jurors