The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-21
A Word for short Hand writers

New ORLEANS, Jan %. 1879.
En,for DemorraN 1T is reported whether
making n reduction in the fees Of short bapd
| reporters employed IN the courts of this ejtv
Is again being rnootcd In the Legislature
The word again r. used because, during The
| lost session. a bill to this effect WIS intro.
| d',ced and being placed In the hands eg tho
judiciary Committee for examination, was
| ~ IT., reported upon unfayolhbly. See
ing that the subject is abottt tn be
revived 1t is npropes to call the alton
ton Of the Legislature aud the public ut largo
to the facts which induced The gentlemen
composing the judiciary Committee lust year
| to report nnfhvorably on the bin rs then pre-
| sented. There Is n degree of Ignorance on the
part Of the general public in regard
short IT, th9 tn :, qualifications qualification, required of
hardly be realized by the itmedath members
pf the profession or those who have given
thought to The matter. TO begin, IT. is neces,-
sary that the. reporter should he man Of
average English education. and that he
should he possessed of fully the average
measure Of natural intelligence, guiekuese Of
comprehension, and quick and ready hand.
Having these first necessaries, he must mus
ter the principles phohograpby requiring as
gunge. Having these he must 90 through %
severe and protrhcted course Ot hand train
ing to acquire the requisite speed in writing.
Then, u he Is lnw reporter, he must farni-
iiarize himself. In no small degree with the
forms and usages Of law courts. He must
hccustoin himself to writing in public, must
train cor and hand to nct IN unison Having
done oil this, he Is ready to begin his work
And what is his work? On This point again
the public and tho Inv makrrs who represent
IL are lar from elehr apprehension. The
average legislator secs the phonographer ut
work. and the pen travels so swiftly over the
page, IT. seems SO little 10 do surely, it cannot
,s,, BE- worth much; and he says tV himself,
fffl Hoes q.
How can he have the assurance to require
such price for an hours work p Hn eees
the rapid writing without, it is true. having
hny conception Of the mental and bodily strain
involved even in tfint which seems to him so
easy. But he forgets that after the judicial
day IS over, after hours Of attendance, in
which much, or little or nothing may have
been done. the reporter If he has taken any
testimony, has his real work yet
before him. The drudgery Of writing ont Gas
yet to be gone through in the evening hours.
q adrudgery made more monttouous by his hav-
ing gone over hesubied Ouce already. Suppose
live tVlrs attendance at court, in which one
hour has been employed In active work. This
requires from five to six hours for long hand
copy to be made by All expert penrnan. But
suppose, on the other hand, five hours Of
attendance in which not n line has been taken
down, and The percentage of such days Is very
considerable. There Is n day lost; his time is
gone pnd he has no remuneration. Suppose
yet again, that he has taken testimony
plenty OF it and having the copy duly pre-
pared, presents it only to discover That he has
had his trouble for his pains; that his client s
unable to, pay, and the proportion Of such
rhses Is also considerable, in which the testi-
.Inony is taken and not paid for. and the loss
fhlls not ON the court, but on the phonogrpher
Bearing these facts in mind, IL is easily per
eeivabls that the remuneration from the
courts f85 cents per folio of 100 wmdt, is far
from being as large as might at first glance be
supposed. Your correspondent Is willing to
vouch that in no one Of the city courts
during the past year has the official
~ appointed phonogrhpher made $1,000
lhis Mt the present rates. But dtlppo4ing the
proposed reduction to have been made. will
any retlecting person affirm that the phono-
gfaphcfs would have received anything. like
an adequate return for the services rendered
by them hnd the requirements which are made
of them Should this measure be carried If
Will have the effect Of forcing oil competent
shorthand writer's to seek other fields Of labor
where Their services are properly appreciated
and rewarded, or some other methods Of earn
ing livelihood, for livelihood they cannot
earn Mt less than the present rates, and their
places will not be supplied by other eompe-
tent men Of the profession, for there will be no
lnducement for Them to come here.
The rates being already lower in New Or
ieans than anywhere else in the United StAtns
the Legislature ought in Justice to increase
nstead OF diminishing the cornpensation Of
writer's REpoRrEH.