Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-22
The Court House.

| The Committees Report ns- to the Ade- l quacy of the AceommOdatiOns-Pro
 posed Purchase of the Law Chambers l Property on Church Street.
 Below is the report of the committee ap pointed to investigate as to the adequacy oi
 the court accommodations for New Haven
 county. The report was submitted yester- day to meeting of New Haven county's Representatives.
 l Your committee, to whom was referred the
 matter of the needs of New Haven county for additional court facilities, beg leave to
 report that they have inquired into the facts
 relating thereto and find them as herein be- low set forth.
 The Common Pleas court room is badly lighted and ventilated and the jury room | dark, damp and totally unfit for such use. | This court is in session continuously, (ex- cepting July and August), for ten weeks the | iury are in attendance each winter. There is no waiting room for ladies in connection with l this court nor in the entire court house, a 1 thing disgraceful to the county.
 The civil side of the Superior court is in
 session from the first of September (except- ing in December) to the first of June and l the criminal side during the same time, about twelve weeks on an average each year. The only rooms for the holding of courts in the court house are the Common Pleas, above described, and the Superior court room, with one jury room. Not infrequently the iuries are in session trying civil and criminal cases, when such makesh1fts as are possible are made to provide for the emer- rency: that at such times the court is held in the bar library, an inconvenient place, and when SO used preventing the Ii
 brary from it's proper use The members of
 the bar and the judges complained strongly about this stats of things when they were in session at the same time. The entrance to the courts being the same the hall and lobby are
 often filled with attendants and frequenters
 of the criminal court, making it necessary for judges, jurors and parties to wait on the side
 walks for some officer of the court to conduct them through the crowd.
 There is no access now to the rear of the county building and no unoccupied ground
 belonging to the county saving narrow strip in the rear; that to enable the people of the county to enjoy proper facilities for holding the courts, two additional or new court rooms are needed-waihDg rooms for ladies Ia need which most civilized communities de- mand) and better facilities for the County Commissioners To afford such facilities Rd- ditioual land must be had and can be had ad joining said County Court House. Your committee, therefore, present and recommend the passage of the following resolutions.
 Hartford, March 8, 1883.
 w. w. 1 A. pGwHsa Ws1ear Committee.
 Representative Downs, of Derby, read the report. He advised taking the whole of the Law Chambers property on Church street, next door to the court house, now occupied by various prominent lawyers. The asking price was $67 ,00o, but he thought it could be obtained for less. He spoke of the ab- sence of waiting room for ladies in the court house. MT. Wright, of Branford, said the price of the property in question was now $60, GOO. It now yielded S3. 500 per annum. Mr. Downs said he would not hesi- tate to. pay $55, 1000 for the property. He submitted a resolution authorizing the coun- tv commissioners to secure the nroperty by purchase or other wise and erect an additional building for 8 court house. Judge Torrance spoke of the wedoinR process lawyers and others having business in the courtroom he'd to exercise, in order to force their way through the thronps outside at the Malley and Hayden trials. MT, Downs said if land were taken on the rear of the Law Chambers only, it would leave the only part of the land on which there is building bringing in an Ia- come to the present owner. It IS thought the owners would ask so much for the land in the rear that it would be cheaper to take the whole. The land is 60 feet front by 1S2 feet. The land adjoining, purchased when real estate was at high tide, cost $500 per front foot.
 Mr. Wright, of Branford, thought the property worth $50, GOO or S55, 900 and could be bought for that. If not the county could condemn the property. The cost of . suit able addition, which would be in tho rear O. the Law Chambers and therefore not neces