New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-08
LAWYERS DISMA YBD BY NEWRULEs
THE VAIL FROM BUSY OFFICES.

ORDERED TO MAKE ALL TYPEWRITER COPIES ON
FoURTEHN-POUND PAPER.
Busy lawyers officee IN this city and probably In
other parts of the State have been In Torment since
the beginning Of the year tho now rule OF tho
courts which went into operation last Tuesday, reg
ulatng tho character Of paper to be used for legal
documents and court papers. Years ago when the
volume Of practice in the largest law offices did not
equal that Of the average New York practitioner to-
day. all copies OF Office papers, either for service or
court use, made in long hand' by tho lawyers
clerks and there was no other method of dupli-
cation.
The advent Of the stenogrspher, or d" short hand
writer" he used TO be called necessitatcd change
in this respect. The very fact that the court and
counsel were relieved Of the tediousness Of the old
met, nd Of ,riii,g tAstimonv &C, gradually led
to a prolIxity OF examination and a fitness OF legal
papers that in some degree Offset the advantages Of
tho now system. THIS would have been unmanage-
able without way Of manifolding" Tho sfcn-
ographcrs themselves, led by "Ned" Underhill the
patriarch prophet Of their guild, and for many
years the st-n grapher Of the New-York surogate's
Court solved this problem by using kind Of ink for
their original transcripts from which several copies
might be made upon thinner paper especially prepared
for the purpose. This method generally followed
until the typewriter appeared
TINE ERA OF THE TYPEWRITER.
The invention Of the typewriter marked another
era The typo writer alone or the senographer alono
was great boon to those who hated the drudgery Of
clerical work the combination Of the two has pro-
duced the climax of speed and comfort The lawyer
Of considerable practice is now who does not have
his elbow a stenographer whose fingers also as
nmble upon the keys of the typewriter as with the
pencil whatever the lawyer has to compose, whether
pleading, a brief, pondence, aldavits or or
ders he turns to the stenographer and rapidly die
taes It. Then Is heard the clicking Of the typo writer,
and less time than would have taken him to write
out his original draft by the old system, he has laid
upon his desk many copies, neatly printed, backed
and Endorsed necessary for his pu not OK
ceeding five or six. The usual number is three. But
to each Of these copies being clear and distinct
is necessary that the paper used should be thin
linen paper Of good texture And hero is where the
rule of the courts in to affect the situation
This rule, after repeating the old mandate as to
pleading and other papers being fairly and cgibly
wrtten," foliocd, ETC., provides "6ervcc of letter
press copies of papers and Of papers copied by typo
writer except where the writing in black characters
and paper of at oast fourteen pounds to the rea
shall not be deemed a compliance with this rule and
such copies shall be filed delivered to the court,
and clerk of the shall file enter the in
his office" Even where such papers are served upon
opposing counsel they may be returned bad
vice. The whole trouble now arising Is caused by the
fourteen pound restriction. Legal cap Of fourteen
pounds to the ream is good and the kind most COM
monty used but 1t would be mpractcable for type
writer The paper-m makers ordinarily sell 500 single
sheets of writer paper to the II the Judges
this, their rule would be equiv alent to
derng cardboard to be used But even II they intend
900 sheets to the ream, this would mean paper so
stiff and heavy that 1t would not DO possible to make
more than good copy time and the real bene
ht Of the type writer would be gone Ten years
before type writer's into almost universal use,
and the method of duplication and triplcatl became
general, such a rule would have been Of consd.
short of dsmay at the prospect of It's enforcement
TO HhLP THE MANUFACTURERS.
The only persons who seem likely to DO benefited
by the change the manufacturers Of type writers
and typo writing paper They canddly say that 1t Is
largest of these houses sad yesterday :" have no
idea that the DO enforced that 1t Will be
long before 1t Is repeated. In the meantime We mean
ad, OF the situation Our sales OF type
writer's large for the same length of time
since tho rule was promulgated. The reason j.
this-the offices in which much type writing Is done
have tho same smonnt Of wotk as usual; bat, OF
course, as they cannot mako moro than one copy at
q time upon the paper prescribed more type writer's
and more operators are needed. Besides, tho price
of tho heavy paper is two or even three times that
paid for the paper formerly used, and we get much
larger profit AS have said, tho rulo Is so mprac-
tlcabe that do not how 1t can stand but We pro-
pose to make hay while the sun Shines"
And the lawyers growing because their SKY is
overcast There Is sumo talk of tho matter boiling
brought to the attention of the judges who made the
rule in a manner to indicate the general feeling OF
Association may take 1t up ncxt Tuesday. There
doubtless has been ground for complaint because OF
indstinct and fimsy character of the copies fire.
to remedy this II likely that the convention of
Judges did not realize the full effect of the rule they
made