Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-02
tons tons % Of merchandise and 1000 sheep for
THAT SHORTHAND ExroRr1on
"A Correspondent Replies to Court Re-
porter's Statements.

porter's Statements.
EDITORS HERALD; In your issue of
the 9th l notice 'court reportern at
tempts to reply to my criticism of the
system oil court reporting in vogue in our
local courts. lie does not seem to be
able to distinguish between personal
abuse and the fair criticism OF system
founded upon facts. He seems to think
that irony and sarcasm are argument
and serve as reply to pointed asser-
tons, Yet, sensible people will prob
ably detect.a marked difference.
He asserts that my statements were
exaggerations and falsehoods, and thinks
that he proves this, when he says "that
1t would be impossible for any reporter
to take down SO00words in 20 minutes" :"
He forgets that / did uot presume
to say how many words were
taken down, but did saw
that we had to pay $40 for twenty min
utes OF reporters time, and that he
charged SIG additional to write out the
notes so taken in the said twenty min
utes. did not presume to be able
to reach any such result by
any reasonable method. In fact,
question if there is any one, out
side OF his fraternity, who pretends to
comprehend the rules of arithmetical
progression by which court reporters
! figure out their charges. 1t seems to be
a secret process, known only to court re-
porters. and is probably part of their
system and an attendant qualification.
He says that, after taking out one
quarter of the price of transcript for
| typewriter and other expenses,
the total profit on the case referred to
was only $22 instead of $26." In other
words, out of the SIG charged for writing
out the notes some type writer is paid
81 for the actual work, and the reporter
makes $12 clear. Now, if $4 is fair COM
pensation for the work, isn't the extra
| $l2 just that much in excess of what
was fair and right? Besides, three
more cases the same day at only y $22
each, would be $8S for the days work.
When he says that if he should report
ten cases the same day, each case would
smile. And yet, if this was really
fact, and was ever put in practice, it
might prove a very serious mat
ter. L don't know that 1 am sub
ject to heart disease, but if the
poor reporter to whom | paid the $40
should be so inconsiderate as to sudden
I ly tender me a refund OF part it, ques-
tion if l could survive the shock. 1t
would be an unheard of circumstance.
| Was such thing ever done? No
! Court Reporter evidently feels that his
defence is weak, and should not forget
that there never was and cannot be any
line of potent defense for the practical
workings of an unjust system or princi-
pie. His simply saying that l exagger-
ated and said that which was not true,
! ls neither argument, answer or defense.
! In some states any person who
! thinks they are competent to act
as a court reporter, can go before
board of examiners designated by law,
and be examined as to their ability to
take testimony in court. If they pass
this board, they can act as reporters in
any court in that state. This takes the
business out of the hands of any favored
few and admits of the work being done
at a fair and reasonable price. All compe-
tent persons being in position to COM
pete for the work, prices naturally ad-
| Just themselves. Ii it is fact that the
law says that no reporter can act as
such. in any court without the sanction
of the Judge, 1t would seem that the law
is unjust, alike to the litigant, and other
competent reporters. Why would it not
/ be just as reasonable for the Judge
to have the right to say
that no lawyer should practice
in his department, except those he gave
the privilege of doing so. If the law is
unjust, or if it admits of abuse to the
peoples injury. or if it admits and
nominally sanctions unjust exactions
from the people, would it not be well to
remedy the law? Or, again, the law
may be just and sufficient, and the
whole fault lie within the ''system" by
which and through which it is manipu-
lated. 1 haven't investigated this part
of it very thoroughly as yet, but if
"Court Reporter" Graves an investiga-
ton he can say 80, and l am fairly con-
fident that can do justice to the matter
and give him facts and figures for any
statements / may make.
| SUBSCRIBER.