Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-01-07
THEY WANT TWO JUDGES
Plan of the Bar Association for Clear
ing the Court Calendar
LITIGATION IS PILING UP
Relief of the Pressure By Referees
and Court Commissioners
Not Favored

The Whatcom County Bar Associa.
ton, at the adjourned meeting held In
the superior court room yesterday after.
ternoon, voted to urge the passage of a
law at the coming session Of the lepis.
lature providing for the appointment
OF another superior Judge for the dis.
trlct composed Of San Juan county.
The entire session was devoted to the
discussion Of this proposition. The
matter was introduced in the report of
the committee appointed at the pre.
ceding meeting to enquire into the
condition Of the court calen.
OAR and devise means TO relieve
the press Of business in the superlor
court If such relief should be found
necessary The committee reported
that there are now on the caIe,dar
between four and five hundred unde-
ternllned cases, and that there is "A
steady increase in the number of cases
hled. The committee was of the unan.
lmous opinion that the Judge needs
assistance. Three methods of relieving
the pressure were considered. Eirst
By Increasing the work of referees
necond-By enlargement of the powers
Oh court commissioners. Third-Bv
lhe appointment Of an additional iudge
Ihe nrst two methods found no favor
WIN lhe committee, and il unani.
lnously recommended the appointment
an additional jugde.
a. Il. Black moved the adoption of
the report.
II. A. Fairchild said that with two
Judges one Of them would be idle two.
thlfds ol the time, and the additional
expense would be 5000 for the Judges
salary lie suggested law empower.
ing lhe baI To appoint IA Temporary
JupBe 10 aaslst the court during rush
Of business.
,; M; Bruce balieved that the remedy
coVId DE had through court commits
sioners coupled with a Systematic worll.
ing arrangement between the commits
sioners and the Judge.
Judge Calvert thought the eounis.
sioner system might be good if the har
could appoint the commissioner Rut
with the present method Of appointing
the commissioners, with the appointIve
| power often Influenced by favoritism
1t Is a failure. Under these circum.
stances the appointment Of another
Judge was the best relief.
Attorney Chambers, of Sumas never
knew commissioner to be apnointed
VINO could make II living by his law
pracllce. The most serious obiection
that would DE urged 10 a new Judge
would be the expense. As matter of
iacti ne Thought another Judge would
save expense. Last year the regular
panels Of jurors drew pay for sixty-one
Gays, an expense Of ~ $50. Two Judges
could arrange cases and select iuries 80
thaI the jury cases would be disposed
oil IN hall the time. With the nresent
rush Of business, important matters
could not receive the attention that
should be given them.
Judge Rice thought the only differ.
ence IN expense would be the Judges
salary. Last spring three eases occu-
pea the court six weeks. Twenty idle
jurors drew pay all this time. An adj
dluOnal Judge could have taken the
IDLE jurors and proceeded with other
cases; lie was ia favor Of the report.
y. J.. Brown opposed the report. II
was evident TO him that there wns NOT
work for another Judge. The business.
he thought, Is nearer cleared up now
lhan II was year ago. IL was NOT
probable that the court would ever
again have the large number of tax cases
that came up last year He suggested
that adequate relief could be had by a
law taking San Juan county from this
district and annexing IL TO ClallaIn
county.
Judge Calvert said that San Juan
county only took about three days per
;erm. A judge could not sit every dav
during the year. If he got In three.
iourths OF the time he would do enough.
Judge de Mattos spoke in Opposition
70 the report. If we had four terms a
year instead Of two the docket could
pe kept cleared without another Judge.
a. H. BLACK spoke In support Of the
report. Inc equity cases Of last spring
ana summer nave not yet come TO a
hearing, and Judgments ia large
number Of cases heard over wear aso
are still suspended because the co,,rt
has not had time TO hear motions for a
new trial.
On putting the question the report
was adopted by rising vote OF II iob
Motion Of :. NJ. Bruce 10 reconsIder
the vote was lost.
Mr.. Leaning moved that n com.
mittee be appointed to draft bill en-
bodylng the recommendation Of the
report and urge It's passage by the leg
lsiature. The chair appointed Leam-
ing, Bruce and Rice on this committee.
II. A. Fairchild, chairman of the
committee OF seven appointed 10 recom-
mend general legislation, asked for
further time, which was granted.
On motion tile association adfourtad
to meet January IA at 2 p. m.