Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-01-11
various other Judges which date from
January !,

Two parts of the new court have
been set aside for the hearing of mo-.
tons and the transaction of ex parte
business. The equity cases will be
tried in six different parts. There are
now $500 of these cases on the calcn.
dar of the court, some of them having
been placed there ten years ago. TO
meet the rapidly increasing business
of the court it has been decided
that ten parts will be continually in
session for the trial of jury cases. 1t
will be seen that such a provision is
necessary, when the statement is made
that 800 jury cases are now on the
calendar.
The summer recess of the court
will be shortened. Heretofore, when
the courts adjourned in June, they
did not open again until October.
Hereafter they will hold session for
one month longer in the year, open
ing on the first Monday in September.
The general terms of both appellate
divisions will hold sessions every
month except July and August Pro-
vision is also made in the constitution
that outside judges may be called in
at any time during the year. These
judges are Messrs. Slower and Russell.
Justices Andrews and Lawrence nre tho
only ones of the original Supreme
Court Judges who will not sit at the
General Term.
, There is an ordinance which re-
quires property-owners to remove
snow and ice from their sidewalks
within six hours after II storm, but it
has been found impossible to enforce
it in the case of unoccupied buildings
aud vacant lots. To meet this diff
Guilty, the last Legislature passed
law which authorizes the Commits.
sioner of Public Works to remove the
snow if the owner does not do 80, and
charge mp the cost as a lien upon
the property, to be collected with
the taxes. Gen. Coils gave notice
through the City Record that this
law would be strictly enforced this
winter. Col. Waring is testing ma
chimes for the incarceration of garbage
in houses, with view to induce house.
| holders to adopt it.
No judicial decision during the past
year has been more significant than
that of Justice Ingraham, of the
Supreme Court, in the injunction pro.
ceedlngs brought by Simon Sterne to
prevent the Metropolitan Telephone
and Telegraph Company from remov-
ing his telephone.
The corporation. claiming the right
to arbitrarily fix rates. demanded
$24O year instead of 1925. Mr..
Sterne, making test case, secured an
injunction, which has been made per.
munent by Justice Ingraham's deci-
sion. The lawyer is compelled, how.
ever, to give bonds to protect the
company against loss, in case the
courts shall decide that 1910 year is
a fair and reasonable rate. Thus no
position is taken up to date on what
rate is reasonable, but it is settled,
unless Justice lngraham is overruled,
that the courts have right to prevent
extortion in the telephone business, ii
extortion is attempted.
This decision seems to be absolutely
just The business is public one,
utterly incapable of being conducted
without the use OF public highways.
The plea of the company that it is inn
possible to give New York city MS good
service and as low rates rs other cities
enjoy is, on the face of it, ridiculous.
The greater the number of subscrib-
ers the less the reasonable rate, is the
rule of common sense.
Gotham is all stirred up anent the
greut diamond robbery. 1t eclipsee
the theft of the Brad ey.Martin jewels
the Victor Newcomb jewels and all the
other jewels that have disappeared
with the assistance of clever cracks
men. The only reason why there was
not 500, 900 worth of diamonds stolen
instead of $4,000 worth is because
Mrs. Burden wore $25, 900 worth of
diamonds to the opera on the evening
OF the robbery, and thus saved that
much. Now comes the question as to
the chances of recovering the stolen
jewels. The robbery was so cleverly
planned and executed that there
seems to be precious little chance that
anything will be accomplished by the
police. An advertisement in the New
York papers advises any person who
knows anything OF the whereabouts of
the jewels to communicate at once
with their owner. 1t looks like the
beginning of negotiations for the re.
turn of the jewels for an adequate
consideration and no questions asked.
This has been the outcome of more
than one robbery Of this sort in New
York lately.
KNICKERBocKER.