The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-10

per year as IOllOWS.
Chief Justice ......... .. $4,000
Four Associates ............ 49,. 10000
Expenses $4,000 each) ........... 5000
Reporters Salary .......... 80. 5000
Reporters Expenses. ....... 500
Clerk Salary ................ 80. $500
Total ....... .................... s3o,ooo
y
We have no court in this state to re-
view a finding of facts, would it not be
WELL therefore, to assign three of the
supreme court judges to sit as a
court of review in case either party
in a controversy felt aggrieved by a
finding of facts? 1t seems to your COM
mittee that this might be done with
out unduly increasing the labors of the
| members Of the supreme court and
would tend toward making such find
ings by the judge of an inferior court
conform strictly to the evidence offer
ed at the hearing below
The superior court OF this state con-
sists of eight judges, who hold terms in
each Of the counties for the transact
ton of civil and criminal business.
These judges receive salary Of $4,000
N'sNIA
600 each per year for expenses. Your
committee. without any special reason
selected the year 1895 as the one for
particular inquiry concerning the bust
ness Of this court. Returns from the
clerks of the court in the eight coun-
ties show that the court was in SEES
sion in the state 1888 days during the
year, or an average of about III days
each. There were tried during the
year by this court 1870 cases. Tried
as here used includes uncontested di-
vorces, limitation of time of redemp-
ton in foreclosure Of a mortgage, hear
ings in receivership matters, ETC., etc.
Dividing these cases among the eight
judges with the 933 days Of session
would not place on each man more
work than falls upon the fairly sue
cessful lawyer The work, however, is
not evenly distributed and possibly
cannot be.
There were tried to the jury in the
year 1896, 172 cases in the superior
court with 1862 days of attendance Of
jurors. and a balance of jury debent-
ure against the state of $20,061.9 Your
committee are of the opinion that the
six dollar $4,000 jury fee now demand
ed of the party in a civil action who
puts his case before jury for trial.
should either be materially increased
or entirely done away with. The
state furnishes to it's citizens an OPP
portunity to try causes to the court,
and it seems to your committee that
when a litigant elects another and
more expensive method, that he should
if called upon to contribute at all, in
bearing this added expense pay reas-
enable sum. The fact that a fee of
six dollars ($6) is now collected indi-
Gates that the state claims the right
of contribution from the litigants,
and in our opinion, if a reasonable
charge were exacted, there would be
fewer very small matters engaging
attention of jury, and quite large
sum saved to the state.
The spectacle of jury spending
days in hearing a case wherein the
pay for the jury seems homogeneous.
AS to attendance of sheriffs and
their disbursements, we think that the
sheriffs are sufficiently constant in
their attendance upon the courts. AS
before stated, the superior court was
in session 933 days in 1896, and sher-
ifs and deputies-exclusive of consta-
bles attending on juries-were in at
tendance 1887 days at cost to the
state of $8,67300. This seems to your
committee to be in excess Of the re-
quirements. In exceptional trials an
extra number may be needed, but or
dinarily not so, many as have been
employed. The judges can easily rene
dy this, or the, legislature can by
law fix the number that shall be in at
tendance in all civil causes and allow
the Judge discretion within certain
limits in criminal causes Sheriffs'
disbursements should, in the judg-
ment of your committee, be fully
itemized and such itemzed accounts
filed with the comptroller and with the
clerk of the court.
We think that clerks should be sala-
red, an allowance made for needed as
sstants, and all fees turned into the
state treasury.
In the matter of courts of common
pleas and the Waterbury district
court, we are of the opinion that radi- (
cal changes should be made. We be- |
lieve that these courts can be dispens-
ed with and their work as well done |!
by the superior court. BY adding three |
to the number of superior court judges
the three larger counties, Hartford, I
New Haven, and Fairfield, can each /
have two judges for the full court |
year, and each of the other counties
one for the full court year. AS the five .
smaller counties would not require the
services of a judge in each instance
for the full year, Middlesex, Windham
and Holland being able under present .
to transact their bust
ness without the aid Of a common pleas
court there would be much time when
one or more of the five Judges assigned
to the smaller counties could, if need
ed, assist in the despatch of business
in the three larger. This would GER
tainly result in a large saving to the
state. First, in doing away with the
salaries and expense of maintenance
of a separate court; I'd, in shortening
the time during which prisoners are
held in the county jails while awaiting
trial, thereby lessening the amount
paid for board of prisoners; Sd, more
speedy trials in that hearings would
not go over because counsel had prior
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