Evening star., 1900-04-30
PAYMENT OF SALARIES.
Point Raised Concerning Disburse-
mcnts and Collection of EineH.


The attention of the Commissioners has
been invited by Mr.. ]. T. Petty, the audi
tor of the District to sections SO and 5S OF
the proposed code for the District, relative
TO the payment of salaries of Judges,
bailiffs, etc, and the application of moneys
collected in the Police Court. Section SO
provides that the salaries of the Judges
of the Police Court, and those of the clerks
and bailfffs, as well as the fees of the mar
shall, shall be paid quarterly, while section
IS provides that the moneys collected upon
the judgments of the court, or so much
thereof as may be necessary. shall be paid
over to the District and applied by the
District to the payment of said salaries and
10 the necessary expenses of the court.
Any surplus shall be paid into the United
states treasury at the end of every quar-
ter.
These requirements, says Mr.. Petty, that
salaries shall be paid quarterly and wholly
from hnes-an important part of District
reVeHues-were repealed by the act of March
3, 1879, Revised Statutes of the United
states. volume -, page 400 which pro-
Vlded for the judges and other officers of
the court by appropriati ton from the joint
revenues of the District and the United
States. From July 1. 1879 he states. to
the present time the court officials have
been paid monthly and from the joint reve-
nues of the District and the United States,
as other officers of the municipality.
The payment of marshals' fees con-
tinueS Mr.. Petty, by the District of Co.
lumbia, was abolished by the act of July Z,
1S9S, Revised Statutes of the United States,
volume 30. page 6b. The provision of the
act of June II, 1896. That hereafter the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia
are hereby authorized and directed to de-
Dosit with the treasurer of the United
States, out of receipts from fines in the
Police Court, a sufficient amount to meet
tiremen's relief fund would become in
operative if section ~ of the new code be
enacted into law. The act of March 3. 1891,
providing for jurors in the Police Court and
prescribing their qualifications, is silent as
to their compensation. They are paid s.
as other jurors, but treasury officials have
questioned our authority to allow this
amount. and it would be well to make spe-
clfc provision for them in the new law,
so as to avoid any future controversy
The results of the adoption of these Sec
uons as they now stand says Mr.. Petty.
will be first, the payment of Police Court
ofhclals quarterly instead of monthly, and
wholly from the District revenues, instead
of from the joint revenues of the United
States and the District of Columbia; sec
ondly, the payment of United States mar
shals' fees by the District; thirdly the
mems relief funds by section IS, which re-
quires the surplus of fines to be covered
into the treasury of the United States and
repeals by implication the provision made
for those funds by the act of June II. 1896
1t is understood the Commissioners will
invite the attention of Congress to the
matter. with the recommendation that the
sections In question be amended as to
make them conform to existing law.