The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-19
ROBINSON
WILL. SIT
Three Courts With
Machinery of
Two.

Judge Robinson viii hold his first
session of court this morning, but it
is liable to be attended by some diff
ficulties in the future. The entire court
machinery of the First Circuit is made
for the use of but two judges, except
ing in the matter of clerkships, the
Legislature having provided for a third
judge in this instance But when 1t
comes to interpreters, stenograpners,
bailiffS and other necessary parapner-
MALTA of a court, the Legislature was
dumb as TO its provisions, and II Will
require some very close and clever cal
Culation to make the machinery OF two
courts do for third also. The iack
of money in the Judiciary Department
Gear and Humphreys having already
spent over half of the appropriation
for the biennial period) makes any re-
lief from the present difficulty very
remote and it will be almost imposSi-
BILE under existing circumstances for
all three judges to hear jury cases at
the same time.
is an appropriation of but $500, which
at present is divided between the two
courts, each reporter drawing one-han
of the monthly pro rata CHIEF Jus
tice Frear in his recommendation Tor
the year asked for a third stenogra-
but that item was stricken out by the
Legislature. otherwise there would
nave been no trouble on that score
now. In both the Maui and Kauai
courts no Stenographer is required, ana
the clerk does the work of both. This
plan may be followed here where prac-
ticable, though it is possible that a
stenographer, to be paid per diem, at
the rate of s. per day may be appoint
ed Miss Andrews will get this posi-
ton. according to the gossip about the
Judiciary building, though another So
luton of the problem will be a division
OF court business, so that one judge
may always be occupied with probate
Tor eX-parte matters. If a stenographer
should be appointed the payment would
have to be made from the general eX-
pense fund which is already sadly de-
pleted Several of the clerks are also
stenographers, and it is possible that
the extra work of reporting evidence
may be placed on their shoulders
a new bailiff will also be necessary,
and this must also come from the
much abused general appropriation OF
S36 900, which is already almost eX-
hausted. Humphreys had an extra bail
if for his court last term, or three al
together for one court, but this term
the three judges may have Ito worry
along on the two bailiffs between them.
No third bailiff has been appointed as
yet. but the office may be nlled later
There will be no trouble on the
score of interpreters, as there are al
ways two or three Of them idle about
the courts now. There are two Hawaii
an interpreters, one Chinese, one Por-
tugues and one Japanese, and between
them the three courts should be able
to get along.
At the opening of the present term
Judge Gear called a petit jury of forty
eight, which is amply sufficient to sup
ply all three courts. In fact, for the
past three weeks. half of that number
of jurors has been idle, for the panel
was originally meant for all three
judges.
Judge Robinson will hold court to-
day in the Eva courtroom, where
Judge Humphreys has been sitting at
the present term. According to the
announcement made yesterday he viii
call the civil calendar No. 90A to 125
inclusive. He will hear also the cases
in which Judge Humphreys is disquali-
fed. and these viii be given the prece-
dence, if they appear on the calendar
before the numbers which are to be
called for today. Judge Humphreys
will probably hold court in chambers.