The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-13

ton. As a rule they are not the gradu- ates of institutions of learning, but have learned by experience the qualifications which fit them for their careers.
 Thirty years ago Miss Knute was the only woman reporter in Chicago. Now large share of the reporting in the courts is done by women, and those who are physically able 10 stand the strain are quite as reliable as men. It was a woman (Mrs Howard R. Kelly) who was first appointed an official reporter in the Circuit Court of Cook County, by Judge Murray F. Tuley, and he without ques- tion exercised his keenest judgment in selecting her from among the most com petent. The great nervous and physical women in this profession. Strong and healthy men have been compelled to either quit the business or have been relegated to the th!rd-raters by reasons The field. however. Is unlimited for wo- men of courage. strength and ability who desire to take up this vocation.
 The official rates for court reporting in Chicago are $10 day for attendance in court and 50 cents a page for furnish ing transcript and l5 cents a page for extra copies. While large corporations obtain discounts from the competent re- porters, and impecunious lawyers receive low rates from incompetent men, the re- porters of Chicago, generally speaking, are probably better paid for their ser vices than those anywhere else in the world where the official system does not prevail In other cities, where official reporters are employed, 1t is the custom in reporting cases to omit arguments on objections by-talk between counsel etc, and to report only the evidence. objec- uons and rulings of the court The re- porter is also allowed practically his own time in which to write out his notes In Chicago, however, an absolutely verbatim report is required of every word uttered by anyone during the trial no matter how trivial 1t may be- and the fact that both sides to a lawsuit have their own reporters requires the highest degree of proficiency on the part of each stenogra pher to prevent the other from making better transcript. Competition has made it just as cheap for lawyer to get report of the days proceedings in court before going home to dinner as to get 1t in a month afterward.
 'In order to do this the best reporters here have discarded the old method of writing out their own notes, dictating to one operator or to graphophone. and now dictate to two typewriters at once, which enables them to transscribe their notes with wonderful speed. Sitting be- tween two operators. with fifty pages of notes, the reporter begins to dictate to the right hand operator from his first page and to the left-hand operator from his twenty-slXth page. and by reading rapidly first to one and then to the other, keeping them going at top speed. he is en- abled to transcribe his notes faster than thsy were taken in court. The skill nec- essary on the part of both the typewriters and the stenographer to attai nthis speed will be appreciated when it Is taken into consideration that the reporter in die tating IS compeAed to keep his mind on two different subjects at the same time, often reading the expert testimony of a physician to one operator. and rap i'd cross-examnation of a lay witness to the other. The ma iority of reporters are unable to dictate to two operators There are in Chicago perhaps twenty-five re- porters only capable Of performing this feat
 The most inefficient operators are ex- pActed to write at least fifteen pages of 25o words each per hour, and there are in Chicago typewriters who can transcribe accurately as high as twenty-four pages