Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-09
JUDGES HARDY.
City Court Officers Very Of. ten Late in Putting in
 An Appearance.

some or the judges OI CQe ClLy C0uIt are so chagrined at the success of At torney Durant in winning the assist ant clerkship in the legislature that they have been unable to get up morn- ings since and hold court at the prop CT time. 9 o'clock. If witness who IS delightfully."- and absolutely ignor ant of all court etiquette happens to be late few minutes capias is is- sued for his arrest right away, but when one of themselves is late they threaten to make the city increase their salary.
 Two or three times last week court has been delayed half an hour simply on account of the judges being unable to get up.
 Consolidation of the city court with the city, by which the court officials could be brought under some kind of regulation, to make them toe the mark once in while at all events, or make them answerable to someone in re- turn for their salaries, has been sug- gested more than once, but just now only q fool would cry out for any such reform. for while the republicans hold the fort at Hartford it would be worse than useless and only loss of time to | cry out against any dereliction of duty ! on the part of any republican office holder.
 {! Under the present system the city pays the court officials, but the court 1 officials are not at all amenable to the city for their official conduct. The system also adfCSts the officials sal aries, thus making them independent of everybody. The incongruity of the situation is apparent to everybody. /, It is unfair to every taxpayer. but there is no getting away from it. If anyone did happen to say anything about it in official quarters. off to Hartford the judges would go and have their salaries raised and the city would have to pay. The city court ought to be consolidated in the city. Something ought to be done with it to make 1t answerable to somebody. The city court earned money for the city last year. The amount is about $500. The total receipts of the court mp to December 31 amounted to S1O.- 924.4S. of that sum Clerk P. J. Nc.
 Malon paid over to the city treasurer S6. 1862. To the state police in wit nesses fees and expenses S533 and the balance went as fees to Liquor Prose- outing Agent Wilson II. Pierce. fees for witnesses, probation officer. meals for prisoners and other expenses. which left balance of some $202. .S9 minus $500 for last year.
 Probation Officer Combellack paid to | the court as fines and costs collected | from prisoners who were placed in bis charge. about S1,953.O6. while he drew as fees SS35. leaving balance in ra'
 TOT of the city through that office of
 S1.11S06. Mir Combellack also col. lected from delinquent husbands S1,. 730.20 for the support of their families, showing that this office did excellent work obtaining for unfortunate people money which they hardly otherwise could get from their proper means of support. .. In all there were l.l50 criminal cases disposed of by the court.
 l. The year was quite prosperous here for the state police and the office of liquor prosecuting agent in view of the former being paid S533 in fees. It was 1 the first year in many that the city | cOiirt has been so profitable to the city. The full reDort of the clerk will appear in the comptroller's annual report.