The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-08
AuTAuGA COURT MUDDLE.
NuIIiacatiOn of Judgments Creates
 Much Confusion.

prattville. Jan. 7.--(Special.--The business of the Circuit Court of this county is in a bad muddle for the wei fare of the people. Since the LusK bill was declared unconstitutional py the Supreme Court. thus nullifying all judgments obtained in that court our' ing the year 1907. all litisants are forced to renew their sults' anu proeess to Judgments again.
 It is difficult to estimate the costs to the county and to the litigants. Court matters are very much confused. Vners were tried eight or nine cupital cases during the year. and quite e large mum Der of less important cases. It IS saft to say the criminal machinery cosl this county last year not very muef less than s5.000 and it is the opinion of the bar here that none of these judg. ments Is valid.
 These facts7give the Circuit Court q very crowded docket for the next year or two. as it will be practically impos- sible for the business to be disposed of in the time allotted.
 At a meeting of the local bar last Saturday a resolution was unanimously passed asking Judge Pearson to pass over the regular time accorded by the Teasly bill and hold special court at a later date.
 On the first day of January. the Prattvillel Cotton mills cut the working hours of their mill hands from sixty five to sixty hours week. The opera tors are called to their work thirty minutes later and leave nearly thirty minutes earlier under this plan, and longer time Is given Saturdays after stopping hours.
 The Prattville plant of the Continen- tai Gin Company Is also working short CT hours per day at this time. It is thought the company will put on a full force of hands in sixty days, and put the hours back at ten hours per day as they were prior to the holidays.
 The County Board of Revenue has been in session for two days auditing the books of the public road overseers of the county. The reports show there is much money being spent on the pub lie roads of the county. Some idea of the work may be gathered from the fact that the Board of Revenue is now Rppropriat.ng as much money for roads alone as was collected fifteen years ago for all county purposes. When this scheme of working public roads has been tried for two or three years, and there should be a failure on tho part of the overseers to put the roads in as passable condition as they should be, 1t would seem the best policy would be to abandon the plan and try the issuing of bonds as most of the other counties have done which have good roads.
 Dirt was broken this morning for the new national bank building on Sec one Street. and the work will be push ed vigorously till completed. It will be one of the prettiest buildings in this city when completed.
 This bank will have a capital stock of $5O,000. most of which will be held by W. T. Northington, Allen Northing- ton, Edward NorthinRton, and Merrill r. NorthinRton of Birmingham. It is understood the bank will be open for business in ninety days
 Rev J. B. Cummings, Presiding FL der for the Prattvilie District. in the Methodist Episcopal Church. has ar rived from Pensacola. Fla, where he served as pastor of the church at that place, and begun his work here.