Evening star., 1909-06-02
COURT CLERKS PAY WITHHELD
FAILED TO COMPLY WITH LAW
IN REPORTING FEES.
Lack of Sufficient Clerical Force in
Municipal Tribunal Given
as the Reason.

No pay for the month of May was
turned over to the clerks of the Munich
pal Court yesterday, although the judges
Of the tribunal and other District en-
ployes got theirs during the day.
Upon the recommendation of the Dis
trict auditor, Alonzo Tweedale. the Com
missioners yesterday instructed Louis
Wilson, disbursing officer. not to pay the
clerks of the Municipal Court. When the
pay checks for that court were sent out,
therefore. there was none for the clerk
and deputy clerk.
The reason set forth by the auditor for
making the recommendation. which met
was the failure of the clerk to make a
weekly return to the collector of taxes OF
all fees earned and to make weekly re-
port to the auditor, as required by the
law creating the court
In his letter to the Commissioners
Auditor Tweedale calls attention to the
provisions of the law, as follows:
THE clerk shall receive and care for
all deposits for costs made and fees ex-
acted under the rules governing the fee
charges of said court and shall make
weekly deposit with the collector oil
taxes of the District of Columbia of all
He shall return to suitors making such
deposits any portion of deposit which
shall remain in his hands over and above
the earned fees in completed cases and
shall render an itemized statement to the
auditor of the District of Columbia OF
every fee earned on such forms as shall
be prescribed by the auditor of the Dis
trct of Columbia
Continuing, Auditor Tweedale said:
LAS the efforts of this Office have been
fy,l in N n
with the law on the part of the clerk OF
the municipal court. and as the salaries OF
the clerk and his assistant will be due on
June l. the auditor respectfully requests
instructions of the Commissioners whether
in view of the conditions which now OBJ
tain with respect to the fees of the clerk
of the municipal court, the salaries OF the
officials shall be withheld as recommend
ed in the letter of this office addressed
TO the Judges of the municipal court a
carbon copy of which was furnished the
Commissioners dated May II, 1909
To the lack of sufficient clerical help
Judge Bunday of the municipal court at
tributes the failure TO make the reports
required by the law.
When asked this afternoon if a state
ment would be forthcoming from them
relative to the auditors refusal to pay
the salaries of the court clerks office the
several judges of the court announced
they did not care to discuss the matter at
the present time.
1T would he unbecoming in me torefer
to the differences at this time" said
Judge Rundy, the senior judge of the
court. 1.-The reports have been made to
the Commissioners. and they show that
very, very great volume of business Is
transacted here. The celrg says ii is a
physical impossibility to comply with the
law with his present small force in maxi
ing up the reports required. l am really
at loss to say what the outcome will
be"
The failure to settle the salary bill yes
terday to all intents and purposes did not
effect the haste with which the business
was transacted in the clerks office today.
The force was hard at work and doing