The Yale expositor., 1910-01-21
PROBATE COURTS
WORK DOUBLED
New State Laws Have Augment
ed judicial Tasks.

Owing to the fact that the work in
the judge of probate's office. has near
ly doubled, Judge Graham has adj
dressed the following communication
to the board of supervisors:
Gentlemen desire to make appli-
cation to your honorable body for a
stenographer for the juvenile division
Of this court
Since / became judge of probate
there have been a great many addi-
tons made by the law to the duties
Of the Judge of probate.
In 1903 the present state inheritance
tax law was passed by the legislature,
which has added great deal to the
work of the probate Office, and shortly
thereafter the supreme court adopted
u rule of practice over probate courts
which entirely changed the practice
as to making and copying of the rec
ord of orders and DEGREES of the court.
1t is now required that the original
Judge, and placed in the files, and that
the order be also copied into the
bound records of the court. 1t also
provides that each file shall be en-
rolled when the estate is closed. This
extra copying makes great deal
more work for stenographer than
was required by the old method of
merely entering the order in the
bound record volume and signing the
days orders by the Judge.
Two years ago what is known as
the Juvenile court law" was passed
by the legislature, which placed all
delinquent and dependent children
under the jurisdiction Of the probate
court. Prior to this time the Juvenile
offenders had been taken before the
Justice court, police court and circuit
court, the same as other violators.
Owing to the probation features e
this law and the fact that all petitions
and paper pertaining to each case are
prepared in the probate Office, a very
large volume Of business has icon
added, and it is particularly On &C.
count of this juvenile work that an
other stenographer is ncCded. During
the past nine months there have been
10 delinquent and dependent chill
dren brought into this court This
does not include about seventy-fve
children who have been brought in
and their cases investigated and tes-
timony taken and put on their honor
to behave themselves without any
formal record being made.
The last legislature also added 70
this court jurisdiction of the feeble
minded and epileptic persons whom it
Is desired to send to the home at
Lapeer. These were formerly handled
directly by the institution at Lapeer
The last legislature also provided
that the testimony In all insane cases
Of feeble-minded and epileptic persons
relating to the financial condition of
those legally liable for the support
Of the patients must be taken and re-
duced to writing and placed in the file,
and monthly reports made to the audi
tor general, all of which adds MA
terially to the stenographic work re-
CURED for the proper dispatch of the
business.
Aside from the work in the juvenile
division of the court, l also desire to
nnI Oft fo foA AIa4
ten years ago the average number Of
files opened each year was 225. For
the first nine months of the present
years the total number was $50 This
does not include the juveniles, and a
conservative estimate of the number
of files that will be opened this year,
including the juveniles, will be up
wards of $50.
From this you will see that not only
has the number of cases greatly in
creased but the work of each individ-
ual estate has increased owing to the
obliged to follow.
During the past year it has been
necessary for the present court steno-
grapher to work holidays and two or
three nights q week.
1t has also been the custom of this
office to draw up whatever papers
were necessary for the widows and or
phans who are interested in small
estates and to assist the guardians,
administrators and executors of the
smaller estates with their accounts.
This work is all done without any
charge whatsoever If II is the desire
Of the board of supervisors that this
office discontinue the work of assist
ing these widows and orphans, pos
sibly we may be able to get along
without hiring another stenographer.
II is certain that the work of this
office cannot be efficiently done, in
Guiding the assisting of widows and
orphans, unless more help is provided,
owing to the large amount of work