The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-14

purpose or Supplantlng the police court and justice of the peace regime. but ow- ing to the overerowded calendars of the county and state courts, it was given ex- tensive Jurisdiction in both civil and crim- inal cases.
 Genius of Chief Justice
 In reference to the chief justice of the court A1r. Hale pays this tribute: No one can say how much the evolution which has issued in the institution to be found in Chicago today has been due to the personality of the first chief jus tiee-Mr. Harry olson-a genius In ad- ministration a judge of marked ability, a vigorous asserter of rights conferred fin him-a judicial Cromwell who might have been born to erect and maintain, against opposition, such a widely empowered court as he presides over
 The court is, in a sense in which no other existing bench parallels it, a cor porate body with singular and great pow CTS. The judges work together systemat- ieally under practical direction The mu- nieipal court Is, in fact. "an institution of justice organized on modern business lines-a well systematized shop, so to speak, where no man waits for work to do, while work waits for man to do it: where the labors of all are directed by constant watehful supervision, and q mighty volume of work can be transacted without loss of time or energy"
 The note of business like economy, eff cieney and speed is the one which will, perhaps. first Impress those who learn of this institution. How is this efficiency secured? First. because 1t has the author ity ito make it's own rules of practice and procedure" and, second. "it Is given in the person of the chief justice an administrative officer charged with un- usual duties tending to unify the power of the court. He is undoubtedly, the most powerful judge on any ns prius bench in the oomtry'
 The chief justice is the superinteHd- ent of the business of the court, in his hands is the management of the finances, the movement of the calen- dar, tho assignment of judges and the handling of jurors.
 To each judge, each morning D cer- tain number of cases are assigned. If in the course of the day a judge might get through with docket, instead of ad djourning he reports to the chief justice that his call was exhausted, and cases were withdrawn from other judges who had not been able to clear the docket, thus keeping the Various courts in full session each working day of the term.
 EuiI Time of turors
 In the same way jurors are employed so that their full time is used. Each judge Is provided with jury, as he needs it. from a general assignment room, and on discharge returns to the room and is sent out to other courts if needed.
 |. Exactly as does the manager of a business concern. the chief justice signs all vouchers for expenditures; in- deed. MT olson ON Ks all acquisitions in his own handwriting.
 The chief justice as administrative head keeps constant watch of the progress of the courts business, expe- diting it at this point or at that. He keeps books on every judge, and every class of cases. An auditor lays on the chief Justices desk at the end | of every month complete report of | the transactions of the court during ] that month. At q glance he sees what 1 class of cases, if any--civil or criminal, | jury or judicial contracts or torts-- l lag behind Iit assigns an extra judge to that class of cases for the coming month, that the calendar may be kept up to date all along.
 The Chicago municipal court has put into use many time saving devices, such as any modern business man em- blows Ii has abandoned ponderous and wordy records written in an obs solete lingo; it kesrs it's records in abbreviations filed away in something like card eatalogs. IL has abolished all supernumerary parasitical officers, and all superfluous details of pro- cedure Good order is maintained, but red tape and tochnicalities are not tol- erated. The judges work, and they render sworn statements of their work in terms of hours, per day and days per month.
 And the result Is that the Chicago municipal court. handling as 1t did during the year just closed moiS nan I25.000 cases. is today up wifn it's docket A civil suit without a jury is tried usually within two weeks of the return of the summons. q jury case within two months. law breaker 
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