Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-09
OFFICE o., AUDITOR
+lSNOT10NDERSTO()D
To Change Fee System Would
Throw Big Expense on
taxpayers.
HIS Remuneration NOT
AS GREAT AS REPORTED
Is Paid for Services as Assistant to
Judge q ANY Other Professional
Man Would Be.

Members of the bench and bar of the
District were greatly interested today in
the report that Chairman johnson Of the
House District committee, as announced
In yesterdays Star, 10 considering the de-
STABILITY of investigating the Office of the
auditor Of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict Of Columbia.
Representative Johnson has been in
formed, 1t Is said, that the fees paid
Louis A. Dent. the incumbent Of the
ONCE, reach remarkably large annual
total. experimenting, sometimes. as
much as $4,000 a year, whereas an in
vestigation today develops that they do
not reach any such large sum. 1t is
stated that $4,000 year is about the
maximum normal income Of the office,
although at times it may run less.
If any investigation is made by Con-
gress OF the system OF payment by fees
for the work done by the auditors Office
ana the total amount annually Of these
fees, which are paid by litigants. 1t will
relation to the bench and bar is not gen.
orally understood except in legal circles.
Not Like other ohices.
The auditors Office is not an Office like
that of the clerk of the court, or the
register of wills, or the. recorder Of
deeds, where litigants pay small fees for
purely clerical services, which are capa-
BILE OF being measured and adjusted.
The auditors office is. however. one
which existed in Maryland before the
formation Of the District, and has ex-
listed in the courts here ever since
The auditor is the one master in chan
Gerry for the District of Columbia. The
Office is known in other jurisdictions by
different names in the federal and state
courts, in some jurisdictions as master,
in others as referee in others as auditor,
but wherever existent and under what
ever name it is ouasi-judicial office.
To the members of the legal fraternity
the chancellor or equity judge. In all
matters Of litigation involving accounts
between parties, or in the settlement Of
trust estates and funds arising from real
property in the District. the suit is re-
ferred to the auditor by the court, and
the auditor In the first instance in effect
hears and determines the case. both on
questions Of law and fact, and then files
his written decision.
After this upon exceptions to the find
ings and conclusions Of the auditor, the
case Is heard by the equity judge, and
the auditors decision is either sustained
or overruled.
Paid as Any Other.
In all jurisdictions throughout the,
United States the referee. or master, or
auditor, is paid for his services as any
other professional man would be paid.
The practice is for him to determine what
is = pPbper charge for those services.
just assany other professionat man would
fix his fee. Sis Z
That charge is subject to the super
vision of the equity judge. and is. always
passed .Hpon by him when The :al1f44oazs
report is passed upon in other respects.
Should the charge be excessive it would
be disapproved. and the judge himself
fix the proper charge for the master or
referee or auditor.
There could be no method by which
arbitrary charges could be fixed, 1t is
said, for the fees of such officers in diff
fArsnt Jurisdictions range from as low as
81 in some small cases to hundfeds of dol
lars, and. In exceptional cases. to thou
sands or more. depending upon the liti-
cation passed upon, the time involved, the
labor performed In hearing the case, the