The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-01-12
WALL E
FIFTY CENTS PER sNEEzE.
High Cost of q Dissolution Suit b,
the United States Government.

the United states Government.
(Wall Street Journal.)
1t is no cheap task for q corporation
to defend itself against a dissolution
suit by the United States government.
There are many expenses to be met.
including witnesses, travelling opens
es. hotel charges. typewriting, etc.
besides the big item, namely, attor-
neys' fees.
1t is difficult to get an average per
day cost Of the present trial of the
Steel corporation, but it is variously
per day. A conservative figure would
be $1,000 per day. On this basis the
cost of the hearings to date would be
more than $4,000 They were start
ed in March, 1912, but have only TAX
ell up 122 days to December 3, on ac-
count of numerous postponements.
Estimating the cost at $1,000 q day,
with a working day of Jour hours. the
hearings cost practically $500 per
hour, s6.67 per minute, and. getting
lower, a little more than IL cents per
second. With figures like these it is
a very expensive matter to let the
testimony drag. Suppose, for exam
pie, the examining attorney sharpens
a lead pencil-zip! goes something
over Sc. Suppose he drops a pencil.
stops his examination and leans yer
to pick it up, at least five seconds
have elapsed before he resumes his
questions, so that so cents is wasted.
II he stops to ask an attendant to
open or close a window and waits UNI
til the order is executed, SIS worth
of time at least will have elapsed. ~
sneeze, counting the approach, the ac-
tual sneeze and the recovery, would
cost something over so cents. From
the sneeze figures it car be estimat-
al %,.A o.n I
money would be wasted should ono
examining attorney he seized with a
prolonged coughing spell.
During the hearings frequent tele-
grams are delivered to the attorney
questioning the witness. These are
important and are read and disposed
of while the court waits. The process
usually takcs-from two to. five min
utes. and therefore it costs from
$685. to $685. each. A thirsty wit
ness would cause al appalling loss, as
o trip to the water cooler, drawing
the water. drinking it and returning
to the witness chair costs at least $1o.
Then, again. a new witness is called
and is sitting in the back Of the room
with his overcoat on. He is obliged
to remove the coat and usually
smooths his hair and necktie before
taking the stand. thereby costing SO
IL 30 IL COSlS 4ss
to swear a witness and a like mou
for him to get comfortably seated and
his cuffs pulled out to the right de-
gree. The cost Of a deaf witness DR.
one with a low speaking voice would
be enormous, as questions and an
swers would have to repeated. Judge
Dickinson recently took more than an
hour to cross-examine a witness
whose testimony to the lay mind was
Of no especial Importance, but it cost
more than $500.
1t happens sometimes that the OPP
posing attorneys see fit to sharpen
their powers Of repartee on each oth-
er and these little spats are at the x
pense of their respective employers,
costing on an average SO each. Ono
day, not long ago, one OF them invited
his worthy opponent out in the hail
ular American way. While this invi-
tation was declined in polite legal
ph%raseology, the talk" cost about
$35.
During the 1e2 days that the hear
ings have been going on more than
1900 typewriter sheets Of evidence
have been taken. making approxi-
mately 3.400. 900 words. This - not .
record, as the s~tenographer in charge
of the taking Of testimony stated re-
Gently that in other hearings he has !
upon several occasions taken as much
testimony in about half the time. The
hearings will probably be continued
for three months or more, 80 that the
total cost OF the litigation after the
testimony now being taken IL present-
ed will sbe probably Is much more:
therefore. 1t can be safely estimated
that the total cost OF the dissolution
syit Of the United States Steal eoeS
poration will be at least $l.000.O00.