Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-07


with = last year. Twelve are now pend
| ing: Six cases involving the public
! ut1htles commission were handled. Ten
lunacy cases other than commitments
were hled Eleven were fled last year.
These cases are awaiting the auditors
report. -Four hundred and forty-two
lunacy inauisitions were held. 344 adju-
d1cations Of unsound mind. rs found to
De OF sound mind and 22 were dis
missed by tho District; 83 were dis
the date Of trial Five appeal and cor
siorart cases were tried, l resulting
Iavorably, adversely and were COM
promised. Two claims for taxes al
lowed IN bankruptcy cases and case
Is pending. One petition for habeas
corpus was filed against the District
One administrator was appointed IN the
Probate Court. In the Municipal Court
favorable decision was secured. l ad-
verse. l certioraried, 5 were compro-
missed and are pending.
twenty bills introduced In Congress
346 written opinions were rendered. as
compared with 2ss for last year: 106
damage claims were settled. Eight
hour law was passed upon thirty-three
and seventy-five written interpreta:..
tons were given the 1oan-shark law.
Deeds were prepared and approved by
the once in the number Of soa Bonds s1d
156 contracts were passed on.
The "loan-shark law" occupied
great deal of time and occasioned
weeks Of incessant labor in this Of,
taken to the Court of Appeals, which
sustained convictions in the Police
Court. Every violator of the law was
informed against. and fines were i'm
posed upon a plea Of guilty in the
sum Of 5000 in each case and a Jail
sentence Of thirty days suspended on
condition usurious interest be refunded
and three-fourths Of the principal be
This ONCE gave individual attention
to each victim Of the loan sharks"
visiting the Office, and four or five
thousand victims were saved between
$4,000 and $4,000 without cost to
Charges were preferred against An
drew G. Sullivan for neglect of duty
in connection with a fire. Lengthy
trial was had before a board, which
trial was conducted by the corpora
acquitted of the charges.
The work of the corporation counsel
OF the public utilities commission is of
great Importance and occupies the time
of the corporation counsel largely.
There are now calendared for trial in
the law side of the Supreme Court
forty-eight cases. which is about one
twentieth of calendared cases in that
cases are calendared for the first one
third of the three terms Of this court,
being about one-seventh of the total
number Of calendared cases. This will
give some idea Of the magnitude Of the
work and responsibility imposed upon
this Office.
Method Of preparation for and trial
OF cases on the law side Of the Supreme
Court has been changed. The state
ments of witnesses available are now
n tfr,or hef4 1,@kl
the law and facts are prepared and
the cases are tried by the first assist
ant. with the aid of one of the other
assistants to the corporation counsel
with so many cases pending it is very
onerous upon the inadequate force OF
the Office.
1t is recommended that the first as
sistant be increased from $4,000 to
$1,000 per ero annum; second assistant
from $1,000 to $4,000 per annum: that
a new assistant be provided for at
$4,000 and another at $1,40O per an
mum. respectively; that the stenogra-
pher designated "chief clerk" by the
corporation counsel be increased from
$1,000 to $1,000 per annum and the title
of his Office changed to chief clerk";
that new stenographer be provided
for at $3.50 per annum. These recon-
mendations are made because OF the
the work of the Office. The assistants
are not paid the salary of ordinary law
clerks in private Offices. The danger
of their leaving the service Is always
present. and it would be impossible to
secure lawyers to take their places, and
with the ability to do the work. at the
present salaries. They deserve at the
very minimum the salaries recommend
ed. The Office should be placed in
position where, in case OF a resigna-
-
induce capable attorneys to take the
place. Additional assistant Is request
ed to aid in the actual trial Of cases
and another to relieve the assistant at
the Police Court, where the work is
very congested. as many as 200 cases
being filed and disposed Of a day. A
chief clerk Is an absolute necessity,
owing to the increase in volume of work.
Present chief clerk is a lawyer, and at
tends to matters in Juvenile Court and
demands 1t. New stenographer is re-
Quested because Of the additional work
placed on the office by reason of the
public utilities law, which constitutes
the corporation counsel general coun-
sci of the commission.
Department Of Insurance.
This department is charged with all
matters pertaining to insurance. insur-
auCe COIupAu1e5s UGuSAS1di civ
associations, subject only to the gen.
Grad supervision Of the Commissioners.
The department was organized in 1902.
Since then several amendments have
been made to the insurance laws. but
they are still Inadequate, and in many
instances ambiguous.
An entire new code covering the
duties of this department and regulat-
ing all branches of insurance should
be enacted.
Changes in the law could be made
which would increase the revenue de-
rived from insurance companies. with
out increasing the present percentage
Of taxes. The department of insurance
should have authority to petition the
courts for receivers whore insurance
concerns are evidently insolvent. This
is not tho case now.
The insurance business transacted In
the District Of Columbia Is continuous
" and steadily increasing. During the
calendar year 1913 there was paid by
residents of the District, for premiums
for all kinds of insurance. $685., 76S.07.
The losses paid on District property
amounted to $2,576.109.89.
On December 81. 1913. 241 insurance
companies and associations had been
license to transact business here.
Licenses were also issued to 210 prin-
cipal agents. "a brokers and 1858 So