Evening star., 1915-12-11
PRESENT STATUTES
CALLED ANT|QUATED
Attorney General Urges
Change in Laws of District
Relating to Juveniles.
ADVOCATES TWO BILLS
DRAWN BY COMMITTEE
Asks for Construction of New Build.
ing-Recommends Stringent Laws
Against Neutrality Violations.

|
Against Neutrality Violations.
Expressing the opinion that the present
laws relating to juveniles of the District of
Columbia are antiquated. Attorney Cen
eral Gregory, in his annual report to
Congress, made public today, recommends
earnestly the passage of legislation by
Congress to remedy conditions. He ad-
| locates the enactment into law of the
draft Of two bills made by the special
committee of which Bernard FleXner is
chairman, intended to carry out the
recommendations of the committee
Impressed with the importance of con-
sidering the question of the amendment,
revision and codifcation of the laws in
iiorce in the District of Columbia per-
tanning to children and to the jurisdic-
ton, practice and procedure of the
Juvenile Court here, Attorney General
McReynclds, predecessor to Attorney Cen
eral Gregory, appointed a committee,
March s of last year, to study the pres
| ent laws and needs of the District of
Columbia in this particular. The COM
'nittee was required to advise the At
torney General. accompanying it's report
with draft Of a code adequate to give
The District of Columbia satisfactory
laws upon these subjects, and which
might be used as general model
The committee designated consisted of
Bernard FleXner of Chicago, chairman ::
Miss Julia c. Lathrop. chief of the chill
drens bureau. Department of Labor: Rev.
! William J. kerby. professor of sociology
Catholic University of America, and Wal
ter c. Clephane and William H. Baldwin,
both of Washington. This committee.
acting WITHOUT compensation. devoted a
large amount OF time to the problem
and submitted to Attorney General Greg
ory report thereon, including drafts of
two bills based on the recommendations
These are the recommendations that the
Attorney General would have enacted into
law.
Urges Need of Department Building.
The Attorney General again calls at
tentlon to the urgent need of a build
ing for the Department of Justice.
which now occupies seven different
buildings. originally constructed for
residential purposes, and a few rooms
in regular Office building
The seven residential buildings"
says the Attorney General, "are not
f1reproof and are without vaults. and
81.
of them Of the highest public import
ance, are constantly exposed to de-
strutcion by fire. The buildings are
scattered; not being designed for busi-
ness purposes their interior arrange
ments are wholly unsuited to the busi-
ness of the department.; they are crowd
ed and insanitary. In short, it is no
exaggeration to say that as regards
ment could not be worse. This condi-
tion interferes with the proper organi-
zation of the work and renders the
highest degree of efficiency impossible
the interest of both public efficiency
and public economy. Section 81 of the
public building act approved June 25,
1910, authorized the Secretary of the
mates for new building, but Congress
has not yet authorized its construc-
tion. A site has been purchased by the
government, and I recommend and urge
that an appropriation be made with
which to begin construction"
Procedure in Bankruptcy Cases.
Upon the recommendation of the
United States attorney for the District
of Columbia, the Attorney General
recommends that the period of limita-
tion for criminal procedure in bank
ruptcy cases be extended from one to
two years. This is aimed at trustees
who defraud estates or trusts in their
charge, and are able to escape prosecu-
tion under the present statute of limi-
tation.
The Uniten States attorney for the
District of Columbia said in his COM
municatio to the Attorney General:
AS the law now stands. trustee in
bankruptcy may, upon receipt of
money in his representative capacity,
appropriate it to his own use and, by
postponing the time of accounting be-
yond the period of a year (not a diff
cult task as bankruptcy matters are
administered), conceal the fact of his
embezzlement, and thereby render it
impossible to prosecute him"
In his recommendation for extension
of the limitation, the Attorney General
says:
Criminal prosecutions under the
bankruptcy act must be brought within
one year the law now stands. This
seems too short a period. tnquestion
! ably it has defeated justice in some
cases. To illustrate, most of the cases
| of embezZlement by trustees in bank
ruptcy have been disclosed by the
periodical examinations of the Offices
Of referees in bankruptcy conducted by
the bureau of investigation Of this de-
partment. Speaking generally, 1t has
| never been found possible to conduct
tsuch Investigations oftener than once
every two years, except, of course,
| where there was reason to suspect
1
| therefore. that by the time such en-
| bezzlements are discovered the statute
| of Limitation has barred prosecution.
| recommend that the period of limita-
| ton in such cases be extended to three
| years"
Employment for Federal Prisoners.
| The Attorney General asks for legis-
| lation from Congress to enable him to
carry out his plan to give federal
prisoners employment in making sup
plies for the federal government. He
expects to submit later detailed
plan of prison industries. including
| estimates on machinery. cost OF in
stallation, prices of raw materials, val
ues of finished products. character Of
articles to be manufactured. together
| with draft of legislation designed to
| carry the plans into effect.
| A textile mill and twine plant at
the Atlanta prison. and a furniture
factory at Leavenworth prison are
under consideration. 1t is hoped ulti-
| mately to make at Leavenworth all
the office furniture used by the gov
ernment, though at the beginning 1t
would be well to undertake only to
| supply the demands of the general
supply committee. which purchases for