New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-05
Senator Mills's Bill Would
Eliminate Delays and
Ineffciency.
LIMITS APPEAL FROM
MAGISTRATES COURT
Special Sessions Judges and
Magistrates Would Have Equal
Power and Do Same WORK.

AIbanv. March 4.-One o., the most
AlpanS; nneasnres affecting the lover
nr;pro;r,i courts o. New York CITY IN
,,anre was introduced to-day by sen,
otor OGDEN L. Mills, recognizing ana
GIVING broader jurisdiction to inc
N, gistrates' courts. Il was introduced
in the Assembly by Almeth W non.
The bin aims at relieving the preseh :
DELAYS and the resultant obstructlng OF
iustice which is incident to present
hearings and trials. 1t provides for the
final disposition in the magistrates
courts of thousands Of cases which no"
are appealed to Special Sessions.
"The need of the day is to eliminate
the laws delays" said Senator nils
in explaining the purposes Of MS Dill
which has the backing OF various civic
or ,anizations In New York City, the
Mavor and other public officials.
speedy justice is the best justice"
In reviewing the changes which the
bill would make Senator Mills said
1.-THE present infexible requirements
OF double hearing in misdemeanor
cases. with the consequent duplication
of labor by the courts, delay Of justice,
inconvenience and waste of time TO W.T.
nesses, and frequent Imprisonment FOR
unnecessarily long periods Of persons
accused of trihing offences, and too
poor to get bail, are done away with.
This is accomplish by giving 70
tn, city magistrate before whom the
prisoner is first arraigned power TO SIT
as a Judge of Special Sessions and 70
dispose finally of any mlsdemeanor
case, upon the consent Of both defend
ant and the District Attorney, except
tn Sc OF disorderly houses, excise and
gambling cases, and except in cases m
yolvng misconduct toward children. In
these cases and in those whore consent
is not given the trial will be by three
Judges, as at present. Thus Is estab-
lished a flexible and carefully SAFE
guarded method Of giving to the magls-
trates in all minor cases tie power
which now they have for some years
been exercising in automobile and cru
city to animal cases, and which IS exer-
cised in all other cities Of he state by
81 gle magistrates.
"The five or six thousand cases Of
violations Of the sanitary code, labor
laws and other offences in which city
departments are compliments, which
now have TO be heard first by the
magistrate and then in a court of Spe-
cal Sessions, and which result in the
clogging Of business in both courts, in
annoyance and loss Of time TO citizens
ard Public officials, and hinder the
enforcement of these laws-these are
transferred to one court, the Municipal
Term, in which the presiding city
magistrate will have all the powers Of
the Court of Special Sessions.
"By the foregoing provisions a trial
term can be established where judges
can hear cases uAdisturbed by the
triAing matters to which the Court Of
Special Sessions must now devote
large share of its attention.
"The plan embodied in the bill is 70
terminate the Court of Special SEES
sions and city magistrates courts as
now constituted and have them all con
Quoted by members of one Board Of
City Magistrates. The present justices
of the Special Sessions court are con-