The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-31
Hire Of Deputies For Guard Duty And Reduction Of Circuit Judges
 Features Of Legislative Hearing
Many Witnesses Appear Be- fore Special Committee and Testify on County Af- fairs-Harrison InterrO- gates Sheriff on Hiring of Guards-Lawyers Oppose Reduction

gation into Jefferson county af fairs the legislative committee composed of the Jefferson dele gation in the state senate anC house of representative, hay; discovered that an enormous sum of money is paid out an nually for clerk hire and of flee help. Whether any con siderable part of this could be cut off without impairing the efficiency of the offices the committee so far has not beer able to ascertain.
 Practically every witness that
 has appeared before the commit
 tee in the two days is emphatic in
 expressing the opinion that small
 CT office forces could not do the
 immense amount of work that is
 transacted in the local offices.
 Some of the changes suggested at the hearing and which may be worked into law when the legislature recon venes in July relate to constables, jury system, court stenographers. jiti,ey onerations. license collections and court procedure.
 Circuit Solicitor Joseph R. Tate at the afternoon session yesterday suggested law restricting the activities of con- stables to the district for which they are elected. He stated, and members of the legislative committee agreed with him, that the fee system often in- fluenced constables to stir up liti3a- tion not only in their own districts but in others in order to increase thelr income. This is an evil that they agreed should be abolished. There was a suggestion that constables be put on a salary basis.
 GUARDS AT MINES
 Deputy sheriffs acting as guards at mines and industrial plants came in for considerable discussion. It has been the custom in the past for mine and industrial plant operators to pay the SdldrleS anu 6ApcHSCS ol thC 1Sf uties assigned to protect their prop erty. Under the old system the amount paid by the companies went to the sheriff and since the abolition Of the fee system 1t goes to the county.
 Recently trouble was anticipated at Dolomite by the Woodward company, following discontinuance of the con trac. system and reduction oi II cents a ton in the coal mining scale. c- GaJI send seven deputies to protect prop erty.
 It developed at the hearing that ore deputy sheriff is on duty at Dolomite all the time; that his salary is $l2o month, and that the Woodward com pany pays $10 to the county for this service, in addition to the expenses of the deputy.
 It also developed that except in times of trouble the deputy on duty at a mine or industrial plant acted ir- dependently of the sheriff, although MT. Hartsfeld stated that when trou- ble arose either he went personally and took charge or sent reliable dep uy from his office to represent hiH'. and that all commissioned deputies were under the orders of himself oI the deputy representing him.
 HARRISON TAKES HAND
 This feature was gone into at great length, Representative William l.. Har- rison, president of the Alabama Fed- eration of Labor and organizer for the United Mine Workers, who was elected at the special election few weeks ago, interrogating Sherin Hartsfield very closely on this mat ter.
 He wanted to know if any trouble did occur at Dolomite. and if the der uties commissioned and stationed at the mine were appointed on recom- mendation of the company. Sheriff Hartsfield replied that no trouble had occurred so far as he knew, and that in peace" times the person recom mended by the company usually was appointed.
 When the committee reconvened at 10 o'clock yesterday morning tfs grand jury room, where the sessions are being held, was crowded with Bir- mingham attorneys. By previous ar this hour had been set aside for the purpose of hearing what the members of the Birmingham bar might have to say with regard to the conditions of the courts in Jefferson 
 There 1s a movement on foot to
 abolish two of the circuit court
 judges in Jefferson county, and 1t
 is understood the legislative conn
 mittee, to which . judiciary bill
 introduced at the winter session
 of the legislature was referred, has
 indicated that it would recommend
 decreasing the number of circuit
 judges in Jefferson county to eight.
 BAR ASSOCIATION
 President J. T. Stokeley of the Bir- mineham Bar association asked John P. Tillman to make a statement for the members of the bar. MT T'ill- man stated that he had been practir- ing law in Birmingham since 1881.