Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-07
Roper VIII Study
Courts in ChicdgO
Continued from rnec On.

Continued from rnec On.
amendment: "I did not consider the
information given BY Mr.. Roper was
sufficient"
Challenge 70 Brown
Ware members of Council and the
seven administration men who voted
with them let Councilmen Develin and
Roper rave" about the court, as the
Varieties termed It. and then, without
reply, save from Councilmen Gnffney
and Hall, Ware leaders, cast their bal
lots against the measure.
Councilman Develin virtually chal-
lenged Judge Brown, president judge
Of the court, to attempt the ex-
o~cise Of the threatened m8ndamus to
restore the positions, provided Council
would cut them out.
Mr.. Roper presented statistics show
ing. by comparison with the operation
costs Of the Municipal Court, OF Chi
cago, the extravagant administration Of
Judge Browns court. Both coun :
cilmen told Of personal inyesti-
CATION which they had made of the
Municipal Court in this city in which
they visited the various branches and as
a result Of which they found upwards
Of 100 probation officers who. appeared
" nave HothiHk W w Uut uEa" 'ho'
salaries.
They found men drawing salaries as
lrobation officers acting In other doubt
ful and uncertain lines of work. The
real work of probation officers, they
declared, was in the main being done by
women whose salaries ranged from
$1,000 to $500.
Fail TO Receive Support
The arraignment Of the Municipal
| Court administration came when the
| 81 ,000, 900 budget item was called up
for final action before being sent to
| Council finance committee with other
| department budgets. In the discussion
| not one councilman on the admins
tration side Of the chamber raised his
voice to support Councilmcn Roper and
Develin. The Ware side of the cham
ber, led by Councilman Gaffncy and
Councilman Hall. made no attempt tc
answer the arguments of Mr.. Roper and
Mr.. Dcvelin. Both talked lot about
the good work the Municipal Court
was doing and charged that Messrs
Roper and Develin were taking an un
fair advantage in attacking the court
when its budget had already beer
passed on tentatively.
Positions which Mr.. Roper sought e
have struck from the 81 900 900 bulge
included those of six couct criers. 81,
janitors. 1873 probation officers. twent.
stenographers. seven filing clerks fou
fremen and one secretary. Mr.. Rope
explained that that would result in
saving Of about $500, 900 withou
hampering the operation Of the rea
court work.
Roper Opens Attack
In opening his attack on the Munich
pal Court jobs, Councilman Roper de
clared he made a comparison with tn
Municipal Court of Chicago.
'"That court" he said Twas the basi
on which the Municipal Court in Phila
delphia was established. and both court
are conducted along somewhat simila
lines. The 1910 report of Chicag
shows that there are thirty judges Il
that court. The total cost of thos
judges and the probation officers neces
sary to operate the court business i
about 1893. 725. Here in Philadelphi
our probation officers alone cost nearl
S4S4 900 and with the nine judges tn
amount is about $3.50, 800.
"In Chicago the number of case
handled in the civil and municips
, branches Of the Municipal Court ar
, ten times the number handled in tn
, Municipal Court here. Both Mr.. Deve
} lin and myself went to Judge Brown
court and Mr.. Morrow, the chief clerl
could point only to four probation officer.
; getting more than $500 n year, VIII
we're doing anything. Most of the wor
e seemed to be in the hands of womel
: lie told us there were eleven probatio