Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-17
Roper Rdps Waste
in Municipal Court


from Page One
and with fifteen Judges handling trans
actions amounting to $40 ,533, ,1S4.16,
is $40, 700.
1.-THE Orphans Court, with five
Judges handling matters involving de-
cedents' estates running into millions
of dollars each year, is run for sos, $50,
while the Quarter Sessions Court,
which has general criminal jurisdiction
in the county with few exceptions, is
operating at n cost of $116,95O.
I'm short, it costs Philadelphia
$3J1 800 to operate the Courts of Com
mon Pleas. Orphans Court and Quar-
Ter Sessions Court, while the Municipal
Court. with very limited civil and
criminal jurisdiction and its domestic
relations and children's cases and other
frills, cost 1923 ,462.
Analyses Payroll Figures
The Office of the probation officer
of the Court of Quarter Sessions is
conducted by chief probation officer
at $4,000; one woman assistant Mt S22OW
and one mnic assistant at $1,000. This
probation officer and his assistants at
tend to the work of fifteen Common
town Judges and in the last two years
has handled G33 adult male cases and
$50 adult female cases, and having en-
tire jurisdiction over three courts.
"Thc Municipal Court has divided
the same kind Of work into what are
called the male and female divisions.
In the female division their report for
1910 shows sixty-five cases were ham
died during the year. The latest figures
J have show that the wOmcn's S criminal
division il composed Of eight employees.
while the mems criminal division, which
handled $40 cases for 1910, has twelve
cmploycs--in both instances tho major
ity being o-callcd probation officers,
This comparison shows that the
probation officer Of the Court OF Quarter
Sessions handles in actual fact ns many.
If not more, probation cases than both
the male and female divisions of the
Municipal Court and does the same work
with thfrce employees for which the Mu-
nicipai Court requires twenty.
The Municipal Court requires thir-
| tccn Criprs and assistant CrierS while
! the Court Of Common Pleas with its vast
amount of business only needs ten. The
| Municipal Court requires eight inter :
prefers Mt $2500 year while the Com
mon Pleas, Orphans and Quarter seS :
sions courts combined only use hHC
at the same figure.
Extra JanitOr for Brown
"The tipstaves in the Municipal
! Court number forty one while the tip.
slaves in the Common Pleas Courts
number thirty-nine with many moro
CourtrOomS and cases to handle. The
| Municipal Court has asked for twenty
one janitOrs which is at the rate of two
ianitors n judge, with an extra one fn,I
the president judge for good measure.
"Thc Municipal Court payroll show
ninety stenographcrs divided as follows
Eleven at $4,000; one at $4,000: eigh
nj $500; four at $3.50 fifty -nnc a
$1,000; two at 5000. and five at $1,000
I'm the Common Pleas Court ther
are only fourteen stenographers n
$4,000. In the Orphans Court there nr
five Mt $4,000, or a total of nineteen
against ninety for the Municipal Court
Each Judge of the Orphans Court, how
ever. has n clerk and stenogrApher q
$4,000 to do confidential work.
Thinks Salaries Unlawful
The Municipal Court is asking 70
one chief clerk at $4,000; four clerk
at $4,000; one clerk and mcsscngc
at 1880: two clerks and messenger II
5000; one clerk and messenger Il
5000; one clerk at $500; min
at $500; seven Mt $3.50; thirty on
at $1,000; seven at $1020: thirteen n
$1,000 five at 5000; one at $50 nm
; three at $T20-a total of eighty mine
, II seriously question whether som
of these salaries are not unlawful. Sec
r tlon IN Of the act of July II, 1913, CS
p tnhishing the court. 0s amended by tn
| net of June -. 1913. provides that tn
president Judge shall appoint n chic
probation officer, whose salary shall nc
exceed $4,000. and such additional OF
Gccrs and employees rs he NAV deter
mine, at salaries not to exceed $1,000.
THE PrCthDnOtary Of the Court E
I Common Pleas il mad" the clerk Of tl
u civil side of the Municipal COnrt, whi'
u the clerk Of the Court of Quarter Scs
n ,ions has the same jurisdiction in Grim
T inul business.
"It would senm to me that the S4OO
Il clerks and the $2750 cricrs are drawin
= salaries in excess Of $2500, contrary I
the clear mandate of the Lcgislatur
Council is showing a most cOmmendG
bio spirit in it's broad gauge way
handling the budget Ond in ito efforts
cut down the tax rate.
Good Field for Economy
The payroll OF the Municipal Cou
:. Is certainly a fertile field for retrencl
/! ing. | have no hesitancy in sayi
that any business man can take tn
il court and operate 1t from garret
:" cellar at Il saving Of more than 5000
= 900, without considering the eliminate
~ 'n Of at least one-half of the item
}" SI00, 900 which IS taken from the CT
\, Treasury and handed to certain instit
nt tionS merely because some one is
ri lazy to do little work
nj "Ialf million dollars In the gre
n can be saved in the operation OF
he Municipal Court, and this would go
nd great way toward making a big redu
ry ton In reality in the tax rate
a Mr.. Roper Is having prepared mime
ct graphed questionnaires, which will
he submitted Monday at the next buds
session to Municipal Court officials W
nd appear before Council.
est Council last night tentatively a
if proved the 81 ,0OO,00 payroll of I
Munlcipal Court, subject to furtt