The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-03

Adopting unanlmouSly the report or the public affairs committee the Civ itan club at the luncheon yesterday took up the cudgel in behalf of the establishment of a court of domestic relations in Jefferson county to su- percede the juvenile court and take over a portion of the duties Of chancery court.
 The report was presented by W. R. c. Cooke, chairman of the public ae- fairs committee, after more than a months study of the question. The Civitan club expects to lead the fight for the establishment of such court and will use its influence at the next session Of the legislature to procure legislation authorizing it's creation.
 The plan for the court as recom- mended by the public affairs com- mittee is modelled on the domestic relations court of Cincinnati and IS designed to take over all Jurisdiction in family troubles and custody of children which is now divided be- tween chancery court and the juve- nile court. The chancery court wodld be left free to handle matters of equity involving property rights and the juvenile court would be abolished.
 Appeal from the single court as advocated would be solely to the su- preme court The full report of the committee, composed of W. R. (. Cooke, S. R. Batson, James Freeman S. c, Garnett and John s. Westley is as follows:
 Your committee has carefully con sidered the question of the advis- ability of creating in Jefferson coun- ty, a court of domestic relations nav ing general and initial jurisdiction of all questions involving domestic re- lations, and for the reasons here after stated is of the opinion and recommends that the Civitan club in dorse the establishment of such court by proper legislation.
 In considering the question. cer- tain primary considerations must be kept in view.
 The fundamental unit md the cornerstone of all civilized society Is the family, and unless the integrity and morality of that group in It's es- sentials be preserved. the disinte- grafton of society. and then of gov ernment, which is but the means adopted by society to protect itself and advance civiltzation. must re- suit.
 The home in tho broad sense of the organization and shelter of the fam fly, Is the training camp of the child. the embryo citizens who, as he or she natures, must either contribute materially or morally to the progress of society or become a drawback thereto, since no individual is wholly neutral in the matter of influence upon surrounding people and condi- tions.
 Modern industrial conditions and their accompanying aspects, the growth of great cities and the at traction of people to them from the rural districts, though producing greater wealth and a larger general scale of comforts and conveniences for the average person than the world has ever known before, have produced moral and social problems that seriously threaten the funda- mental morality of the individual and the good of society.
 The tension of city life, the lack of quietude, the pace at which peo- pie not only work but live in their hours of leisure, produce nervous and mental reactions that In their turn seriously affect the home.
 No report of this sort can at tempt to analyze in detail the va rious aspects of the problem but il is an admitted fact that recourse~tc the divorce court is increasingly frequent upon all grounds. not only upon those involving serious breaches of the moral code but upon others as we'll. that should not cause the sep aration of husbands and wives.
 The consequences to the partici- rants and to the children are too well known to require discussion and any means that can be devised to even partly remedy the evil should be :n- dorsed. The question of divorce. ot course, Is only one feature of domes- tic relations but the delinquency aud immortality of children are most ire quentiy product of some condition Tn the home that must be laid at the door Of the parents individually or of the general conditions of society in winch those parents live.
 At the present time the juvenils court of Jefferson county exercises a limited jurisdiction over children un- der 1G years of age who are delin- quent. irdigent. neglected or other wise subject to discipline. It pre- scribes the punishment for crimes and misdemeanors of children under 1s except in cases of offenses pun ishable by death or imprisonment in the penitentiary. It has power tc arrange for the custody and shelter of children and may remove then for proper cause from under tho Jurisdiction of their parents. But il has no adequate power to penalize 8 parent for non-support, or adopt et- fective measures to force the parent to provide support All it's judg- ments and decrees are subject to ap- peal either to the probate court or [, l the chancery division of the circuit court of this county.
 On the other hand. the chancery di- vision of the circuit court exercises {, subject of divorces, alimony and the srbjetc of divorces. almiony and the custody of children. and may annul