Evening star., 1925-06-21
new POLICE COURT
BUILDING SOUGHT
Officials to Appeal to Con-
gress for Larger Quarters
to Relieve Congestion.
BY GEORGE ADAMS HOWARD.

Believing that the present Police
Court located at Sixth and D streets
Is totally inadequate for the needs
OF the National Capital, officials of
the court will petition Congress at
Its next session for a new building,
architecture with other buildings in
Washington.
Announcement to this effect was
made exclusively to The Star yester-
day by court officials in effort to
OBTAIN public support of the plan.
When Congress passed the traffic
act and provided for the appointment
OF two more police judges. it was
thought that the existing congestion
would be eliminated. Officials of the
court were not satisfied. but, never
theless, resolved to give the new pro-
visions fair trial.
Although many hearings had been
held previous to the adoption of the
act, during which the actual needs
or the courts were presented. these
needs were overlooked in the final
outcome.
Now after several months trial
with the four judges presiding al
Tentatively over the three courts. 1t
Is declared to be necessity to the
welfare of the city for relief In the
who so believe. include the judges,
assistant corporation counsel and
clerks.
Traffic Court Cramped.
To begin with. according to them
the present courthouse began to
junction In 1908, when the population
OF the city was about half it's pres-
ent number, and the automobile and
prohibition problems were unknown.
"A snort time ago chart was pub
lshed in The Star showing the
growth of business in the court dur
ing the last 10 years. Yet, it Is shown
tne courthouse stands today practt-
caliy unchanged, with the execution
Oh one small room being turned into
traffic court. This room is tested
about by all members. of the police
ana legal fraternity In the city. The
Iault, however. does not lie with it's
planner' 1t is the best that could
pe done with existing appropria tions
IL Is so small that at times it can
not adequately hold the witnesses in
one case. Consequently other defend
ants and policemen are scattered all
over the courthouse, necessarily de-
laying the hearings of following
cases. ie
The additional judges have helped
put the congestion is still far too
much for them to cope with With few
exceptions the same personnel that
conducted business for the two iudpes
Try TO conduct the business for the
TOUR. Rooms have been changed
around to give more space for this
work. but only as much as the exist
ing hoor space of the courthouse al.
lowed.
Every morning the courts are
crowded. Not only are the courtrooms
crowded, but the corridors and even
the stairways as well. Signs of No
parking in the Railways" are laughed
at. There is no other available place
voices OF bailiffs that used to procla i'm
Don't congregate in the hallways"'
are stilled now.
Out-O1-toWn residents who have
cases in court are amazed at the con-
ditions. Even in the small towns that
many hail from the courthouse is not
only adequate but source of pride
because of its appearance.
Officials Complain.
Judge Gus A. Schuldt in comment
ing upon the matter deplored the pres
ent conditions. A plan of his is to
turn over the courthouse to the Police
Department for a headquarters and
1odldoil iiClI pi cSCill oIc III tH6 DlS-
trict Building. Il only wish that
enough members of Congress could
visit the court for a day" he said,
'for then L know something quickly
would be done"
One of the assistant United States
attorneys stated that the various
branches of the Police Court should
be completely divorced from one an
other. He particularly pointed out
that under the new traffic act some of
the traffic charges had to be tried by
the United States branch instead of
the Traffic Court That means" he
said, that / have to leave my regular
routine work to go into a purely traf-
fic case that is purely a municipal
matter"
Frank A. Sebring, clerk Of the
court and probably its oldest employe
in point of service, declared that mat
ters were only getting worse. Accord
ing to him there are about so persons
on the pay roll, which is a very slight
increase In the past decade. I'VE
must have better facilities for carry
ing on the work of the court" he
said. TT is utterly ridiculous to sup
pose that the affairs of a city as large
as Washington can be successfully
handled in this building"