Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-02

posed legislation to merge Municipal
Court and Police Court. objecting to
Judge Schuldt's proposed amendment,
| which would allow drafting Municipal
| Court judges to Police Court to re-
! lieve congestion in the dockets there,
and pleading mot guilty to log roll
| ing" Judge George c. Aul<am. pre-
| siding member of the Municipal Court
| bench, last night told the Gibson sub
committee of the House District com
mittee that IF citizens want us to
| pull them out of that mess over there
we're willing to do it,"
His testimony was brief and pithy.
He had single sheet of statistics on
which he told the committee was
grouped all important data regarding
the Municipal Court In concise and
comprehensive form. A chance ques-
ton as to the time it took on an av-
erage to try a jury case In Municipal
Court was answered Immediately from
this sheet on the basis of an average
for four years, with each years aver
age listed.
Court Up to Date.
Judge Aukam was pointed in sew
eral of his statements. He briefly
summarized the condition of the
| docket of the Municipal Court by
stating that the court was UP to date
with its work. Suits filed two weeks
ago will be up for determination to-
morrow, he said There are four
dockets in Municipal Court. and the
cases disposed of average 175 per day.
Some 10000 cases ars disposed of an
nually, and this includes SO per cent
of all civil litigation on the law side
of the courts in any Jurisdiction with
in the bounds of the District, he said.
Representative Houston of Delaware
here interjected word of praise.
That is a remarkable record" he
said. This is the first court in my
experience l have ever head of with
its docket in such good shape. That
record should be spread before the
world at large as an example of eff
cheney"
Building Firetrap.
Judge Aukam commented pointedly
on the condition of the Municipal
Court Building. Its rattletrap af
fair" he said. He added that there
are rats from the basement to the
roof in that building. The records are
kept In temporary rooms in a danger
Gus location, and three safes, each of
which would Withstand a heavy fire
for an hour, care for the minute books
with entries of judgment in them.
The building costs $4,000 a year and
is firetrap, he declared,
I'VE object to drawing more judges
from Municipal Court" he. declared.
Under the present law one Judge can
be drawn by the justices of the Dis
trict of Columbia Supreme Court.
Under the proposed amendment to
section OIL of the code, as presented
by Judge Schuldt of Police Court
Monday night, all judges might be
subject to call in event of emergency,
within the discretion of the Supreme
Court justices.
I'VE want to object to that provi.
sion," Judge Aukam continued. IF
they could take one judge from
Municipal Court, they could take all.
Willing to Lend Aid.
And I've been accused of log roll
ing. / see. / want to plead not guilty
to that. didn't know anything about
the bill; don't care anything about it;
but il the citizens here want us to
pull them out OF that mess over there
we're willing to do 1t.
Only zoo cases a year of a total of
10000 cases annually decided, Or one
half of ! per cent, are jury trial cases.
Previously 1t had been testified that
the Police Court docket has approx.
inately 1900 jury trial cases annually
to cope with. This has caused the
congestion In Police Court
If jury trials come up promptly
he declared, most of those demand
| ing them will drop their demands.
| They only want them for the length
of time it gives before action. IL you
would take the 800 cases pending in
Police Court and set them for trial
tomorrow, with possibilities of having
| the trial in each case, more than 400
would drop the demand for jury trial"
Knows Of No System.
Mr.. Houston questioned him as to
his knowledge of the system en-
ployed in Police Court. the witness
having stated he was familiar with
some angles of Police Court work as
result of sitting on the bench there
| at various times during the last Is
years or so.
System" Judge Aukam repeated,
II don't know that they have any
| system"
Later he added:
Amy man with any energy at all
can go over there Ito Police Court
and handle the business of both
courts in O. day." He was referring to
the United States branch and the Dis
trict OF Columbia branch of Police
| Court in the routine run of cases.
Leaving the stand he repeated he
hadn't been "log- rolling" or doing any
thing like 1t.
We're coming down to see you
soon." Chairman Gibson informed him,
telling of visit proposed for the near
fs,f Ixrk
the Municipal Court.
II hope you come before we burn
up" was the smiling reply of the
jurist The rats are running all
over that place at night. It's rattle
trap affair and fire trap as we'll"
Moller Explains Bureau.
Col /. c. Moller explained to the
committee the details of his plan for
establishment of a traffic violations
bureau in Washington, patterned
| after ones he had inspected in Detroit
and Chicago. which he said might re-
lieve 10000 of the 10000 traffic cases
which now go to court, cluttering up
| the Police Court docket.
| He said an Office force of six with
| total salary provision of $7.740 an
| nually could handle the work of the
Office. The scheme would be to have
| all traffic violations designated by the
| director of traffic as such for the ju-
risdiction of the bureau come through
| this bureau, and have slips printed
| for police to distribute to violators on
the back of which would he listed the
| fines for each offense as designated
by the traffic director, not to exceed
| S25.
When the violator so desired, Col.
| Moller said he could appeal for a
II REAL ESTATE LOANS |