Evening star., 1939-11-03
Bar Group 10 Meet
On LandIord-Tenant
Court Issues
Seton Dorr Declares
Number Of People
Served Is Uppermost
By HORACE KNOWLES.

ny HONAOE NNO"LESs
The District Bar Association.
Committee on Relations with MUM.
cipal Court will hold special meet.
ing at 4 pm. Tuesday to consider
matters pertaining to the landlord
and tenant branch Of the court, Rob-
ert E. Lynch, chairman of the COM
mittee, announced today.
Mr.. Lynch made public a letter he
received from Seton Darr. president
Of the association, in which he called
attention to the series of articles ap-
pearing " The Star rdIative to fees
and practices In the branch.
The meeting will be held in Mr.
Lynch's Office, 610 Shoreham Build
ing. Members of the committee in
clude David Reardon, Milford
Schwartz, Elmer Cummins. John
B. Cullen. Joseph D. Bulman
Lunsford Hammer, Joseph A. Roney
and Harold H. Smaller.
Service Declared Uppermost.
Referring to the fees charged in
the branch, Mr.. Darr said in his let
ter: ITO my mind it is of far less
Importance how many dollars q
court is in the black than how
many people 1t has served and how
we'll, and suggest to you and your
committee that the profit motive
should play no part in the admin
istration of municipal court
whose guiding principle ought te
be the extension of the greatest
possible service to the greatest
number of people"
The Stars articles presented fig
ures showing Municipal Court has
made huge profit, in considering
receipts over expenditures, by the
assessment of excessive fees against
the nearly $4,000 hard-pressed ten
ants sued annually in the branch
for repossession of their homes fol
non-payment of rent!
Calling attention to the five ar.
ticles appearing in The Star, Mr.
Darr said: THE Star, as a matter
of community service, has gone tt
great lengths to bring this whole
situation to public notice. AS the
agency best qualified to attempt tt
bring about changes of these con.
ditions, it is unquestionably the
duty of the Bar Association to offel
remedies designed to correct what
appears to be a bad situation from
the standpoint of due and proper
administration of justice in the. Dis.
trict of Columbia where our poorer
class of people are so vitally In.
volved."
Records Are Urged.
Continuing, MIR. Darr said: "Or
the subject of court costs, or fee
charged by the court, it is my opin.
ion that The Stars articles def
nitely show the necessity for accu
rate and detailed records to be KEEP
by the court concerning the case
handled, the manner in which the,
are disposed of and the time con
sumed in their disposition, partic'
ularly with respect to the landlor,
and tenant cases."
He pointed out that with sucl
records lit would be q compare
lively simple matter to fix cour
costs from time to time"
The Bar Association head then re-
ferred to the committees approval O
| the Washington Housing Associa
tion's recommendation that tn
landlord and tenant sessions b.
held during the afternoon instead o
the morning. The recommendation
was made with view to giving tn
judges more time to consider land
lord and tenant cases, since under
the present setup he is allowed onl.
one hour. The Board Of Judges
however, did not adopt the recon
mendation.
Continuing, Mr.. Darr pointed out
1.-THE articles appearing in The Sta
strike me as conclusively showing tn
necessity for more time being de
voted to these causes involving ten
ants of the poorer class. This deartl
of time seriously threatens the ney
program of simplified procedure re
Gently put into effect in these cases.
In conclusion, Mr.. Darr suggeste'
immediate consideration of thes
matters by Mr.. Lynch's COMMITTEES
with q view to making recon-
mendations to the judges for the do
ing Of those things which your com
mittee thinks would be proper to ~