Evening star., 1940-01-28

work or not, anOtner Judge would come
into his district and help him clear
the work uI.
I'm other words, you would have q
man speaking with the authority Of
law and not merely exercising his per-
sonal and persuasive influence"
Annual Meetings to Be Held.
In addition to these semi annual
meetings, annual meetings in each cir
cult will bring together the circuit
judges, district judges and members of
the bar for a general discussion of
local conditions. and for consideration
Of means of improvement. Such con-
ferences previously have been con-
Quoted informally in some circuits, not
ably the fourth under the direction OF
Judge Parker, and have been 50 valu-
able that it was decided they were
worth perpetuating by law.
The administrative Office has made
its debut on very modest scale, in
conformity with the belief of the direc-
tor that the organization should be
built up in direct response to the develop
ing needs.
At tho start. it Is believed, about $780,
600 annually willbe required for operat-
ing expenses. Offset. in part, by reduc-
ton in the appropriation for the De-
partment of Justice because of the trans
fer of functions. The top salaries are
the $4,000 paid the director, and $500
to his assistant, Elmore c. Whitehurst,
who formerly was clerk of the House
Judiciary Committee.
Two Major Divisions.
Under the organization mapped by
Director Chandler, the work of the
Office will fall into two major divisions:
Business administration, and procedure
and statistics. The former will be
the fiscal arm of the courts, and will
care also for such needs as housing, and
supplies. The latter will watch over
the actual operations of the courts, and
it is through the studies and reports
of this staff that greater efficiency in
the court system is hoped for In get
ting the work started. special COM
mittee from the judicial conference,
headed by Chief Justice Hughes, is
serving in an advisory capacity
Director Chandler, who took Office
late in November is reluctant as yet to
discuss in detail the operations of the
Office. whose creation already has at
tracted attention abroad, being the
subject of study by British COM
mission. Parenthetically. it should be
said that the proctor" of the British
courts has nothing in common with the
administrative officer of the American
courts. In England the Kings proctor,
or solicitor, represents the Crown in the
courts of probate and divorce.
The director is determined to build on
a firm foundation in streamlining the
courts, but it is worth noting that the
Office is hot proceeding on wait and
see" basis, as already suggestions for
facilitating procedure in some instances
have been made available to the circuit
judges.
Senior Judges Supervise.
The senior circuit judges, whose meet
ing here, over which the Chief Justice
presides, Is known as the judicial con-
ference, will have general supervision.
The separation of the courts from
this phase Of executive control was one
of the points on which great emphasis
was laid by former Attorney General
Homer s. Cummings, who took the lead
in pushing through the plan for the
administrative officer.
II have always felt" he said, "that
there was something wrong about the
dependence of the judiciary on the De-
partment of Justice. Each year, in
September, the Attorney General at
tends a judicial conference at which
budgets and so forth are discussed. The
Government is perhaps the chief ntigant
before the Federal Court. In perhaps
as many as two-thirds of all cases, the
Government is party.
I'm view Of this fact 1t is not logi-
cal that the courts should be dependent
in any way whatsoever on the Depart
ment of Justice. My idea was to make
the judiciary completely independent,
a separate branch Of the Government IN
every respect"
Members Of the judiciary agreed with
this view. There was no suggestion
that the courts felt that putting con-
troll Of their purse-strings in the hands
Of an executive agency had worked to
their detriment, but there was Z gen.
eral feeling that property the judiciary
should be able to speak for itself on the
question of adequate 0nancins.