The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-14
LENNON AND SMITH
REPLY TO GARDNER
Continued From Page One)

cuested, and is quoted as saying
'"The Recorders Court now has
the lightest docket ever"
Inasmuch as the Recorders
Court is County institution and
the citizenry of the County are
entitled to know the record that
its officials are making, we are
compelled to issue public state
ment which we believe will con-
vince the Commissioner and 9TH
ers who might have been influ-
enced by his public remarks that
his statements at the board meet
ing were entirely in error.
Space in the press will not per-
init us to give detailed summary
of our many duties, neither will
the figures hereinafter ct out,
which may be verified by the Clerk
of Superior Court and by the Coun-
ty Auditor, include t h e various
amounts of money collected by
the Court in the form of restitu-
ton, the substantial amounts col
lected weekly for the benefit of
minor children hundreds weekly
and various forms of taxes col
lected for the benefit of the State,
County and City.
During the period from Janu-
ary 2, 1910 to December 81, 1910
the Recorders Court of New Han
over county tried four thousand
and sixty (4.06O) cases, and the
receipts in money collected by the
Court during this period from fines
and costs amounted to tWenty-one
thousand, one hundred and thirty
eight dollars and twenty three
cents ($21, 1929.
we have found during our ten
ure of office that the win e r
months comprise the lightest
docket during the year, but since
the defense projects have been un-
der way since about the middle
of December, 1910, we are taking
as a comparative basis the month
of December, 1910; January 1941
and the first twelve days of Feb
ruary, 1941, and comparing this
period with like periods of other
years. The figures for the last
three years are as follows:
Money collected, December,
1910, S2,63O.3O; money collected,
January, 1941, $2,25420; money
collected, February, 1941 t12 days.
81, 1885. Total, $6,O78.35.
Money collected December,
1899, $1,o1s.oO; money collected,
January, 1910, $1,O7O.1o; m y
collected February, 1910 az days.
$652 As. Total $2,741.55.
''Money collected December
1888, $1,13257; money collected,
January, 1889, $1,OO7O5; money
collected February, 1889 az days.
$3O7.75. Total $2,447.37.
I'VE know Commissioner Gard
ner and perhaps others will be
interested to learn that the Re-
corder's Court tried 519 cases in
the period beginning January 2,
1941 and ending February IL, 1941.
That for a like period of a year
ago, to wit: January 2, 1910 and
ending February IL, 1910 the court
tried 40 cases. This represents
an increase of business during that
short period of 1O9 cases.
"Our salaries are now $330O.OO
and $21000O respectively, which we
feel are not in line with like posi-
tions throughout the state d
where the same amount Of duties
are involved.
1--WE cordially invite the citizen
ry of this county to attend the
daily sessions of Recorders Court
and see for themselves the man.
ner in which the Court is con-
ducted."
Signed,
''ALTON A. LENNON,
Judge of Recorders Court
of New Hanover Co.
wv. WINFIELD SMITH,
Solicitor of Recorders Court
of New Hanover Co. l
Siam, we note, is still carrying
on it's war with French Indo-C China
incidentally, Siam-now known as
acknowledgements to be the only
nation which fights under a ring