Evening star., 1951-12-21

II rec StStem IN government.
that the fee system has no place
in modern government and that
it leaves the door open to in
deficiency and abuse.
A Nationwide Associated Press
survey. conducted through It's
bureaus, shows the reforms have
ranged from piecemeal to whole
hog.
The AP bureau in Jefferson
City, Mo-, reports:
Members of Missouri's consti-
tutional convention in 1943-44
said they were tired of reports
that ambitious sheriffs, justices
of the peace and other fee officers
were boosting their take by over
Jealous enforcement.
/ Laws Rewritten.
so a new policy was put into
the Constitution. State and coun-
ty officials were put on a salary
basis, and fees were to go into
State or county treasures.
"As soon as the constitution was
ratified in 1945, the Legislature
rewrote the laws to make them
conform to the new policy. Now
only a few fees collected in civil
matters are retained by the col
lecting official.
"At the same time, the old
cracker barrel courts of the JPs
were abandoned and magistrate
courts replaced them. Any court
costs or fines the magistrates col
lect have to be turned over to the
State, and the State pays them a
fixed salary"
New Jersey has said good-by to
the last of its fee-paid officials,
the JPs. They were abolished in
1948, under new State consti-
tuition and subsequent reorganiza-
ton of the judicial system.
Virginia System Modernized.
Virginia modernized its coroner
system in 1948. All coroners now
must be physicians. They are ap-
pointed by the States chief med
ical examiner.
Virginia also has put sheriffs or
straight salaries. Justice of the
peace courts have been supplanted
by trial justice courts in the coun-
ties and by police courts in the
cities. JPs now are limited to
writing warrants and taking bond
acknowledgements.
The l947 Oregon Legislature
substituted district courts for JPs
in the half dozen largest cite;
and put JPs in other cities on o
straight salary. The lawmakers
also put the small-town and viii
|lage JPs on a guaranteed annual
salary. based on the amount Of
fees they collect. Their fees are
placed in the county treasury
land the county commissioners sci
the salary.
Tennessee Courts Setup.
General sessions courts have
been set up in one-fourth or more
|of Tennessee's counties to take
over the criminal jurisdiction OF
justices Of the peace.
The Ohio Legislature has ere
ated Is municipal courts to begin
Operations on January !. JPs and
their constables viii lose their
Jobs in the territory under the
jurisdiction Of the new courts.
The fee system is virtually ex-
tinct in New York. A town law
that went into effect in 1943 and
"a new county law that went into
effect this year provide that all
town and county officers must be
paid on a salary basis.
1t took many years, but there is
hardly a vestige Of the fee sys-
tenn left in California.
Other States where few, II any
officials depend on fees for COM
|pensation include Arizona. Mary
land, Massachusetts, and Rhode
Island.
The fee system has been elimi-
mated to a large degree in Penn
sylvania.
Only 100 probate judges and
several other types Of officials still
receive fees in Connecticut.
Fewer Fee Officers.
There have been decreases of
varying size in the number Of fee
officers In Texas. Virginia, Maine.
Kansas, Arkansas, South Caro-
lima, Indiana and Alabama.
But thousands Of others still are
in business. Nobody knows pre-
cisely how many In the Nation as
a whole.
Consider Illinois alone. The Of
flee OF the Secretary of State es-
Inmates the number of JPs, who
serve on a fee basis, and police