Henderson Daily Dispatch

Uniformity
In N. C. Court
Procedure Sadly
Lacking

By Lynn Nisbet,
Raleigh, Feb. 8.-Motorists nabbed
by patrolmen for failure to display
a 1946 license plate after midnight
of January 31 have little reason for
complaint and poor defense to of-
fer, but many of the culprits do
have grounds for complaint at lack
of uniformity in court procedure
dealing with these cases. In most
instances highway patrolmen cited
offenders to court, no formal warrant
being issued and no actual arrest
made. In some cases justices of the
peace have later written warrants
and added to bill of costs both
warrant and arrest fees, along with
at least one witness fee when no
witnesses were called or heard. Less
frequently the JP or municipal
courts have let defendants off with
no cost or a bare minimum covering
processes actually used. Also in
some cases fines have been imposed.

UNIFORMITY.-All of which adds
to growing belief the whole court
system from justices of the peace
up should be revamped in the in-
terest of uniformity. There is no ap-
parent reason why one person hailed
before Raleigh municipal court
should be let off with reprimand,
and his neighbor hailed before a jus-
tice of the peace and socked $16.75
for identical offense. Instances of this
kind have been cited before as proof
that the justice of peace set-up in
this state should be modernized,
but efforts to obtain any real re-
form have failed.

TRAFFIC.-Col. H. J. Hatcher,
soon after becoming head of the
highway patrol, suggested a system
of traffic courts throughout the state
so motorists apprehended for speed-
ing or other traffic violations
might be given speedy hearings.
These same courts might well be
given jurisdiction over the license
plate act and since the judges would
be working on salary rather than
fees the temptation would not be
present to multiply charges and pro-
long hearings in order to run up
high cost bills. Under such a system
defendants would receive approxi-
mately the same treatment for sim-
ilar offenses wherever committed.