Show lights of new york by L L STEVENSON at saulberry street la Is an old graystone gray stone building once upon a time it was new york cites pollee police head quarters a sig sign agn ocr the door still declaring it to be such the sign Is an error however pollee headquarters is in a gold domed stone leoned structure over on centre street since 1016 1916 the ancient graystone has been the place where all bad motorists go it houses traffic court also homic homicide idt court so whether the infraction of the law be a mere violation or a fa bality the driver reaches rj street those who are taken to horal clde cide court are few those who reach traffic court tire are many the court was established june 14 1916 the num her ber of cases handled since then Is now well over a million the average Is from to a day the days work has reached a peak of cases the cases are handled at the rate of about three a minute on one oce slon sion CO 30 were disposed of in ID less thau than a minute 0 4 0 it the sentence meted out by the judge that la Is the real punishment of a motorist who lias has passed a red light parked in the wrong place or too long in ID the right place ignored an officers signal or commuted commil ted any of the sins sing that bring tickets its the court COLN itself traffic court Is a place of tra fro vall vail for one who must face the bar of justice it seats ISO only the rest resl of the violators have bare to stand until the clerk calls their names on hot days women and occasionally a man faint sometimes an extra magistrate Is called in to relieve the congestion but always there la Is a wait malt that wait speeds up proceedings materially many a motorist who has come to the court firmly convinced that justice I 1 on his side and that hell make a fight Is so eager to get away that when his turn comes he cant say guilty gull ty quickly enough those who plead not guilty are ordered to return in a week with their attorneys that order often changes belligerence into meekness A second visit Is almost unthinkable mass blass production methods which es a new high for cases a into ute were instituted by magistrate michael ichael Al A ford list last february lie ile was in a hurry to get through ev here who intends to plead guilty raise his hand be ordered sixty hands were hoisted sentence suspended in those cases continued the court now lets hear what the rest of you have to say the rest said their says in short order the usual cost of a traffic violation is 2 0 0 another bit of punishment in connection with a visit to traffic court Is I 1 that the wait may be so long that the motorists wll get a ticket for overtime parking that has hag happened also cars have been stripped of nf everything of value alue while owners have been waiting to face the bar of justice 0 0 0 hardened to excuses are the traffic court magistrates it takes an exceptional explanation to bring a suspend ed sentence A twenty two yen r old girl had one the traffic cop testified that be had whistled bist led but she haan hadn t stopped the girl testified that she heard the whistle but thought it was some masher 1 traffic fines are payable in ID cash and that introduces the subject of money A lot of money la Is carried around mid town without anyone knowing anything about it at least the carrier hopes so bler merchants chants and others carry large sums to the banks in the course of the business day they also carry considerable sums from the banks in the way of change the rolls of silver are stowed in various parts of the clothing by some of the overcautious others put them into bags which look alki alk the reticules cules of our grandmothers women seem to think the bags they carry over their arms the safest means of transportation ca 1933 bell syndicate service |