COMMUNICATIONS. TABULAR STATEMENT of the business done in the several Circuit Courts of the State of Wisconsin, for the years 1874, 1875 and 1876, as reported by the several Clerks of said Courts to the Commissioners appointed pursuant to chapter 231 of the laws of Wisconsin for 1877. FIRST CIRCUIT- SECOND CIRCUIT THIRD CIRCUIT Business done in the several circuit courts of the state of Wisconsin · continued. No. of days the circuit court was actually in ses- No. of cases tried by jury. sion doing business. Total Total 1874. 1875. 1876. for 3 1874. 1875. 1876. for 3 1874. 1875.1876. for 31874.1875. 1876. for 3 years. years. years. years. Grand total in state..1, 494 1,705 1, 605 4,804 837 945 823 2,605 1,074 1,141 1, 154 3,369 1,032 1,153 1,019 3,204 Burnett Chippewa Douglas. Polk Total To the Honorable, the Legislature of the State of Wisconsin: The undersigned, appointed by His Excellency the Governor, pursuant to chapter 231 of the laws of 1877, as commissioners to ascertain and report to the Legislature "the average duration per annum for the last three years, of aggregate circuit court sessions, in each county organized for judicial purposes, and in each circuit as at present constituted; and to report a bill to the next succeeding legislature to redistrict the state into such number of such circuits as will equalize the labors of the judges thereof, and to determine the salaries of the said judges, * * and whether or not, in their judgment, it is feasible or desirable to provide for the rotation of the several circuit judges among the several circuits, and for the holding of the court by the several circuit judges in any other circuits than their own," beg leave to report, that they have had under consideration the matters entrusted to them, and with a view to obtain the information desired, addressed a circular to the clerk of each county and to the judge of each judicial circuit requesting the statistics of the labors of the court in each county during the years 1874, 1875 and 1876. The information thus obtained has been compiled in a tabular statement, which is hereto annexed as a part of this report, purporting to show: First, the number of days the circuit court was actually in session doing business in each year. Second, the number of cases tried by the jury in each county. Third, the number of cases other than defaults, tried by the court without a jury. And, fourth, the number of days the court was engaged in jury trials. The information thus obtained we believe to be approximately correct. Certain errors have manifestly intervened in the reports of the various clerks, but we are of opinion that practically for the purposes sought, the table is sufficiently accurate. The attention of the legislature is, however, called to the fact, that such statistical information does not necessarily give any correct notion of the character of judicial business performed in each circuit, either as to quantity or quality of the work. So much depends upon the judicial officer, his legal attainments and executive ability, and his competency for the proper dispatch of business that it is quite erroneous to judge the work of the judges solely by comparison of the number of days each was er ployed in court. Nor does such statistical information give any correct notion of the character of the work performed. Litigation in one circuit may and in some circuits does largely consist of appeals in petty cases from courts held by justices of the peace. In other circuits it is important, involving large properties and vexatious questions of law. In any plan of redisticting the state into judicial circuits, with a view to equalization of labor, these considerations should be considered and have their proper weight. Upon obtaining the statistical information referred to, the commissioners addressed themselves to the duty of so re-districting the judicial circuits as to equalize the labors of the judges. The state is now composed of thirteen judicial circuits. Some of these have |