Los Angeles Mirror from Los Angeles, California • 24

l'nnrxTt yryvryrvr rryyr't'o'fyji rt ivYyvYr' 1 Funeral Tomorrow loir-Benjamin Plait 'H I -f 8 PlrtlllAiigbW.Apr.!f.WO. MlRRflft flftWS JUSTICE COSTS MUCH, MOST OF PUBLIC. BELIEVES -Continued ran first Fife become almost aclicheTor billion derived from He is survived by his wife, Sophia; four Herman, David, Conrad, and Leo; 11 grandchildren and one great grand child; a brother, Henry, and two sisters, Mrs. Sarah Zuck'erman and Mrs. Pesel Fiedman, all of Los Angeles.

Burial will be in ML Sinai Memorial Park, jurists or noted lawyers to advise law school graduating classes to stay out of criminal law. MOST OF ACCUSED RAVE NO MONEY The big fact is that most of the- criminally, accused have no For every Dr. Tihch there are thousands of penniless filling station stick-up punks and other paupers. shown ttyt the average solo "lawyer in this state made tally $7,200 net before, taxes last year. Harvard Law Record statistics show that finns with nine or more members' aver-.

aged only about $36,000 net per firm, THE FIGURES CAN MISLEAD These statistics can be Gouncilmen to Hear Pay Raise Pleas Continued from First Page corrected is the $300 equipment outlay that new policemen and firemen must make. The Police and Fire Protective League has indicated it wiUnotfight for wage boosts since it has endorsed the salary survey a $27--month pay increase -for rookie police. and firemen was asked by the league. Bookie Hike Aiked John v' A. Thompson, League president, asked that the bottom step of the four-step salary schedule be eliminated, This would bring basic rookie pay up from $489 to $516 a The Police Department recruits about- 240 rookies annually and the Fire Department gets about 140 rookies.

The rate of pay for rookies is $519 in San Francisco, $533 in Oakland'and $505 in tinder consideration by Rundbergs committee will be several proposed fringe benefit increases, including a new health insurance program. "Ni. personal Injury and death 2- One law firm (hot In Los Angeles) recently had damage suits pending against railroad companies alone. One West Coast firm has averaged almost $2 a year claims against railroads for the past five-years and recently had 196 cases in courts at one time. ONE CASE YIELDS LAWYER $150,000 One single personal' in juty claim settled in' 1958 netted the lawyer a contingent fee of The Cleveland Press did some figuring and.concluded it.

would take lS'judges at least 70 trial weeks to clear the dockets of the 1.800 tort suits''-which six; Jaw- firms had pending there. Gallagher thinks courts should push perjury charges where justified, set aside un- Funeral services for Benjamin Platt, 78, board chairman of the Platt Music Corp. will be. conducted at noon tomorrow at Sinai Mr. Platt died yesterday in Cedars of Lebanon Hospital from complications that followed a fall he suffered two weeks ago In his home at 2464'! Catalina St.

Bmllt Music Star Chain Mr. Piatt, a Russian immigrant, began his career in Los Angeles in 1905 and parlayed a piano store into a chain of 32 music stores throughout the Southland. The corporation since 1933 has been identified with the piano, radio, TV and refrigerator departments of a major department store chain Leaves Large Family Mr. Platt was active 'In Jewish affairs in Los Angeles and was president of Sinai Temple for21 years: He was a founder and first executive vice chairman of the University of Judaism in 1947. htae.ding.If.Jor Luncheon May 5 on Mental Health Dr.

Harry Brickman, director of the County Mental Health will speak May 5 at a luncheon at Sepulveda Veterans Hospital on 'community "mental heA, Dr. Brickman wilt speak -before the clergy mens conference on mental, health to be held at the hot-i pitaL The conference will begin at 9 a.m.Dr. Thomas J. Hard grove, manager of Ihe hospital, has invited clergymen of all faiths to attend. Angeles are represented by the public defender's office.

In addition, the courts. appoint lawyers in about 60 cases a year. In both instances, the cost of- the defense comes out of the taxpayers pocket. Chief Dep. Dist Manley Bowler says: 9 "Most of thecriminal defense business "not handled the firms net' of $36,000 is figured after all the partners have drawn handsome per-' tonal salaries, TTo net $700, -a lawyer jtfjth-.

an office' and at-least taie has' to gross; at least $15,000 a year. This compares with' the averkge American family gross last year of $6,520. Striking' an. "average in- ath h.ig jur7 r' Jto a small group of about take action against law- or -15 law firms. tyerg ho file suits without That doesnV leave much; Come lawyers means Counting the handful wood Citjr a few months ago.

Jk hod-carrier had fallen off a scaffold, and asked -for his injuries. A kind-hearted jury came in with a surprise verdict they gave him $50,000.. Tomorrow we'll see how lawyers feclihey should' help victims of swindling fellow, attorneys from' a special $250,000 assessment fund. Thursday's article will explore the declining prestige of criminal law -yersr v. 1711 W.

Ilk ML SIMS' TONIGHTI I V. TUIS. ONLY 't4 ALL-STAR STRIP DERBY The trend, in California Is indicated by-the generosity shown a plaintiff in Red mak-ing as wel is thousands of rural find part-time lawyers mak ihg perhaps. less than $2,000 a year. It doesn't seem- possible, but the proportion of the na-.

tional income spent on lega' services has dropped one-third in the last 25 years. Some investigators see something sinister and monopolistic in the' fact that various bar associations have circulated confidential lists of suggested minimum fees. This reporter has seen these, lists, and the obvious thing about them is the sug-J- gested charges are so low that no lawyer could charge less and survive. HERE ARE EXAMPLES OF PROPOSED FEES Examples of suggested minimum fees: simple will, $15; trust deed or mortgage, $15; notice to pay rent or quit premises, $10; codicil or simple deed, $10; consulta-: lion, office, $5. (Incidentally, doctors are lot smarter about consulta- tions than lawyers.

Everyone hes paying from the first minute he walks into a doctors office. La.wyers are more likely to consult for hours without charging the consultation fees they are en- titled to.) The above fees are, of course, on uncontested actions. Suggested minimum fees for contested cases in- dude: misdemeanor, defense retainer (that is, cash on the barrelhead, subject to additional charges), $100; felony "defense retainer, including arraignment, preliminary and first day of trial, These last two items enter the field of criminal law practice in which the economic outlook is bleak in-f deed. The last few it has i- 1 I i i 0- 'v. i -l business to be spread around among individual Nationally the' outlook is even darker.

Yale Law School figures show that 85 of all those accused in the.U-S. have no money for legal fees. However, another specialized field of law offers fantastic rewards. INJURY SUITS AIM AT WEALTH This is the shining bonanza of the personal injury or tort suit seeking redress for any wrongful act not involving a breach of contract. The great majority of these cases are brought on behalf of individuals claiming injury as a result of the defendants negligence.

The principal targets, naturally, are peopleof wealth, transportation cor big corporations and insurance companies. -The temptation to a jury to bestow extrayagant awards as long asa rich corporation pays is great In fact, many courts now forbid attorneys to reveal to jurors that an insurance company is involved. Most personal Injury cases are taken on a contingent fee basis. This may run anywhere from 10 to 90 but is usually one-third. Only a small percentage of lawyers landle the great bulk of torts, and their, incomes are spectacular.

The upsurge of personal njury litigation in California during the past two decades has been paced by the dazzling success of San Franciscos "King of Torts, the indefatigable Melvin Belli. WORTH ESTIMATED AT $100,000 When Mrs. Joy Belli filed suit for separate maintenance against Belli lastyfcar (they subsequently reconciled), she told the court her husband was worth more than $100,000, probably a most modest estimate. Local barristers have been told by Edward P. Gallagher of Indianapolis that 2 of the 250,000 lawyers in the U.S.

have cornered most of the tort practice and are making from $75,000 to $1 million each a year. Gallagher is a vice president and general counsel of the American States Insurance Co. and, naturally, has an ax to grind. He claipvV that during 1958, only 3,500 American lawyers split contingent fees totaling $552 million more than half a Two Gunmen Get $1,000 in Market Holdup Two bandits, one wielding a shotgun and the other a revolver, robbed a Downey supermarket of $1,000 in cash last night. John Wesley Coward, manager of Yons market at' 10001 Paramount told police the.

pair entered the crowded store, loudly announced the holdup and went straight to the cashiers stand where he was on duty. Many Still in Need of Salk Polio Shots and TASTES GOOD, The executive committee election was reported. Its members are: George E. Gordon' chair jnan; Ludwig Schiff, vice chairman; Wilkinson, vice chairman; Mrs. David Fulwider, secretary.

Member List Metnbers: Earl C. Adams, William A. Barr, Cone Bass, Biscailuz, Dr. Blanche Bobbitt Mrs. Stuart Chevalier, Mrs: Roy M.

Dougfiarty, Epidemics of polio will continue unless the people make better use of the Salk vaccine, according to Joseph F. Nee, New York, vice president of the National Foundation. Nee yesterday told the annual meeting of the Los Angeles County chapter that only 50 of the. population is protected against the polio virus. The meeting was at the Hollywood Roosevelt Robert A.

Wilkinson, vice chairman, reported that Eugene W. Biscailuz and his campaign copimittee collected $1,086,519 in the 1960 March of Dimes. laESQE: (31109 Youve never tasted a smoke quite like Duke. Because youve never smoked a cigarette -J built like Duke. Smoke from the finest fully-aged tobaccos passes gently through Dukes famous King-Size filter right into Dukes recessed Flavor Chamber.

What a pleasant difference nothing touches your tongue but the good Duke (Answer is Puzile) Norman O. Houston, Joseph C. Lipman, Dr. Walter E. Mac-pherson, Harry McCandless, Lawrence P.

McHugh. James McReynolds, Martin Pollard, Mrs. Melville Shavelson, Grace S. Stoermer, Mrs. Edward T.

Walker, Paul W. Waterman, Mrs. Harold E. West Honorary -members are Mrs. Rollin W.

Brown, Mrs. Ralph E. Lewis, Neil S. McCarthy, C. Hammer and Victor II.

Rossetti. Singer Connie Haines, a former polio patient, was the entertainer. Nothing touches your tsngus but tim good Duka sir Durham taste Of Durham tdSte. Try Duke today. makes, the BIG DUKE DIFFERENCE 1 1.