In re Robinson

20 F. Cas. 974, 2 Ben. 145
District Court, S.D. New York·Decided February 15, 1868·Published

Opinion

BLATGHFORD, District Judge.

In this case, the register has, on the request of the bankrupt, taxed the items of fees charged by the register against the bankrupt for services rendered by the register in the proceedings in this case. The bankrupt objected, before the register, to several items, including those hereafter set forth. The register, after hearing the objections, allowed some items and disallowed other’s. Among those allowed by the register, notwithstanding the objections of the bankrupt, were the following, in respect of which the bankrupt has applied to the court to review the allowance of them by the register. The register and the counsel for the bankrupt have been heard by the court in regard to the items so allowed under objection, which are these:

1. Examining schedules, and certifying same correct.$5 00

2. Certified copy of adjudication of bankruptcy . 0 45

3. Application for first meeting of creditors . 1 00

4. Certified list of creditors for warrant 0 95

5. Supplemental warrant, $2; application for meeting, $1. 3 00

6. Certified copies of schedules for as-signee . 4 45

7. One day’s service, under special order of reference on petition for final discharge . 5 00

8. Order to show cause, and certifying copy for clerk . 1 00

9. Application for second and third meetings . 2 00

10. Deposition of assignee on his return 0 65

11. Service under special order to show cause why bankrupt should not be discharged. 5 00

12. Second and third meetings of creditors . 6 00

13. Services on examination of bankrupt and proceedings, and for making certificate of conformity. 5 00

14. Discharge without opposition. 2 00

I proceed to dispose of these items in their order.

Item 1. This is a charge for examining the bankrupt’s petitions and schedules, and certifying the same to be correct, under general order No. 7, and rule 4 of this court General order No. 7 requires the register to render the service, and mle 4 of this court prescribes formalities to be observed in rendering it. The theory of the charge of $5 for [976]*976tlie service is, that it is allowed by that clause of section forty-seven of the act which allows “for every day’s service, while actually employed under a special order of the court, a sum not exceeding five dollars, to be allowed by the court.” The item is $5 for one day’s service, examining the petition and schedules, and certifying the same to be correct The register contends that the order of reference form No. 4, is a “special order of the court” within the meaning of the clause cited from section forty-seven. The only order under which the register acts, in performing the service in question, is form No. 4. The point involved has been fully and ably examined by Judge Ballard of the Kentucky district in Re Dean [Case No. 3,699], and I entirely concur with him in his decision. He holds that form No. 4 is not a special order, but is an order required, by general order No. 4, to be entered as of course in every case, and that it requires the register to do nothing which he is not required to do by the act and the general orders. The conclusive view is, that if form No. 4 is a special order under section forty-seven, and if the register is, therefore entitled to $5 for a day’s service under it for examining the petition and schedules, and certifying the same to be correct, there is nothing to prevent the register from claiming ⅞5 for every day’s service for taking any proceedings required by the act in the case; because, by form No. 4, he is authorized to make adjudication and take such other proceedings in the case as are required by the act. And not only that, but, in addition to such per diem, he can also claim the specific fees allowed to him by section forty-seven, and by general order No. 30, even though the whole of a given day’s service may be only some one of the specific items for which a specific fee is allowed. Another view is, that a service which the register is required to render by general order No. 7, and by rule 4 of this court, cannot, with any propriety, be said to be a service in which he is employed under a special order of the court. This item is disallowed.

Item 2. The charge for a certified copy of the adjudication of bankruptcy, furnished to the bankrupt, is warranted by general order No. 30. The paper is a paper in the proceedings. But, as it does not appear that the certificate contains more than one folio, the charge for the certificate must be reduced from 25 to 15 cents. The paper itself contained two folios, and is properly charged at 20 cents, being 10 cents for each folio. But general order No. SO inadvertently allows 25 cents for certifying a copy of a paper, whether the certificate consists of more than one folio or not. When the certificate consists of more than one folio, the charge of 25 cents for the certificate is proper, but when the certificate consists of one folio or less, the charge for the certificate can be only 15 cents. By section ten of the act, the fees to be established by the justices of the supreme court cannot exceed the rate of fees then allowed by law for similar services in other proceedings. The fee for a certificate, allowed by the fee bill in the act of February 26, 1853-[10 Stat 161], is 15 cents per folio, and a larger fee is unauthorized. The charge in this-item must be reduced to 35 cents, and is allowed at that amount. The bankrupt claims-that the register, inasmuch as he uses form No. 5, in the shape of a printed blank, in making the copy of the adjudication, and only fills into it the necessary written matter, can charge only for such written matter by the folio, and cannot charge by the folio for the printed matter found in form No. 5, which is contained in the copy. This ground is not tenable. The charge for the copy is allowed by general order No. 30, at 10 cents for each folio of 100 words, whether the words are written or printed. The register may write them all if he chooses, and if, instead of doing so, he uses a printed form for a portion, that fact does not prevent him from charging for the whole by the folio, the general order not having made any discrimination between a written copy and a printed copy.

Item 3. The charge of $1, for the application for the first meeting of creditors, is claimed to be allowable under that clause of section forty-seven which allows “for every application for any meeting in any matter-under this act, one dollar.” I am of opinion that this clause refers only to a meeting which is applied for in a substantial sense, such as a meeting of creditors applied for under section twenty-seven or section twenty-eight of the act. The first meeting of creditors is not applied for in any such sense. Section eleven directs that the warrant shall authorize the marshal to give notice of the first meeting of creditors. The warrant, form No. 6, requires the marshal to give such notice. No application for such meeting is contemplated or provided for by the act or the general orders, nor is any form for it prescribed, nor is it ever in fact made. It is purely a constructive service. Besides, it is covered by the fee of $2 given for issuing the warrant, which includes all services of the register, prior to and in issuing the warrant, which are not otherwise specially provided for. This item is disallowed.

Item 4.

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In re Robinson, 20 F. Cas. 974, 2 Ben. 145 (S.D.N.Y. 1868).

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