TABLE 5.-Cases commenced per judgeship in this district and in 86 districts, by nature of suit, fiscal year 1956

TABLE 7.-Civil cases pending on June 30, 1956—Continued

STATEMENT OF ROBERT E. JONES, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE

OF ALABAMA

I appear in support of the bill which I offered, H.R. 8396, which provides for the holding of a term of court for the northeastern division of the northern district of Alabama at Decatur.

The law provides already that the court can sit in the northern division at Huntsville and this adds another city at which the court could sit in the northern division of the northern division of Alabama.

Alabama is divided into three districts of Federal court. Decatur is in the northern district, presided over by Hon. Seybourn H. Lynne and Hon. Harlan Hobart Grooms. It is divided into seven divisions as follows: Northeastern division, sitting at Huntsville, composed of Cullman, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, and Morgan Counties, with combined populations of 275,765; northwestern division, sitting at Florence, composed of Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale Counties, with combined populations of 119,445; eastern division, sitting at Anniston, composed of Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Talladega Counties, with combined populations of 169,011; southern division, sitting at Birmingham, composed of Blount, Jefferson, and Shelby Counties, with combined populations of 618,265.

I might mention that both judges as well as the clerk of the court are at Birmingham.

Western division, sitting at Tuscaloosa, composed of Bibb, Greene, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa Counties, with combined populations of 176,520; middle district, composed of Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Marshall, and St. Clair Counties, sitting at Gadsden, with combined populations of 228,351; and Jasper division, sitting at Jasper, composed of Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston Counties, with composed populations of 145,112.

At this time I would like, before I forget it, to call the committee's attention to the fact that of the divisions that sit in the norhern disrict of Alabama, the northern division is by far the largest as you can see, having almost 300,000 people, and the others being more or less from 100,000 to 150,000 in population, except, of course for the Birmingham district which is by and large the larger. Perhaps you might ask the question as to why a change in the existing divisions is desired. I would like to cite to you gentlemen, three reasons for establishing a Federal court at Decatur: First, geography; second, accessibility; and third, economics.

Decatur is in the geographical center of all northern Alabama. It is the geographical and trade center for the three counties of Morgan, Limestone, and Lawrence, being located on the river separating Morgan and Limestone and only 7 miles from Lawrence County. Farmers, businessmen, and other citizens of the three counties customarily use Decatur as their shopping, distribution, and amusement center.

It is the only large town in the area having a population of 25,000. It is 50 miles from Decatur to Florence on the west where the northwestern division sits and 35 miles to the east to Huntsville where the northeastern division sits. Decatur is located on the Tennessee River which traverses all of northern

Alabama and is situated at the juncture of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and the Southern Railway System. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad serves the city of Athens, the county seat of Limestone County, 13 miles north of Decatur, and the city of Cullman about 30 miles south of Decatur and all principal communities in Limestone and Cullman Counties.

The Southern Railway serves Lawrence County, lying immediately to the west, stopping at all principal communities in the county except Moulton, the county seat. It is not on a railroad. The Southern Railway also serves some com

munities in Limestone County.

There are excellent highways radiating in all directions from Decatur. Cullman County, and its county seat of Cullman, are connected to Decatur by a fourlane highway recently completed and to drive the distance is only a matter of 25 to 30 minutes.

Moulton is only 25 minutes by automobile on a modern first-class highway completed within the past 5 years. First-class highways also connect with Athens, the Limestone County seat, and all principal communities in all four counties.

Modern and rapid bus service is available in all directions. In summary, the great majority of all litigants, jurors, and witnesses within the four-county area are within 30 minutes of Decatur by train, bus, or auto.

Decatur has excellent hotels and motels and can provide convenient, economical, and comfortable lodging for all litigants, jurors, or witnesses should the need arise. However, except in the case of felonies, when the jury might be required to remain together, all parties should be able to return to their homes each evening.

The Morgan County courthouse is modern, large, and comfortable and has complete facilities for the court and all personnel. There is an ultramodern three-story jail attached to the courthouse which is approved for the holding of Federal prisoners. I am advised that the jails at Florence and Huntsville are nowhere near the courthouse.

For the past 12 years the Federal referee in bankruptcy for both the northeastern and northwestern division has been established at Decatur. He handles all bankruptcy cases throughout these two divisions.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to justify this court is the fact that it will not cost the Federal Government a red cent. The Morgan County Board of Revenue and Control, the county governing body, has passed a resolution furnishing the courthouse facilities to the Government without charge. The present judges will preside.

In fact, not only will it not cost the Government anything it will save mileage and expenses of Federal judges, attorneys, and court personnel who live in Birmingham because the distance to Decatur is shorter than to Huntsville or Florence.

Finally, Decatur is in a rapidly growing section of Alabama, the South, and the Nation. It is in the midst of the industrial revolution which has seized the South. Decatur has grown from a town of 15,000 15 years ago to a city of more than 25,000 today.

Moulton, county seat of Lawrence County, doubled its population from 750 in 1940 to over 1,500 today. Athens, county seat of Limestone County, had a population of 4,300 in 1940 and has over 8,000 today.

Cullman was a town of 5,000 15 years ago and has nearly 10,000 now. Within the past 10 years, a number of new plants have been established in the area including chemical plants, manufacturers of synthetic wool, copper tubing plants, guided missile centers, huge industrial chemical laboratories, tobacco factories, and cotton goods manufacturers. These will insure the rapid and continuous population and economic growth of this section of northern Alabama.

I believe the facts will show that most of the cases in the present division of the Federal court involve citizens of this four-county area. With a Federal court sitting at Decatur, it would not be necessary to travel distances to unfamiliar surroundings and to inconvenient locations. And I am advised for the most part, cases have involved litigants from Morgan County which is the county in which Decatur is situated, and which is the second largest county in the area.

It seems logical to me to have the court sit at Decatur which is the natural geographical and commercial center for the four counties. There is to be no cost to the Government and all the lawyers in the entire area have, by resolution, urged your adoption of this proposal.

I think it is perhaps important to point out here that all the lawyers in this four-county area have without exception urged your adoption of this proposal by resolution. These resolutions I believe have been furnished to the chairman of the committee as a whole.

The presiding judge of the district court, Hon. Seybourne H. Lynne, and Judge Joseph C. Hutcheson, Jr., chief judge of the fifth district, have each strongly endorsed this proposal. I would most respectfully urge that you do so, too. The CHAIRMAN. We will now adjourn and meet on February 29 and March 1.

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

The meeting is now adjourned.

(Whereupon at 3:05 p.m. the hearing was adjourned.)