$531-c. Summons. 1. When a complaint, oral or written, is made to the judge of this court and he is not satisfied that a crime has been committed, but believes that in the public interest he should inquire into and investigate the complaint so made, he may issue a summons which shall be substantially in the following form, the blanks to be properly filled:

In the name of the people of the State of New York, to Complaint having been made to me this day by that you (here briefly state nature of offense in regard to which complaint is made), you are hereby summoned to appear before me in the children's court of Buffalo at number seventy-three West Eagle street in said city on nineteen hundred and ...

........

day of

to the end that an investigation

may be made of said complaint; and upon your failure to appear at the time and place mentioned, you are liable to a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars.

2. Upon said summons shall be indorsed the name of the complainant and of the person summoned and also a brief description of the offense complained of.

3. Such summons may be served by the complainant, or by a peace officer, or by any other person designated by the judge.

4. Upon the return of the summons the judge shall inquire and investigate into the subject-matter of the complaint and determine whether the case is one in which a warrant should issue.

5. If the person summoned does not appear such failure to appear shall constitute contempt and may be punished by the judge by a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars.

6. A record shall be kept of the issuance and disposition of such summons in such manner as the rules of the court may

provide; and the court may by rule from time to time change the form of said summons. (Added by chapter 124 of the Laws of 1914.)

§ 532. Temporary absence of judge. During the sickness, temporary absence or temporary inability of the judge to perform his duties, the mayor of the city may appoint an elector of the city to act in place of the judge.

§ 533. Repeal. Any and all act or acts or part or parts of any act or acts inconsistent with the provisions hereof are hereby repealed.

§ 34. Parts of court; by whom held. Except as hereinafter provided each part of the court shall be held by three justices, at least one of whom shall be resident within the judicial department of the supreme court in which said part is held, and any determination, order or judgment of two of them shall be the determination, order or judgment of the court; provided, however, that the chief justice or any associate justice may be assigned to and is empowered to hold any part of the court for the purpose of taking pleas, or disposing of motions preliminary to trials or hearing reports as to defendants released upon probation, and each justice when so assigned shall have all the powers of the court of special sessions to sentence a defendant upon a plea of guilty, suspend sentence or place upon probation. (As amended by chapter 531 of the Laws of 1915.)

(Sections thirty-four-a to thirty-four-t inclusive added by chapter 531 of the laws of 1915.)

§ 34-a. The court constituted. From and after midnight on the thirtieth day of June, nineteen hundred and fifteen, the separate parts of the court of special sessions of the city of New York heretofore designated as children's courts for the hearing and

disposition of proceedings and cases involving the trial of children, shall be discontinued and there shall be a separate division of the court of special sessions, which shall be known as the children's court of the city of New York. Upon the organization of the children's court of the city of New York all cases pending in the parts of the court of special sessions heretofore known as the children's court shall be transferred to the said children's court of the city of New York, together with all papers, books and records which have been used in connection with such parts of the court of special sessions and all such papers, books and records shall continue to be of the same force and effect in the court hereby established as in the parts from which they were transferred and all judgments, orders, processes, directions and proceedings heretofore entered in any such cases so transferred may be continued, proceeded with, enforced and executed with the same force and effect as in such parts from which they were transferred.

§ 34-b. Jurisdiction of children's courts. The children's courts and the justices thereof shall have exclusive jurisdiction in the city of New York to hear and adjudicate all charges against children of the grade of a misdemeanor or, under section twenty-one hundred and eighty-six of the penal law, permitted to be tried as misdemeanors and all charges against children for which they can be found guilty of juvenile delinquency, and all other cases in which the court or any justice thereof or any city magistrate has power to commit children, as provided by law.

§ 34-c. Justices. There shall be five justices of the said children's court, one of whom shall act as the presiding justice.

§ 34-d. Designation of justices. On July first, nineteen hundred and fifteen, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the mayor shall designate five of the justices of the court of special sessions then in office on the said day for service as justices in the children's court, one for a term of one year, one for a term of two years,' one for a term of three years, one for a term of four years, and one or a term of five years, and shall designate one of the five justices to act as presiding justice. Any such designation shall be revocable by the mayor on application of the justice. Whet

a vacancy occurs in the office of justice of the children's court, whether by the expiration of a term or from any other cause, the mayor shall designate a justice of the court of special sessions to fill such vacancy within thirty days after it occurs. Such designation shall be for a term of five years, except that when the vacancy occurs otherwise than by expiration of a term the designation shall be for the unexpired residue of the term. If from any disability any of the justices so designated shall be temporarily unable to perform his duty the board of justices may assign any other justice to sit in the children's court for a period not exceeding one month. If such disability shall continue for more than one month the mayor may assign any other justice of the court of special sessions to take the place of such justice of the children's court during such disability. Whenever a justice designated for service in the children's court shall cease to be a justice of the court of special sessions, whether from the expiration of his term or otherwise, he shall thereupon cease to be a justice of the children's court.

§ 34-e. Additional justices. Upon a certificate signed by three-fifths of the justices of the children's court that in their opinion the business of the children's court is such as to require an increase in the number of justices of such court, the mayor may make one or more additional designations from among the justices of the court of special sessions, each such designation to be for a term of five years, or may make temporary designations for terms of not exceeding six months.

§ 34-f. Duties of justices. The justices of the children's court shall during such service be relieved of all duties imposed upon them other than those required of them by this article. At least once in each year it shall be the duty of such justices to cause each institution to which a child shall have been committed by the children's court during the year to be visited and inspected by at least one of the justices.

§ 34-g. Duties of presiding justice. The presiding justice, in addition to his other duties as a justice of the children's court shall have the general superintendence of the business of the court, and shall preside and be entitled to vote at all meetings of

the justices. He shall assign the justices to duty in the several parts of the court from time to time as he may deem necessary for the prompt disposition of the business thereof. He shall, so far as practicable, make such assignments so that one justice shall be assigned to each of the parts of the court located in the counties of New York and Kings for at least six months during the year. The presiding justice shall prescribe the hour for the opening of the various parts of the court, and for the attendance of the justices, clerks and employees thereat, and shall establish and supervise a system for keeping the records of the said court.

§ 34-h. Meetings. It shall be the duty of the presiding justice and the justices to meet together at least once in each month, except the months of July and August in each year, at such hour and place as may be designated by the presiding justice, for the consideration of such matters concerning the administration of justice in the court as may be brought before them. At such meetings they shall receive and investigate, or cause to be investigated, all complaints presented to them pertaining to the court, or to the justices, officers or employees thereof, and shall take such steps as they may deem necessary or proper in respect thereof, and they shall have power, and it shall be their duty, at such meetings, from time to time to make, alter and amend rules regulating the practice and procedure of the court which shall be uniform, so far as practicable, in all parts of the court. All rules shall be printed within a reasonable time after their adoption. All appointments which the majority of the justices have power to make shall be made at such meetings. The term "majority of the justices" shall be deemed to mean a majority of all the justices of the children's court then in office, including the presiding justice. In the year nineteen hundred and fifteen it shall be the duty of the justices to meet for the purposes hereinbefore set forth, at a time and place designated by the presiding justice, within ten days after his appointment.

§ 34-i. Chief clerk, employees and probation officers; appointment. There shall be a chief clerk and at least four clerks of the children's court, and such additional clerks, deputy clerks, stenographers, interpreters, attendants, a chief pro