§ 120. Official referees of the court of claims. Every official
referee of the court of claims in the four respective judicial
departments who, pursuant to former provisions of this section, is
acting and in the discharge of his duties as such official referee, at
the time this section as hereby amended takes effect, may continue to
hear and determine or hear and report upon any claim against the state
referred to him by the court of claims, upon the consent of the
attorney-general and the claimant. He shall receive no compensation from
the parties for his services as such referee. Such a referee also shall
render such temporary assistance to the court of claims as he shall be
designated to perform by the presiding judge thereof, whenever such
court requires such assistance because of the illness of a judge or his
disqualification to hear a particular matter, and also whenever there is
such an accumulation of work before the court as to render such
assistance necessary in order to enable it promptly to dispose of the
business before it. When so assisting such court, under designation from
the presiding judge, such referee shall be deemed an acting judge of the
court and shall have the powers and jurisdiction of a judge of such
court.