Section 121. Official referees of the municipal court of the city of New York

Every official referee of the municipal court of the city of  New
  York  in the first or second judicial department 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 act as referee and to hear and report upon
  or to hear and determine any action, claim, motion, matter or proceeding
  referred to him as provided in this section.
    To any such official referee of the municipal court of the city of New
  York  there  may  be  referred  to  hear  and report upon or to hear and
  determine by the president justice or acting president justice  of  that
  court  any  action,  matter, claim, motion or proceeding pending in such
  court which now or hereafter may be referable by statute  or  rules  and
  practice  of  court,  in which the president justice or acting president
  justice shall deem that for any reason the  expense  of  such  reference
  should not be borne by the parties to such action, claim, matter, motion
  or  proceeding,  and such official referee of the municipal court of the
  city of New York shall not charge or receive from  the  parties  to  the
  action,  claim,  motion, matter or proceeding referred to him any fee or
  compensation for any services rendered as such referee. The justices  of
  the  appellate  division in each department shall also have power to fix
  the times and places for the  hearing  of  references  by  the  official
  referees of the municipal court of the city of New York hereby continued
  in  office, and to assign such official referees for such service to any
  court of record within such department, and to adopt, amend  or  rescind
  rules therefor.
    If  the  services  of  a stenographer shall be required in the action,
  claim,  matter,  motion  or  proceeding   so   referred,   an   official
  stenographer shall be selected by such official referee of the municipal
  court  of  the  city of New York from the official stenographers of that
  court,  and  the  parties  to  the  action,  claim,  matter,  motion  or
  proceeding  shall  not  be  required  to  pay  any  of  the fees of such
  stenographer for taking the testimony and furnishing one copy thereof to
  the referee if the referee shall order such copy.