Supreme Court Business

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30633, 26 December 1964, Page 17

Supreme Court Business

Two hundred and nineteen writs for damages claiming a total of £584.088 Is 8d were issued in the Supreme Court this year. Forty-nine of those went to trial, 36 before a judge alone and 13 before a judge and a jury. The amount recovered as a result of the trials totalled £39,957 3s 7d. In 1963 233 writs for damages claiming £773,838 18s lOd were issued, 62 were heard by a judge only, 34 went before a judge and a jury and the amount recovered totalled £99,279 17s lid. Two hundred and sixty-nine petitions for divorce were filed, 239 decrees nisi and 246 decrees absolute were made.

The 1963 figures were 286 divorce petitions filed, 253 decrees nisi and 231 decrees absolute. This year there were 34 mortgage sales (1963, 28). two sheriffs writs for sale (7). and Il certificates for failure to pay rates (9). One thousand eight hundred and sixteen motions for probate were presented (1790), and 55 bankruptcies were adjudicated (53). One hundred and four appeals from Magistrates' Court decisions were heard (111). Sixty persons were tried on criminal charges (64), 34 were found guilty (40), and 26 were acquitted (24). Two persons were sentenced to preventive detention (2) and six persons were sentenced in the Supreme Court after being sent from the Magistrates’ Courts (6). There were 535 applications for consent in the sale of land (427). The area covered was from the Conway river to the Rangitata. Fees collected in the Supreme Court office. Christchurch. amounted to £13,123 18s (£15,592 18s).