THE PRIVY COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 69, 14 December 1907, Page 6

THE PRIVY COUNCIL.

"When;l last, looked in on the Privy Council," - wrote a\ friend of the Commonwealth Prime Minister, Mr. Deakin, from England recently, "an Indian appeal case' was proceeding. 4 The Court consisted of three very old gentlemen, two of whom seemed to be nearly asleep, while the third kept watch.'' While Mr. Dcakin was at the Colonial Conference ho called the attention of tho present Lord Chancellor to the occasional unsatisfactory attendances at the Privy Council, and particularly in respect to income-tax appeals, which have been again brought before that body. Tho Lord Chancellor told Mr. Dcakin that ns a rule a committee of five was considered quite large onougli. Sovcn do sometimes sit, but that number is considered to be too groat. In special cases there would bo seven or eight. "This time," said Mr. Doakin, "in tho income tax cases tho Lord Chancellor has been as good as his word. No lass than seven members wore on that Judicial Committee the other day, including both the late and the present Lord Chancellors, so that the representations made at the Conference were not in vain."