THE WORK OF THE JUDGES

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 218, 8 June 1908, Page 6

THE WORK OF THE JUDGES

SUGGESTION BY THE WANCANUI BAR. STATEMENT BY MR. JUSTICE COOPER. (DY TELEGRAM. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Yi/anganui, June 7. . At the Supremo Conn'; oii Saturday, 'thd local Bar suggested to Mr. Justico Cooper that an extra sitting should be held in Wanganui cacli year, or tho time allotted to each sitting should bo extended. It was pointed out t'hat three sittings in a year wero quito insufficient. In reply, His Honour said that the time for circuit sittings in Wanganui, Palmerston North, and Napier had been extended during tho past fivo years to a period of a fortnight for each sitting, and (that a period of six weeks was therefore, occupied by these sittings. There wero three sittings of tho Court of Appeal during the year, and these sittings took on; an average a month each sitting. ' There were three separate circuit sitings at Blenheim and Nelson, and there wero also during tho year four sittings for criminal' and civil business in Wollington, at which thcro was always a very considerable amount of business, and, in addition,- thero was current banco arid chamber business in Wellington, which was of a very heavy character. Thero wore at present only two Judges in the Wollington di.'ibrict available for thi3 •work, and at tho present time there was great'pressure of business in Wellington, whilo at _ Palmerston North at the sittings commencing on Tuesday, thero wero two criminal cases and fifteen civil cases, fivo of which wero to bo tried by juries, and only fion days wero available for l these sittings. Tho Napier sittings wero to commence on Monday, June 22. There'wore, thereforo, in 'tho district usually undertaken by tho Wellington Judges fifteen circuit sittings in the year irrespective of the sittings in Wellington City itsolf. It was > difficult to see how four sittings in the year could bo arranged for -tho of Wanganui, Palmerston North, and Napier under tho circumstances, but his Honour said lie would consult with the Chief Justice and see what could bp done to moot the request of the profession, and to cope with the increasing volumo of business in the Court. 110 said that a request had been received from Mnsterton for circuit sittings there, but that the Judges thought, that at present thcro was no urgent necessity for such sittings. His' Honour also said that it had been proposed in tho Judiciary Bill introduced last session to abolish District Courts, but he had no' knowledge whether that proposal would be introduced during the coming-session of Parliament. If it were effected, and tho business of tho District Court was transferred to the 1 Supremo Court, it might result in the necessity for the appointment of additional Judges to' eop.e with tho work. Ho also stated that during the vacation, which commenced on December 20, and concluded ,on January 31, ho had found it necessary to sit to the end of the year, excluding only Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and to also sit .in the last week of January, and'that the vacation, which was supposed'to be-for the relief of tho Judges, was shortened. ' Ho said that'during .vacation, the other Judges had arrears of work in the naturcof reserved judgments to prepare, and that this was not a fair position for tho Judges to bo in. Under all these circumstances it was diffi- •' Ji 0 . sa see how, with tho amount .of judicial'power at present available, more circuit sittings could be arranged, and that if thore were four circuit sittings at Wanganui it necessarily meant that there would havo to be four at Palmerston North, whero business was very considerable, and probably at Napier, although there the business was somotimes not so heavy as at Palmerston worth and Wanganui.