THE VICE-ADMIRALTY COURT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3428, 11 July 1868, Page 3

THE VICE-ADMIRALTY COURT.

Our readers are aware that considerable inconvenience has been felt in Auckland for some time, owing to the non-existence of a Vice -Admiralty Court, and we believe that most persons acquainted with shipping will know of cases in which Auckland merchants have lost considerably from the want of a Court in which shipping business may be transacted. This will now be remedied, his Honor the Chief Justioe having yesterday sworn in Sheriff Balneavis as Marshal of the Court. The Court is now constituted as follows :— Judge, his Honor Sir G-. A. Arney; Registrar, Mr. OBrien j Marshal, Sheriff Balneavis. Any solicitor on the rolls of the Supreme Court may act as proctor in the Court. The Admiralty Court has jurisdiction in suiti for seamen's wages, pilotage, bottomry, damage to a ship by collision, contempt in breach of the regulations, and instructions relating to her Majesty's service at sea, salvage, and droits of Admiralty j and it is lawful for any person to institute suits in any of theabove-mentioned causes, in any Vice- Admiralty Court within whose jurisdiction the vessel may come, although the cause of action may have arisen out of the limits of such Court. In the New Zealand Gazette, a few months ago, there was published a despatch from the Duke of Buckingham enclosing an Act passed by the Imperial Parliament to extend ap4~amend the powers of Vice-Admiralty Courts. The Ihjke of Buckingham stateB that he has done this, as "the attention of her Majesty's Government hai been called to some difficulties and inconvenience which have been found to arise in several of the British colonies and settlements from the absence of an efficient machinery for the administration of the jurisdiction of the Vice- A dmiralty Courts." Under the rules thus forwarded by his Grace, ample powers are given to the Chief Judge of the Court to appoint deputies who may hold Vice-Admiralty Courts in different parts of the colony. As an example of the cases that come within the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Court, we may state that, if a seaman gets judgment against a master for his wages, ha cannot issue execution against the vessel unless through the Admiralty Court ; and in like manner money lent upon a bottomry bond must be sued for through that 'Court. ' Many of our readers will no doubt recollect the case of the 'Mary Thomson,' Messrs: Combes and Daldy's claim on which could not beTecovered in the ordinary courts of law." A suit ha? now been instituted against the owner of the ' Mary Thomson,' which is lying in the Manukau under seizure by the Court "of Admiralty.