PETTY SESSIONS ACT.

North Otago Times, Volume V, Issue 95, 14 December 1865, Page 3

PETTY SESSIONS ACT.

An Act was passed at the late session of the General Assembly for establishing Courts of Petty Sessions of the Peace in New Zealand, with the view of making further provision for the administration of justice in civil and criminal cases. The act will come into operation in each of the provinces respectively on and from a day or days to be fixed by the Governor, and duly notified in the " New Zealand Gazette." and the " Gazette " of the respective provinces to which the same shall relate. As this act "will effect considerable changes, we give the following outline of its contents. The Petty Sessions Court will be held once in every month in each district, which district will be constituted, defined, altered, or abolished, as the Governor by order in Council may see fit. It shall be the duty of all Justices of the Peace resident in any Petty Sessions district, to attend the Petty Sessions Courts for such districts Clauses are inserted empowering the Justices to elect a chairman ; fixing the number of a quorum, and, the remuneration of chairman and Justices as follows : — The Chairman, if not a resident magistrate to receive two guineas for each attendance, the Justices getting one shilling and sixpence per mile without other allowance. The jurisdiction is thus defined : — " Every Court of Petty Sessions established under this Act shall have and exercise the same powers and the same jurisdiction in all cases both civil and criminal as may now be exercised by a Resident Magistrate (saving always the extended jurisdiction in civil cases). There shall be for every Petty Sessions Court a clerk who shall be appointed by and hold office during the pleasure of the Justices, who shall keep an account of all fees and fines &c, and who shall give security for duly accounting therefor &c.