AUDIENCE OF JUDGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 17 September 1929, Page 11

AUDIENCE OF JUDGES.

ENGLISH COURT AT WORK.

VISITORS FROM AMERICA. . The Lord Chief Justice, (Lord Hewari), Mr. Justice Avory and Mr. Justice Branson, in scarlet robes and wigs, presided over the business of the Court of Criminal Appeal in London recently in front of a professional audience of 50 American Judges and barristers. " Speed," said Mr. Robert Alexander Hefner, Justice.,of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, afterwards, " is something you folks understand. You chaps got through more work there this morning than we could do in a week."

Lord Hewart, in the great red-leather armchair, sat between hi 3 brother Judge 3. Mr. Justice Avory was on his right and Mr. Justice Branson on his left, peering out from nnder white bushy eyebrows. He rose from his seat from time to time to hold ,a dignified, whispered, threecornered consultation.

Row upon row of judges and lawyers from the. United States sat before the Dench, some making notes, others almost statuesque in wrapt attention, following every move, every stage of procedure, ovory word, aa tho business of the Court went on. Four English prototypes of the American car bandits stood in the dock between two warders to hear the result of their appeal against a sentence of three years' penal servitudo. Nineteen Burglaries. "These men,"-said Lord Hewart, slowly, leading from papers before him, "have committed nineteen burglaries between May 23 and June 1. Tho sentence is important, for in each case they used a motor-car—'a rapidly-growing form of crime that is a definite menace." Lord Hewart dealt with each man in turn. The youngest, a youth of nineteen, w'&a sent to Borstal for three years instead of to prison. ''The length of time this young man remains there will depend entirely on himself. In any case, it cannot be longer than three years." The next, a young man of twenty-three, had his penal sentence reduced to twelve months', imprisonment. Tho third was sentenced to fifteen months with hard labour. The sentence of the last man, thirty-five years of age, who was called "tho ringleader," was allowed to stand. "Thus, these four men will bo released at different times," said Lord Hewart, "a thing that is desirable." Tho appeal was over in 10 minutes, .and the\next man, an habitual criminal who had spent more than 40 of his 60 years of life in prison,' came before the Court. " Where You Beat Us." " That's where you beat us," said Judge Hefner from Oklahoma. " That pang started work at tho end of Ma.y. They were arrested at the beginning of June, tried, convicted, sentenced, and the appeal is over in July. " Why," he said with obvious wonder, "it would take us three years." There was no doubt that tho Judges fitting on appeal wero fully aware of their audience and their keen examination of every stage of the Court procedure. Rarely has a Court been so quiet, seldom lias tliero been so little delay, ind no Coiirt has ever looked moro awr;snrno and more colourful.

, I We do not uso gowns and wigs out Oklahoma." said Judge Hefner, " but they suro look fine. I like tho way the attorneys are dressed, too. Wo gotta change out there, and I want to learn «pw you people manage things tho way yon do." The' party of American judges and barristers have been spending some time "J England studying tho procedure of English' Courts. Thev will visit Franco And Italy as well. All ot them como from seven States in tho Middle-West of America. 1 " When we go back," one of them said, " we've got something to tell those folks at home."