The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, NOV. 30, 1911. EMPIRE COURT OF APPEAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 91, 30 November 1911, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, NOV. 30, 1911. EMPIRE COURT OF APPEAL.

Fuller particulars regarding the Final Court of Appeal for the Empire state the effect of the decisions arrived at by the Imperial Conference to be that while at present the House of Lords is the Supremo Court of Appeal for the United Kingdom, and the King-in-Council (in effect the Judicial Committee) is the Supreme Court of Appeal for the "rest of the Empire, it is proposed to take a first step towards combining these Courts into a Supreme Court of Appeal for the Empire, and towards strengthening them by adding to the number of judges composing them. The scheme is that the Home Government should add two selected judges to the Lords of Appeal. There would then be six Law .Lords devoting their whole time to sitting in the two Courts. In addiion, the Lord Chancellor would, as now, preside whenever he is present, and ail who are now qualified to sit in either the House of Lords or the •judicial Committee would be able to sit as now. In this way the appeals jf the United Kingdom and of the i est of the Empire respectively would be heard by the same judges who hear them now, with the addition of two Law Lords to both Courts, but the Courts would both be branches of the Imperial Court of Appeal, except where it is necessary that the House of Lords and the Judicial Committee shall sit simultaneously, it is contemplated that the Court shall sitin full strength first at the one and then at the other. It will be necessary that the conditions and method :)f appeal from different parts of the Empire shall be suited to the local requirements, and it is not practicable uo attain uniformity in these respects, .it all events at first. Hut as the judges will be almost entirely the same for all kinds of appeals, it seems probable that a greater degree of uniformity may be reached, and possibly in time all differences may be effaced. It is further proposed that, in accordance with the wishes expressed by tho Dominion represenatives, the practice of the Judicial Committee shall be modified so that in Dominion cases any dissentient judge may be free to give his reasons if His Majesty's consent is given to this change. A Bill lias since been introduced into the House ;f Lords to authorise the appointment of two additional Lords of Appeal, who will be available for service on the Judicial Committee.