WANGANUI JURY LIST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 81, 6 April 1938, Page 8

WANGANUI JURY LIST

COMPILATION OF NAMES THREE REMOVED The compilation each year of the lists of men liable for jury service, the revision of the lists and the process of drawing a jury panel are matters of great importance and responsibility to thore concerned. The Wanganui list was revised on Friday last by Messrs E. O’Meara. E. F. Liffiton, and Charlton Pearce, Justices of the Peace. The list contains 1422 names, and three were removed. The jury officer is the Clerk of the Court for the district, Mr A. E. Dobbie. Before the last day of January, each year, “he shall deliver a warrant to the chief officer of police for the district, requiring him to prepare and make out in alphabetical order a true list of m'en residing within ten miles of the Courthouse, who are qualified and liable for service on juries.”

He then notifies the officer of police for the district, who shall affix notices outside every Courthouse in the district and every church or chapel, showing the time and place at which a. meeting of justices will be held to revise such list of juries. The office.r shall then publish a notice 14 days before the meeting of justices that, a meeting will be held on the first, Friday in April, and until that time the list will be open for inspection.

On the first Friday in April a meeting of justices is held and the list revised, by striking out persons who are not qualified or liable for service, and inserting on the list men qualified and liable for service. The justices having completed this task, signify allowance of the jury list by signing the same and delivering it to the juries officer.

Before April 23 the juries officer must deliver the list to the sheriff of the district. From this list, as revised, the Registrar of the Supreme Court will command the sheriff to summon a jury panel.

All men between the ages of 21 and 60, living within ten miles of the Supreme Court of the district, are liable for service. There are, of course, certain exceptions, which include lawyers, clergymen, civil servants, chemists, doctors, schoolmasters, inspectors, dentists, and members of H.M. Army on full pay. When the jury for each trial case is required all the names drawn in the panel are placed in the box and the operation is the same as that for the drawing of the panel, except that the cards in the box contain the names of the jurors instead of numbers. As the names are drawn the jurors answer and take their places in the jury box unless challenged by the Crown or the defence in criminal cases, nr by plaintiff or defendant in civil cases. Each side has the right of six challenges. If a juror, once summoned to attend the Supreme Court, is not present at. the appointed time, he is liable to a fine which is fixed by the Judge.