LAW AND ORDER
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of appeal is heard by a single judge, who may direct the appeal, or any point in it, for consideration by the Full Court.
657 actions, consisting of 489 Original Jurisdiction claims and 168 matters in Miscellaneous Proceedings, were instituted in this division. Most of the claims in the actions arose out of commercial transactions.
In the Supreme Court in its criminal jurisdiction, 86 persons were convicted, as against 68 in 1954. Most of the convictions were in respect of crimes of violence, such as murder, robbery with aggravation, wounding and man- slaughter.
The District Court, which came into being in 1953, has two branches, one in Hong Kong, in the Supreme Court building, the other in Kowloon, in the Kowloon Magistracy building. The District Court assumed the jurisdiction of the old Summary Court, wherein civil claims up to and including $5,000 were heard by puisne judges. The District Judges have powers in criminal jurisdiction greater than those of magis- trates, and these powers enable them to try certain cases which would otherwise have to be committed to the sessions.
In the civil jurisdiction, 3,201 cases were instituted, a record for the post-war period. Most of the claims were of a commercial nature.
Cases under the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance form another branch of litigation dealt with in the District Courts. These cases are mounting in number, and are likely to increase as the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance, passed in 1953, become more generally known.
In its criminal jurisdiction the Hong Kong District Court tried 135 people, of whom 104 were convicted. In the Kowloon District Court 157 people were tried and 110 convicted.
There are Magistrates' Courts on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon, and in the New Territories. The court in Kowloon hears cases from the whole mainland area south of the Kowloon hills. In the New Territories there are courts in Taipo and Ping Shan, with one magistrate dividing his time between both places.
There is also a Justice of the Peace Court, composed of two Justices of the Peace sitting together five afternoons a week. One of the Justices is usually a solicitor. This court functions in the Hong Kong Magistracy.