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2. The jurisdiction of the Court is regulated by a number of Ordinances but generally it may be said that the Court exercises a Summary Jurisdiction in all actions where the claims do not exceed $1,000 and an Original Jurisdiction in all actions, where the claims exceed that amount.
3. In addition to the above the Court exercises Admiralty, Probate, Divorce, Bankruptcy, Lunacy, Criminal and Appellate Jurisdiction.
4. The following is a brief summary of litigation and matters dealt with during the year 1936:-
1,753 actions were instituted in the Summary Jurisdiction and the amounts for which judgments were given totalled $207,828.40.
236 actions were instituted in the Original Jurisdiction and the amounts for which judgments were given totalled $993,292.78.
One action was instituted in the Admiralty Jurisdiction.
387 grants were made, or grants of other courts sealed, in the Probate Jurisdiction.
One Petition for Divorce was filed during 1936 and Decree absolute pronounced thereon.
263 persons were indicted in the Criminal Jurisdiction of, whom 196 were convicted.
15 appeals were lodged in the Appellate Jurisdiction 12 of which were disposed of during the year.
Three Criminal appeals were lodged and disposed of during the year.
5. The lower civil courts are the land courts in the Northern and Southern districts of the New Territories, with jurisdiction over land cases in those districts, and the small debts courts of the same two districts. In these courts the District Officers sit to hear land and small debts cases.
6. The lower criminal courts are the magistrates' courts, two for Hong Kong island and a small area on the mainland opposite Shaukiwan, two for Kowloon, including the whole area south of the Kowloon hills, and one each for the two districts of the New Territories, in which the District Officers are the magistrates.
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