45
Two actions were instituted in the Admiralty Jurisdiction.
403 grants were made, or grants of other courts sealed, in the Probate Jurisdiction.
Eight Petitions for Divorce were filed during 1937 and Decree absolute pronounced in two cases.
291 persons were indicted in the Criminal Jurisdiction of whom 229 were convicted.
38 appeals were lodged in the Appellate Jurisdiction 34 of which were disposed of during the year.
Four 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.
7. The following figures show the amount of work done by the lower courts in 1937:-
Civil:
District Officer North, Land Court 91 cases. Small Debts Court 87 District Officer, South, Land Court 209 cases. Small Debts Court 41 38,091 cases. Criminal:- Hong Kong Magistracy, two courts 30,220 Kowloon Magistracy, two courts 1,881 District Officer, North, one court + District Officer, South, one court 508 171