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which are usually disposed of rapidly in Small Debts Courts in
other countries. In addition to this the Puisne Judge sits in the
Full Court. The whole of the Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme
Court fails to the Chief Justice.
3.
1 have naturally given much consideration
to the question whether it would be possible to utilize such
spare time as the Puisne Judge has in relieving the Chief Justice
of some of his work, but beyond the suggestion which I had the
honour to lay before Your Excellency some time ago of holding
bi-monthly Criminal Sessions, to be held by the Puisne Judge as
well as the Chief Justice - I do not think anything is feasible.
His hands are quite full, and though occasionally I have been
able to secure his assistance in times of extreme pressure,
only do this by giving him a week or ten days' notice, and then
it dislocates the work of his own Court, which above all others
should work rapidly and with precision. It is sometimes difficult
even to fix sittings of the Full Court with due regard to the
convenience of the Puisne Judge.
4.
I can
The case may therefore be fairly stated
thus There is only one effective Judge for the whole of the
Supreme Court work now, as there was 30 years ago: and it is no
exaggeration to say that the work has ouadrupled. There are on
the other hand 14 firms of Solicitors, nearly all of whom are
engaged in large practice.
The work which falls to the Chief Justice
5.
may be divided into the following heads:-
Original Jurisdiction in Civil matters.
Original Jurisdiction in Admiralty.
Bankruptcy, Frobate, Criminal and Chamber Jurisdic- -tion, and Appellate Jurisdiction in the Full Court.
Bankruptcy requires at least one sitting a
week
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