XN000022-1988-01-11 — Page 5

MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1988

THE FACT THAT WE "WE WERE ENCOURAGED, DURING 1987,

WITH HONG PRACTITIONERS RECRUIT ABLE TO

SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL BACKGROUNDS BOTH TO THE DISTRICT COURT AND TO THE MAGISTRACY AND THOSE WHO THAT THIS WILL BE AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS TO JOIN SO IMPORTANT A PART TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

"I SHOULD NOT LIKE IT TO BE ADOPTED TO LOCALISE THE JUDICIARY,

WERE

KONG

HOPE

HAVE

POLICY HAS BEEN THOUGHT THAT ANY EITHER ENTIRELY OR AT ANY COST.

"ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE COMMON LAW SYSTEM HAS PROSPERED AND

SUCCESS 19 THAT IT IS SUCH

A WITH COUNTRIES SPREAD TO SO MANY

OF THOUGHT CONCEPTS DIFFICULT OF SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM, SUBTLETIES OF REASONING.

FULL

"IT CAN BE APPLIED SUCCESSFULLY ONLY BY JUDGES AND OF THE HIGHEST CALIBRE AND NOTHING SHOULD BE DONE TO WITH MEN OF INADEQUATE QUALITIES OF MIND AND CHARACTER,

AND

MAGISTRATES

FILL THE BENCH

HE STRESSED.

..

JUSTICE REPORTING ON THE WORK OF THE COURTS IN 1987, THE CHIEF

SIT TN THREE DIVISIONS. SAID THAT THE COURT OF APPEAL CONTINUED TO HEARING 805 APPEALS COMPARED WITH 801 APPEALS IN 1986.

A NOTICE OF APPEAL

63 (RIMINAL.,

DAYS IN CIVIL

THE AVERAGE PERIOD BETWEEN THE FILING OF 38 AND ITS HEARING HAS BEEN APPEALS.

DAYS IN

13 PER

IN THE HIGH COURT, THE NUMBER OF INDICTMENTS FILED WAS

FOR 1986. BY MAINTAINING 12 CRIMINAL LISTS, CENT BELOW THE PIGURE FOR

FILING OF AN MOST OF THE YEAR, THE AVERAGE WAITING TIME BETWEEN THE

OR TRIAL TO AN AVERAGE OF 62 DAYS INDICTMENT AND THE FIRST DAY COMPARED WITH THE 1986 FIGURE OF 55 DAYS.

HE DISCLOSED THAT THE NUMBER

1,090

ΤΟ

1987.

THE SUCII

OF MAGISTERIAL APPEALS

TO

IN 1,330

1986, IN HIGH COURT DECLINED FROM APPEALS WERE USUALLY HEARD WITHIN FOUR WEEKS OF BEING ENTERED.

IN INCREASE

THE NUMBER OF GREAT MAJORITY OF ABOUT 460 IN INTERVAL BETWEEN

"HIGH COURT CIVIL WORK SHOWED AN MATTERS STARTED BY SEVEN PER CENT, AS ALWAYS, THE CIVIL ACTIONS NEVER REACH THE TRIAL STAGE, THERE BEING 1987, COMPARED WITH 532 IN 1986, THOUGH THE AVERAGE SETTING DOWN AND TRIAL WAS 59 DAYS COMPARED WITH 49 DAYS IN 1986.

"WE ARE ALSO ABLE, IF NECESSARY, TO GIVE EARLIER DATES FOR URGENT MATTERS.

ANY

THAT THE INCREASE IN 1988 IN THE "IT IS LIKELY, HOWEVER,

BENEFICIAL JURISDICTION OF THE DISTRICT COURT TO $120,000 WILL HAVE A EFFECT ON THESE FIGURES.

BY ABOUT

"IN THE DISTRICT COURT THE NUMBER OF CRIMINAL TRIALS FROM 1,479 TO 1,369, AND CIVIL MATTERS DECLINED CENT TO 47,220.

DECREASED

SEVEN

PER

/"THE AVERAGE