ENG-1952 — Page 155

JUSTICE, RECORDS, POLICE AND PRISONS

Civil claims up to and including $5,000 are heard in the Court's Summary Jurisdiction by the Puisne Judges as are all matters arising out of distraints for non-payment of rent.

Cases in the Probate, Divorce, Admiralty and Bankruptcy Jurisdictions of the Court are usually heard by the Chief Justice. Indictable offences are first heard before magistrates and are committed to the criminal sessions which are held once a month; these cases are usually divided among three judges.

A right of appeal exists in all these cases. Appeals are heard by a Full Court consisting of two or more judges. Under the Magistrates Ordinance, any person aggrieved may appeal to a judge from the decision of a magistrate. This form of appeal is heard by a single judge who may reserve the appeal or any point in it for consideration by the Full Court, or may direct the appeal or the point to be argued before the Full Court.

During the year, 704 Original Jurisdiction actions were instituted as compared with 679 in 1951. In the Summary Jurisdiction, the number of actions rose from 915 in 1951, to 1,506 in 1952. This phenomenal rise may be due partly to adverse business conditions and partly to the fact that whereas formerly there was a time lag in hearing from four to six months, it was possible, through assigning one judge exclusively to the Summary Court, to have a case heard within three weeks of the issue of a Writ of Summons.

The Assizes were formally opened on the 21st January, 1952. The usual service was held at St. John's Cathedral, and was

was well attended by the members of both branches of the legal profession, as well as by prominent citizens and heads of the Services.

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