LAW AND ORDER
183
15 solicitors and 39 lay Justices rendered valuable service in this Court.
The Magistrates' Courts continued to have a busy year with five courts functioning on Hong Kong Island, four in Kowloon and one in the New Territories. In comparison with the figures for 1955, there has been a drop in the figures for hawking without a licence or in prohibited areas, and for obstruction while hawking. In 1955 71,985 hawkers were dealt with, while in 1956 the total dropped to 44,038. The decrease in the number of hawking and obstruction offences is also reflected in the decrease in the number of juveniles appearing before the Court. Whereas 34,812 were involved in 1955, this figure had been reduced in 1956 to 19,082.
Statistics of work in the Magistracies are as follows:
Total
Hong Kong Kowloon
New Territories
Total number of charges
72,627
67,531
3,911 134,069
Total number of defendants
(adult & juvenile)
84,044
99,794
8,063 191,902
Total number of defendants
convicted (adult & juvenile).
78,618
96,896
7,192 182,706
Total number of adult
defendants
78,050
86,739
8,030 172,819
Total number of adult
defendants convicted
72,670
83,853
7,189 163,712
Total number of juvenile
defendants
5,994
13,055
33
19,082
Total number of juveniles
convicted
5,948
13,043
30
19,021
Total number of summonses
issued
37,295
29,359
3,770 70,424
Once more the year has seen a fall in the number of applications made to the Tenancy Tribunals for determina- tion of rent payable, or for approval of agreed rental in excess of the permitted rent. However, the number of exemption cases has greatly increased. The total filed in 1956 was 1,004 compared with 639 in 1955. These applications are brought under the provisions of the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance,
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