ENG-1966 — Page 357

272

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

The District Court, established in 1953, took over the summary jurisdiction previously exercised by the Supreme Court and gave to the public a simpler and shorter method of bringing to trial civil disputes in which the value of the subject matter was under $5,000. The large increase in the work of this court, particularly in Kowloon, reflects the Colony's industrial growth and population expansion. Trial in both civil and criminal proceedings in the District Court is by judge alone and there is a general limitation of five years on a district judge's power to award a sentence of imprisonment. The District Court has also an appellate jurisdiction in stamp appeals, rating appeals and appeals from the Tenancy Tribunal.

The Supreme Court's civil jurisdiction is similar to that of the three Divisions of the English High Court-namely the Queen's Bench Division, the Chancery Division and the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division. In addition it exercises jurisdiction in lunacy, bankruptcy, and company-winding-up matters. The most serious criminal offences are tried by a judge of the Supreme Court sitting with a jury of seven. (A summary of cases heard and dealt with in all courts for the years 1962-6 will be found in Appendix XLIII).

The highest court in Hong Kong is the Full Court. It sits as occasion requires and is constituted of two or more judges of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice directs. The Chief Justice usually presides over this court which hears appeals from the Supreme Court and the District Court and has jurisdiction cor- responding roughly to that of the Court of Appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeal and the Divisional Court of the Queen's Bench Division. Final appeals from Hong Kong go to the Judicial Com- mittee of the Privy Council in London.

ADMINISTRATION

Under the general direction of the Colonial Secretary, the ad- ministrative functions of the government are discharged by some 30 departments, all the officers of which are members of the Civil Service. A list of these departments is given in Appendix VII.

The Colonial Secretariat, under the general administrative con- trol of the Deputy Colonial Secretary, co-ordinates the work of