SHORTAGE OF JURYMEN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 166, 16 July 1942, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF JURYMEN

*THE Chief Justice has been commenting on the increasing difficulty of * obtaining sufficiently large panels for Jury service, and he said tho suggestion had occurred to him that the age limit of 60 might be raised for the duration of the war. Another suggestion might be that the size nf the jury be reduced. In the United Kingdom since this war Degan tho number of Jury members (who may bo women) has been i!f ' certain cases, from twelve to seven, and in the event of illness or other circumstances leading to inability to attend during if ?£\ a .iS? 8 ® m u y be tr J ed hy only flve - ° ne claimed advantage ?L ? » that the smaller number arrive at a decision much more quickly than a Jury of twelve. The value of the Jury system Is seldom questioned it s important that it should be mainta'ned, despite the war but the Chief Justice has said that the difficulty of obtaining panels is * CU^ an , d l tl at Judge 2 may be ob, teed to refuse to grant •xemptlons asked for because the summoned Juryman is engaged in essential work. In these circumstances there would seem to be ample Justification for raising the age limit or reducing the size of the Jury or