COST OF LITIGATION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20176, 3 March 1931, Page 12

COST OF LITIGATION.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S HOPE. Cr&ou on* own comuspoWWt.j LONDON,- January 20, The prospect of reducing the cost of litigation was mentioned by Sir William Jowitt, K,0., M.P., AttorneyGeneral. at the generalmeeting of the Bar held under his presidency in the Temple Hall, last week, ■ Alluding to the recently reecived by the Lord Chancellor on the subject or the recommendations contained in the memorandum of the London - Chamber of Commerce, the Attorney-General said the Bar Council bad taken the matter in hand with a view to reporting to Lord Sankey upon the proposals. . They all./realised that it was desirable, po far as could be done without interfering with the satisfactory administration of justice or departing from those principles which experience had shown to be necessary, to reduce the cost of litigation, so that 110 man need be of going into the King's courts. He hoped that by this time next year something would have been done.

Sir Thomas Hughes, K,0., nhftirmaw of the Bar Council, also referred, to the matter, observing htat it was certainly a most serious one. It was possible that some of the recommendations could be carried out, while , others could not. , There was no doubt that in the smaller matters of litigation, the expense, prevented people enforcing or defending their rights in the courts* but in the larger matters the cost was not so important, being a small percentage of, the total outlay. He wdto , sure it was -in the: interests of the public and .of the Bar- alike that the expense should be< reduced, and/he' Hoped they would be a"ble to do something of real practical use.