MEETING OF JUSTICES.

Evening Star, Issue 3745, 23 February 1875, Page 2

MEETING OF JUSTICES.

The meeting of Justices, convened for to-day, for the purpose of considering what would be the beat steps to take for the carrying on of police business by the Justices in another Courthouse, was attended by Messrs Bathgate, R M (in the chair), Willis, Logan, Leary, Ramsay. . lexman, Ward,_ Birch, J. L. Gillies, Fish M Glashan, Bastings, A. Begg, V.Pyke, and J. iiitchie. Mr Logan mentioned that Mr Brown was unavoidably absent. The Chairman said that he had called the meeting of magistrates within the City of Dunedin and the neighborhood in consequence of instructions from the Minister of Justice, in which he stated that a letter had been received from certain Justices and some residents of Dunedin urging the Government to appoint a separate Coiirt for the hearing of police cases. He had great pleasure individually in forwarding a favorable report on that letter. His chief reason for so doing was that a great deal of time was taken up by civil business. During the past year (1874) there were 1,538 summary cmcs in which convictions were obtained, and 500 in which the parties had been dismissed, so that in that department alone 2,000 cases had been under adjudication. There were also forty-one indictable offences inquired into in which the prisoners were committed for trial, and this necessarily occupied a great deal of time. On the civil side of the Court there were no less than 1,853 cases, and such criminal cases as involved inquiry as indictable offences resulted in a great loss of time to counsel and suitors engaged. The Government had been pleased to assign a District Court, involving cases up to L2OO, and from the experience he had had during the time it had been in opeh&d. no doubt that the business of that Court was likely to occupy a good deal of time m the future. For this reason principally he had reported favorably on the establishment of a new Court, and in consequence of that recommendation the Government had authorised him to convene a meeting of the magistrates of the City to consider the manner the business. He had engaged the old Mayor s Court as a Courtroom, and de•7? x? 8 c J er * c « Mr Somerville, who was familiar with the details of police business. In conclusion,. he expressed nis readiness to give the Justices every assistance. In answer to Mr Pike, The Chairman stated that indictable offences would be taken in the new Court; indeed the business would be the same as that carried on in the old Court. Mr Fish, as the result of three years’ experience in the old Court, considered that any gentleman appointed as Clerk to the Court was most essential to its success. Without saying anything as to the merits of the gentleman named by the chairman, he would state that the Clerk to the old Mayor’s Court (Mr Weidner) was, without exception, as good a man as could be got. The Chairman did not think that there was any reason to fear there would be any difficulty from ths clerkship being in the hands of Mr boinerville, who had been connected with the Resident Magistrate’s Court for fourteen years. _ Mr Fish, in moving “ That the action of the Government be endorsed by the Justices present, said that he believed the new Court would be a great success, and he trusted that the justice administered would be equal if not auponor. to that administered in the present Court. —(Laughter.) The motion was unanimously agreed to. and it was decided to open the Court on the Bth pros, *