The New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5327, 24 April 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1878.

The desirability, if not necessity, of a District Court being established in Wellington has been frequently commented on, but ,up to the present time no move has been made by the Government in this direction, and as matters stand just now there is no intermediate tribunal between the Resident Magistrate’s and the Supreme Court. This in many cases amounts to a positive injustice. A case in point occurred yesterday, into, the merits of which it is unnecessary to enter; but it affords an illustration of the want of a District Court. The plaintiff considered that he had a claim against the defendants for £l5O damages, and whether that claim was or was not well founded he could not bring itintothe Magistrate’s Court without reducing the amount he sought to recover to £IOO, that being the extent of his Worship’s jurisdiction. This is not a solitary case, there being many of the same kind. In other centres of population here there are District Courts, and why Wellington should be without such a tribunal seems surprising. It must be very hard on many suitors that here they must reduce their damages to £IOO, or incur the heavy expense of going to i the Supreme Court. Moreover, if we had a District Judge, a good deal of bankruptcy and other business, which now occupies a great deal of the time of the Supremo Court Judges, could be disposed of more expedionsly and cheaply. There are some vague rumors of contemplated alterations being made in the mode of administering justice here at no distant date, and it certainly seems to us that an alteration in the direction indicated would bo of considerable utility. Such a change would of course involvesomeextraexpense. An able • and experienced lawyer, and none other would be suitable for such a post, could hardly be obtained for less than say £BOO a-year; but for that sum we believe there would be found plenty of competent pei’sons to undertake the duties of the office,and a fit man would be cheap' at the price. The Supreme Court Judges have already plenty to do here, and in fact have to delegate much of the bankruptcy business to the Registrar, who has himself no light duties to perform. By the appointment of a District Judge, who in addition to the ordinary criminal and civil business of his Court, should also hwe jurisdiction in bankruptcy, the Supreme Court Judges and the Registrar would be relieved of a considerable amount of work which now falls upon them and interferes with the discharge of their other duties, and the convenience of suitors would bo bettor attended to, and a groat amount of delay and inconvenience which are inseparable from the present system would bo done away with. The growth and importance of Wellington within the past few years .has necessarily added much to the business of its Law Courts, but the machinery tor the administration of justice remains the same as it was years ago, when the demands upon it wore not so great. The accommodation afforded in the buildings set apart as Law Courts is manifestly inadequate, as lias been pointed out over and over, again, especially as regards the Resident Magistrate’s Court. Promises have from time to time been made that , improvements in i this direction should be made, but as: yet nothing practical has been done to carry out those promises.' ‘And it is the same as regards the officials. The staff is not adequate ‘ to the requirements of; the community. There are constant coirt'plaints of delay and inconvenience arising- ' to suitors', which cdmplaints'’Canno!: all, we think,.bo unfounded.. So., far as the : administration of justice is concerned, wo believe it is about as well administered here as any where else so far as, the Judges and Magistrates are concerned, notwithstanding what- has been aaid/toithq con-, trary- by a'-certain-learned practitioher practising in - our local Courts y but the

system might be amended, in our opinion, in some of its details, and certainly in the direction we hare spoken of—-the appointment of a District Judge, c If the next Parliament, which is..;to bring forth all sorts of good are told, will take this matter into ' consideration, so as to give it practical effect, the result is likely to be of more substantial benefit, we venture to think, than a great many measures which are now said to be in process of inclination. i ■ : - ’ : - i ■ , ,