Untitled

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1323, 30 June 1883, Page 2

Continuing the policy of, wherever practicable, consolidating the various laws upon the same subject, the Government have, among others, brought forward this session a Local Courts Bill. This measure will have special advantages for facilitating the business of the law couris in country districts. Last session a Bill of great importance to the public generally, and highly approved of by the legal profession, known as the Supreme Court Act, became law. Following in their former footsteps, the Local Couris Bill will remedy many abuses, and, in many respects, simplify proceedings in the lower couris. the Resident Magistrate’s and the District Courts are to be abolished, and under the new Bill, Local Courts of (a) “ Ordinary Jurisdiction,” and (b) “ Extended Jurisdiction,” are to be’constituted. The first named will be empowered to deal with eases up to £5O ; and the latter, while possess ing many of the powers of the Supreme Court, will have jurisdiction up to £2OO in civil cases. All criminal cases, excepting murder and other offences punishable with a greater term of imprisonment than seven years, it will be empowered to decide. The judges are to be lawyers, and the Crown Prosecutor will prepare and sign all indictments without the inter vention of the Grand Jury. the whole proceedings will be rendered cheaper, and carried out more expeditiously under the new system. In small debt cases, a beneficial change will be also effected. In cases where judgment is confessed, counsel’s fees will not be allowed. In defended cases counsel’s fee is, in cases under £2O limited to one guinea. Many other changes, all tending to render less costly the machinery of the law courts, will be established by the new Bill.