50 YEARS OF JUSTICE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 530, 13 May 1933, Page 3

50 YEARS OF JUSTICE

550,000 CASES TRIED . The Law Courts, Temple Bar, London, are just over 50 years old, al-l-though their Gothic architecture giv;es them a somewhat venerable ap/pearance. They were opened by ;Queen Victoria in December, 1882. In 50 years 550,000 cases have been tried at the Law Courts, and 1000 men are always at work there. There are in this vast .bu'ilding over 800 rooms and offices connected by bewildering eorridors totalling two miles and a-half in length, not to mention scores.of dark passages and twisting and turr.ing stone staircases. Few know that the great stone pillars, round which the circular stair- / cases wind from the Central Ilall to the court eorridors, are hollow, and each contains another staircase. There are judges' pi-ivate rooms, •confere-nce rooms, libraries, robing- , rooms, offices, and housing for a staff of over 100 employees wko guard and 1 clean the courts. In the basement ds a printing press which employs 'scores of men keeping records, and a 'blackspiith's shop kept busy on re•'pairs needed in the building.