The Daily News. SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1903 SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 63, 14 March 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1903 SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

The wanner in which (lie was rushed ihr- ugh at the list, si'.ting of tLe Huprrrne C»'urt in Ke •? fly mouth calls attention to the u*oi of fresh arrangements being mad-. Th«, we b»d almost written id>.cent, hasv; which characterised the proceeding-? is cot calculated to inspire confidence in those whose lives or fortunes depend upon its dccisioLs. During the r.c.mfc session the business of tha town was largely thrown out of g?ar by demands of the Couri on (hosi who were direc'.ly or inHirec'ly connected therewith. ICounsel wore hurried and worried and | wis nssfs harassed in a manner which j w.rs nv'-st unsatisfactory, while at (he is'mo time valuable tirny was wps'.ed by the system adopted by His Honor tha Judge taking verbalim notes of the evidence, -ill through the Court was kepi in a fever of excitement and the long hours t're (Jouit sat distiessing to those engaged in cori-n-ction with tha cases bef re the Court. In one ens* brfoe

the Ocu't, in which a man's life Wis at stake, tho Ocurt s»t from 10 in the morning t ill past 10 o'clock at n ght. Yet His Honor ihe Judge, in his anxiety to rush the bussiness through, would have gone on. Fortunitely tha coui sel engaged in defending the piisoner had sufficient strength of mind to refuse to bn diivon and run the rifk of failing in bis duty to his client through his energies being impaired by the lo.ig mentil strain involved. No jury, we contend, entrusted with tha duty of decidirg the fat« of ■h- iv fl Howmen, shouV) b.' subjected to thenv-ntal strain of lis-ening to evidonen for 12 hours at a time. Many of these men, used to out - door avocitions, tuft'er both physically add mentally when confined hour after hour in a densely picked, badly wniiUted The excuse for the iu-h and hu.uy i< tint tha Judg'; Ins to bg in Wellington oa the 16tb ir st. to attend tho C'otrt of Appeal, aud, ai he will only travel by steamer, thh necessitates bis lo'viog on tha 12th, by the Thursday steamer. This g'.vj exactly soven titting days for all the criinu.it}, civi', dtvorce and chamber buaiuets. A"uy one looking at the cause lisit will toe the absurdity of only allowing such k short time for tha biiF.ii.oss. Had it not been for a number of the cases being settled cu; of Court, a dead-lock would have taken place, and cises would lnve had to be hell over. It is evident that tho timo jhns come for holding quarterly sittings iof tha Court, heie. lu Wellington, O.'Jiistchurch, Duuedin and Auckland there are four sidings of tho civil, and four ! f the criminal. In fact at Christchnrch and Dunedin there are five sit ings of the Civil Cour' yoatly. At Wangfii'ui, rapier, Tiwaiu, Nelsou, asfi there ate throe sittings yoii'ly, while at lavercirgill there are four. Tli:: cost of taking ctses to th;) ■Supreme Court is so great, that people have a riglr. to expect bettor consideration than th-iy g ■', '>nd w« hore flom« i-tlort will bj m;dti to pet quarterly sossiors held, so tin 1 ; th- business cm b-j dealt with ts it should be. We tru t this matter will receive tha attention its importanca deserves, we shall have no mora of the unseemly 'has'e which characterised the recent SUCbiOii.