THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1911. CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10404, 26 August 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1911. CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.

Although a good deal has ibeen done in. New Zealand in recent years in, the direction of extending tine jurisdiction of Justices and Stipendiary Magistrates in* criminal oaisas, there 19 isttill room tfor extension, without prejudicing tihe interests of the communilfcy ais la. 'whole. It has, hy custom', ibecomie a w©ll-dieftaed principle in (British law tSuat ia person charged 'with lam offence which renderis him liable ito limpriaonimienit for a. lengthy term, shlall ibe entitfled ito ibe tried ihy "twelve good men and true." To this custom, very few will be inclined tto (take serious exception. The experience of ithie llaisit few years, however, (has. isihkxwn. that the expensive, miafch'iatifery 'of tIW Higher Court has beem put into operation l in many oases which should have been dealt /with, isummlarily. Evidence of thjis laiao .been adduced at almost' every isdttinig of (the Supreme Court. Tile ,slhouflid, in justice to tl|e taxpayers of the country, consider how dkr, land in what direction, the Criminal Code might ibe amended', so that the expense of 'sending (trumpery [.oases to the Supreme Court .might he avoided. Only reoently a oa.se' of common, theflt came before the Court ia Ma'sterton, land because the laimlount involved was a 'little, over £2, (the accused person was given the right of a. trial before a jury. In the interests of all ooniaemned, the ease (might wel haive (been dealt with by a (bench of Justices.. . There are numerous iminor criminal charges of a similar character .which have no right to go ,to the Supreme Court. The power of electing (to ibe tried by la jury (should he (restricted to oases (where the Magistrate or Justice is of opinion that . the circumstances are 'S-uch that .a long .term of imprisonimient may be required to vindicate •the crime' oomimiitted. It is absurd to isay that ia person charged with the theft of an article of the value, isiay, of £2 ,ss, ishould toe permitted to put the country to the expense .0f... a Supreme Court trial. And yet possible under .the law a.& it at present istands. The endls of justice would be fully .met by the extension of the jurisdiction of Magistrates to hear and deal with trivial cases of this character. If

a right of appeal to a, jury, without foe, iwere given, in cases where over six monthis' imprisonment were imposed, the interests of those charged witb criminal offence would be fully conserved, whilst thie Dominion would he saved hundreds, possibly thousands of poundis every year. The present position, of affairs is highly unsatisfactory, and caiUs for prompt investigation hy <tho.se charged' with (the 'framing and' administration! of the* law.