GISBORNE MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3994, 29 July 1915, Page 2

GISBORNE MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

QUARTERLY RETURNS. SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR’S FIGURES. The exceptionally large amount of business transacted at the Magistrate’s Court at Gisborne is disclosed by the returns for the quarter ending June 30, which are just to hand, and which show a large increase on the figures for the corresponding quarter of last year. During the past quarter 32 weekly and 86 daily sittings of the Court were held for the transaction of civil and criminal business, all but three of these being presided over by Stipendiary Magistrate's. Though more frequent sittings were held during April, May and June of last year ,(35 weekly sittings and 90 daily sittings), the amount of business put through was not nearly so large as this year. ’The number of eases heard by tho Stipendiary Magistrates during the past quarter totalled 314, 307 being under ordinary jurisdiction and under extended jurisdiction, as against a total of 246 eases during the same quarter in 1914. The following is the record for the past quarter, the figures for 1914 being given in parenthesis.:—Aggregate amount sued for, £5982 12s 5d (£4117 Ills lid); amount recovered, £BOll IBs HI (£2207 10s Id) ; number of applications heard, 32 (27) ; number of orders made 11 (15) ; number of plaints mitered 492 (353). Other business transacted during the past quarter was as follows: .Number of distress warrants issued 26, number of judgment summonses issued 106, number of orders made on judgment summonses 25, number oi warrants of committal issued 4, number of summonses and other processes served by the bailiff and assistants two miles 437, over two miles 235, distress warrants executed by the bailiff within two miles 19. over two miles 9, warrants of committal executed by tho bailiff 4.

Tho amount of civil fees paid in stamps was £319 1 Is cal the amount of licensing fees 020 19.\ as against £244 ULs and £l7 7s for 1914. The criminal returns show that 425 males and 18 females were taken into custody, summoned, or apprehended during the quarter, the amount of criminal fees paid being £214 17s. Eleven juvenile offenders figure in this list.

During 1914 the figures for the quarter were 282 males and 11 females the fees amounting to £3Ol 15s. The civil record shows that there were 40 eases in which Europeans wore plaintiffs and Maoris defendants. The total amount claimed in tho eases tried was £313 Is 9d, and tho amount recovered £328 7s 2d. There were no loss than 45J eases in which Europeans only Mere concerned. !he total amount sued for was £551.1 .10s 9d, and the amount recovered £5550 12s 3d.

During the quarter four old age and three widows’ pensions wen 1 granted. The fines collected in the Court by the Borough Council and Cook County Council for broaches of Im-laws amounted to £3l Is.