Important Innovation in Supreme Court: Three Judges to Hear Cases on Friday Yesterday witnessed a new departure in the procedure of H. M. Supreme Court and one of "very rent importance. It is that three Judges for the first time in the history of the Court sat to hear appeals, and the fact that they do constitutes a very important advance in the procedure of the Court. Several important cases are on the hearing list, and it will be appreciated how the authorities at Home have given due regard to the sub-Ject of all appeals here, Formerly, when an appeal_was taken fromthe decision of a Judge of H. M. Supreme Court, it was deard by the Chief Judge and Assistant Judge sitting as an Appeal yurt, "If there was disagreement the decision of the Chief Judge ruled. It was felt both in the case of Shanghai and Hongkong. that the appeal tribunal should include wider opinion, and as a. first towards this end the Chief Judge in Shanghai was. some years ago appointed to sit in the case of Hongkong appeals, The Order in Council of 1925
Nothing, however, was done as regards Shanghai until a year ago. On July 15, 1925, an Order in Council came into force which enacted that appeals from the Supreme Court here should be heart by the Judge, the Assistant Judge and the Ghief' Judge of Hongkong. Whoever was senior in appointment—the Chief Judge of Hongkong of H, M, Supreme Court for China—shouki preside of such appeals. As natters stand, His Honour Judge Sir Skinner Turner is senior and presided at, yesterday's Appeal ud with him were Sir} Henry Gollan, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hongkong, and His Honour Judge Peter Grain, Assistant Judge of H. M. Supreme Court for Chin. The Order Council provides that in the event of the Chief Justice of Hongkong not being able to attend, another Judge from Hongkong will sit on the Appeal Court, While three judges thus sit on appeals from decisions of the yremie Court, the position is dif-derout with reference to appeals from the Registrar and from Con-tuler Courts. In these cases the Order in Council enacts that. these shall be heard by the two Judges of the Supreme Court or by one
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.