The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-07-15 00:00:00

Ec „ifour!lribge 01!5crlier.

SATURDAY, JULY 15. 1871.

SESSION AND RECESS-TERM-TIME
AND VACATION.

It has been perhaps more clearly proved this
session than ever it was before that the ordinary
duration of the sittings of Parliament is not
adequate to the business that has t 8 be it ot
through. Or rather the session is not long
enough for the work which ought to be got
through, but much of which is abandoned alto-
gether or postponed to a more convenient sea-
son which perhaps never comes. But there is
really no reason beyond the qt,tsi reason of pre-
cedent and custom why we should continue to
have tha Parliamentary Session held from the
beginning of February to the first or seconfl
w,eit in August. To have Parliament sitting in
July and August is a mistake. This is the time
of year when it would be better for the members
to be free to enjoy the pleasure of their countr;...
homes, or to travel and make holiday. Ever)
year it is found that Parliamentary work is sp,••
chilly tedious and irksome in the hot weather. •
and work that is felt to be wearisome is not done '
well. It would be far better if we had two se,-
slung in the year instead of one. The
lii-
might consist of the months of February, Mara.
April, May. and June ; and the second of Oet o-
ber, November, and the first fortnight of De-
cember, the Easter and Whitsuntide recesses
remaining as they are, or perhaps being some-
what shortened. This would give more time
for work, ample time for rest, and would obviate
the existing evil of Parliament not sitting fur
six months together, let the necessities of an
appeal to the Legislature be what they may.
We are persuaded that some such alteration as
this must ere long be made, for Parliament is
evidently incompetent to grapple with the in-
creasing legislative business of the country.
Anyone who may have watched the progress—
or non-progress of parliamentary business dur-
ing the new waning and unproductive session,
can scarcely fail to come to this conclusion. it.
is common to attribute the small amount of work
done to the large amount of talk. Eudoubtedlj
there is some ground for this very natural accu-
sation brought against our representatives; and
considerable allowance also must be made for the
cumbrous and rusty machinery of Parliament,
which ought to be modified to suit the times.
But the main reason why legislation cannot
keep pace with the wants of the country is be-
cause sufficient time is uut devoted to it.

The recent adjournment of a celebrated case
again reminds us of a fact that has often previ-
ously asserted itself—the fact that legal VOCII.
tions are unreasonably long. The Tichburne
case has been adjourned for four mouths, upon
very insufficient grounds, as it seems to us. A
great deal of nonsense—if we may be permitted
to use so disrespectful a word—was talked in
the Court of Common Pleas about the fatigue
of Judge and Jury, the exhaustion of counsel,
and so on. The actual period of work has been
about five and a-half hours a day for forty days,
which is nothing very serious, and much less
than many merchants, clerks, journalists, and
professional and working people have to perform
while all those who have been engaged in the
Tie!theme case have been coy well paid fur it.
but this lengthy adjournment mu one case is very
suggestive as to legal business generally. A
quotation of the" law terms' will at once shoa
what a little time is devuted to the dispatch el
the legal business of the country. From Juno
say 11 to January 31 ; from April lil to May. ;
Item May 22 to June 12; and from November
2 to November 25—such is the time allotted to
the transaction of the whole law business of the
nation, the •• sittings after term " being scarcely
worth consideration. Ite hardship thus indic-
ted ou suitors and defendants, on witnesses and
peisona interested in law suit,, is beyond 1111
calculation. The lung vacation,- MIL, the
middle of June to the commencement of No-
vember, is out el all character situ the rapidit)
and continuity of business in ail other depiati
lucius of proiessioniii 81.0 l Intletll.llll., the. Lut
it is to the public, to those alio litre the 111161 i•
ttille 10 be eLL;:n6i,...: it ti,. asi ui the law.,
that this long vaedLon is so sei ions. The law's
eielays sue bad enough when the law courts are
sitting; the legal formalities, the antiquated
forms of procedure ; the quibbling uf Lair-
splitting, which all means SO much delay, are
vexatious enough at the beat; but this lung sa.
cation is monstrous. Thu Lord Chancellor
would do the country infinite service if he would
turn his attention to the reform of an abuse
which becomes more patent every year.