The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-04 00:00:00

WITH AN ALLIGATOR,

an
P.

NEW LAW ON THE SUPREME COURT

OF JUDICATURE.

The Act to amend and extend the Supreme*Court of
Judicature Act, 1873, has just been issued. It reaches
to nearly 50 sheets, containing 35 sections, 63 orders,
and numerous forms to be adopted to carry out the new
law comprised in the two statutes and rules. The Ist
November next is the time of operation, and during the
present long vacation the legal profession will consider
the various enactments, and rejoice in the prospect of
litigation. Appeals to the House of Lords are to be
allowed to November, 1876. The present number of
Judges is to be continued. The constitution of "Her
Majesty's Court of Appeal" is declared, and, although
the term "Court of Chancery" is not preserved, yet
the other Courts, known as the Queen's Bench,
Common Pleas, and Exchequer,_ will exist in
their several divisions, and a plaintiff may select either
division. The Probate and Admiralty Courts are to
be continued in divisions and the judge of the latter
to give up his ecclesiastical offices on appointment as
one of the members of the Court of Appeal. The Lon-
don Court of Bankruptcy will still stand isolated, and
new rules may be framed and regulations made by her
Majesty in Council as to the circuit, with various
other provisions of a general character. The last
section relates to the present chamber clerks, making
them eligible for similar appointments with existing
salaries. It was anticipated that the present staff
would have been made permanent. The statute
itself is a short one, but the orders and forms occupy
more than 40 sheets. Causes may be tried before a
judge, or before a judge with assessors, jury, or official
referee. Terms are abolished, but the long vaca-
tion will still live in fond remembrance to the pro-
fession, and exist from the 10th of August to the
24th of October, as usual. The long vacation became
an institution in olden time to enable the members of
the profession to assist in getting in the harvest; but
now their harvest is the making out of bills of costs in
the long vacation. There is to be a vacation by the
Act of a week at Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide.
Two of the judges are to sit in the vacation for the
hearing in London and Middlesex of matters requiring
to be promptly heard, and may sit together or sepa-
rately in a division court. The new law embraced in '
the two statute, with the necessary rules and orders,
must occasion a 'disturbance in the legal atmosphere,
and it will take some years fromt he Ist of November
next before a sullsidence in Law and Equity will be
effected.

THE CROPS NORTH AND SOUTH.
The New 'York Herald says In spite of rains and
floods, army worms and grasshoppers, the crops pro-
mise to turn out satisfactorily. The wheat crop will
not be so large as was hoped and believed six weeks
ago, but it will be an average crop. Corn promises
very well, which means a large meat crop for ship-
ment, and from the South we hear no bad news about
cotton. The floods have destroyed a good deal on the
Lower Mississippi, but much less than was feared.
Elsewhere the cotton reports are favourable. The
European demand for both grain and cotton will give us
good prices for everything we shall have to sell, and
probably a brisk demand for our products. Farmers
and planters will make money, the railroad people are
hopeful, and expect to have a busy and profitable sea-
son, and in the West local manufactories of different
kinds are already fully employed. This condition of
things would bring about a general revival of industry
if only we had a sound and stable currency. But so
long as we have a currency of variable value, so long
as party leaderson both sides urge still further inflation
and consequent depreciation of the currency, so long
as no man can tell for six months, or even six
weeks ahead what will be the real value, the
buying power, of a paper dollar—just so long
prudent men will lock up their means and decline
to engage in new enterprises, no matter, of what kind.
With abundant crops and a promise of good prices all
the country needs is a dollar of fixed value to start it
at once on a new career of prosperity. This, unfortu-
nately, our statesmen refuse to give us. The best of
them are on the fence, the worst of them cry out for
more greenbacks.' While this lasts the beat thing
a farmer can do with his surplus cash is to turn it into
gold and keep it there, or buy land. Then, at least,
he will know what he has got."
' -
TH.