The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-05 00:00:00

NEWSPAPER STAMP DUTIES BILL,

Second reading postponed till Thursday.
ASSISTANT JUDGE (MIDDLESEX SESSIONS)

BILL.

Mr. It. LOWE (in the absence of Mr. Fitzroy) stated the
object of this bill, which was introduced by the Government.
flavinc, recited the history of the court affected, and having
shown the great increase of business at the Middlesex Ses-
sions as compared with the Central Criminal Court, which
had been relieved of business, he proceeded to submit a
calculation to show that a " case" cost less to conduct (11.
Ss. to 41. Os. 10,1.) at the Middlesex Sessions than at the
Central Criminal Court—the judge at the former transact-
ing in fact one-tenth of the whole criminal business of the
country. The proposal was, that in consideration of these
circumstances the salary of the assistant-judge should be
raised from 1,2001. to 1,5001. per annum.
Lord D. STUART said that this was a proposal which
out of doors excited a good deal of surprise. The
judge in question was ono whose name was frequently be-
fore the public, and unusually under the censure of the
press. He exhibited, it was known, great vacillation in
the discharge of his duties—changing light to severe sen-
tences, and severe to light sentences ; as, on a recent occa-
sion, in regard to the woman who called the accusing po-
liceman " a pig." Was this a judge to have his salary in-
creased? (Hear, hear.) The private character of this
learned person was distinguished by this peculiarity—that
he managed to succeed in what he had a fancy to. A
Judge had recently said of him, " I hope he won't fancy
my place, for if he did he would get it." (Cheers.) Ap-
parently he wanted an increase of salary, and he was
getting it from the House of Commons. But 1,2001. was
ample.
Mr. BOWYER objected to the proposition contained in
the bill, and urged that the test of the number of indict-
ments, as applied to the duties of the assistant-judge, was
fallacious, as the trial of many of them only occupied a
few minutes ; and he believed the judge in question did
not take much trouble with them, but they were tried in a
very off-hand way. He thought the salary of the county
court judges was a fair test by which to try that of the
assistant-judge. Every one knew that there were greater
difficulties in deciding civil as compared with criminal cases,
in the former points of law often arose, while in the latter
only questions of fact were to be tried. The county court
judges had 1,2001. a year, and they sat nearly every day ;
they were obliged to sit every month in each place in their
districts, they had no allowance for travelling expenses, and
perform very onerous duties besides their ordinary duties,
such as acting as masters in chancery, &c. He thought
that comparing their position with his, to increase the
salary of the assistant-judge to 1,500/. a year, was a mon-
strous waste of public money. He moved that the bill be
read a second time that day six months.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought the house would
agree with him in one point, and that was that they ought
to discuss this question with reference to its general prin-
ciple—(hear, hear)—and not with reference to a particular
person—(hear, hear)—his noble friend (Lord D. Stuart)—
had entered into the question of the personal peculiarities
of the assistant-judge, and had endeavoured to amuse, or,
he should rather say, to detain the house—(hear, hear, and
cheers)—with some idle gossip about the personal pecu-
liarities of Mr. Seijeant Adams. It was rather hard on
an absent man that his noble friend should repeat over
and over again his old grievance about the " policeman and
the pig." (Laughter.) If he had any charge to make
against the learned judge, he ought to bring it specifically
before the house. The question now was, wether as now
additional duties had been cast on the assistant judge since
ho agreed to accept his office at its present salary it
ought not to be increased. (Hear, hear.) There had
been a great accession to his duties —no less than
829 indictments had been recently transferred from
the Central Criminal Court to the Middlesex Ses-
sions, on public grounds and at a great saving of public
money; and that court had sat 181 days as compared with
81 days sittings of the Central Criminal Court. The
learned judge had accepted his office at a certain salary,
since which there had been a great increase of his duties,
and on that ground it was that his salary was to be raised.
Lord D. STUART, in explanation, said his learned
friend had charged him with repeating idle gossip about
the assistant judge ; but the reason why he had re-stated
the story about the pig—(laughter)—was because after the
ease had been stated in that house an explanation had been
gi:Ten by a Minister of the Crown, which gave no denial to
the ease about the pig. (Laughter.)
Sir J. DUCKWORTH—A new question had been raised
on account of the additional duty cast upon him,
when an increase of salary was asked for the judge,
not only
t of the saving to the country by the trans-
the Central Criminal Court to the fbeurt
o onf a
cases c I ifrom
Mid-
dlesex Sessions. If there was such a difference between
the expense of a trial in these two courts, one being 41.
19s. 6d., and the other Bs., he thought there ought to
satisfactory'
explanation of the cause of such a
be some
difference.
Mr. ALCOCK complained of such a salary being paid
to the assistant-judge of Xiddlesex, as well as the pro-
posed increase to it, when in the neighbouring county of
gr
Surrey the same duties were atuitously performed by
the Chairman of Quarter SessleTts-
Mr. WILSON said the Treasury were influenced in this
proposition by the fact that a learned gentleman was taken
from his profession to fill this office, to which he devoted
his whole time, and he was made a judge, and ono of that
duality that he could transport people for fourteen years.
tLaughter.) Last year the salary of county court judges
was fixed at 1,2001. a-year, with a power to the Treasury
to raise them to 1,5001 ; and they had applications for that
increase, on grounds which they could not resist, such-as
the increase of business, and the same reason influenced
N,Vi
jovriddse
tcr,owmhAciftr
rueß
par
pq Ga
rI
tai
—nd Mr. BUT-
LER,them in raising the salary in the present case
Af
ttehre n'h
ofuet
For the second reading
Against it 47-14
The bill was accordingly read a second time and ordered
to be committed.