§ MR. RATHBONEasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he is aware that, under the arrangements made by the judges for holding Civil Assizes at Manchester and Liverpool, only nine days were allowed at Manchester for a cause list of ninety-five eases, including thirty-eight special jury cases; that in consequence of the impossibility of concluding the business within that time, the judges suggested that cases unlikely to be reached at Manchester should be put down for Liverpool; and that this has been done 1410 to such an extent as to threaten to occupy much of the time available for Liverpool; whether he is aware that it has been proposed to have no October Civil Assizes for Lancashire, practically reducing, as regards Liverpool, the three Assizes, which the Judicature Commission considered inadequate for the work to be done, to little more than one; and, whether he will consider what steps can be taken to remedy this state of things, and to make impossible in future such disregard of the interests of suitors?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSTaking the last Question first, I am quite sure the hon. Member for Liverpool does not intend to charge the learned Judges who went this Circuit with having neglected the public interests, but that his Question applies to the general arrangement of the Circuit.
§ MR. RATHBONEI did not wish to allude to the Judges who went the Circuit, but to the Judges who fixed the Northern Circuit.
MR. ASSHETON CROSSI was quite certain the hon. Member would not have a word to say as to the Judges who went the Circuit. In regard to the second Question, I am informed that ample time was believed to have been given for the trial of the ordinary cases in Lancashire, and I have been furnished with a statement of the arrangements. Of course, the hon. Member knows that I have nothing to do with these arrangements; but the arrangements were so made that Lancashire should have its full share of the services of the learned Judges who went the Circuit. With regard to the first Question, I think the hon. Member is labouring under a misapprehension, and I will state generally what the arrangement was. Eleven days were allotted to Manchester, commencing from the 14th, which was the commission day, and ending on the 26th. A larger entry of cases was, however, made than ever occurred before, so that it was found that the list could not be tried out within the period fixed. The learned Judges, however, offered to take over to Liverpool all the cases that remained untried; but that they might not take precedence of the Liverpool cases, they required the parties to enter them in the Liverpool district, taking their chance as to when they would come on. There were 114 cases entered for trial at Liverpool, only seven of 1411 which came from the Manchester district. The learned Judge who gives me this information goes on to say that he does not know what is meant by the time available for Liverpool. Liverpool being the last place, trials go on until the list is exhausted; and he does not know of any remanets ever having been left there.
§ MR. RATHBONEDid not those 11 days include Sunday?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSNo; 11 working days were allotted to Manchester—from Monday, the 14th, which was commission day, until Saturday, the 26th, inclusive.