DR. CAMERONasked the Lord Advocate, "Whether ins attention has been called to the state of confusion into which the curatory, factory, and entail petition processes in the Court of Session have fallen; whether representations have been made to Government of the inconvenience and risk involved in the present state of things, and of the urgent necessity for the re-arrangement and re-indexing of the whole petition processes, and for their safe custody; and, 1417 whether there is any prospect of such a re-arrangement of the office entrusted with their charge as will enable the re-indexing to be overtaken, and the delays and inconveniences complained of to be avoided?
THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR)I believe, Sir, that some difficulty in the arrangement of the papers referred to exists, owing to the unequal distribution of the work of the clerks of Court, which, unfortunately, can only be fully remedied by Act of Parliament. Some time ago, a temporary assistant was appointed to the clerks of the Office of the Junior Lord Ordinary, before whom these processes come, and I shall endeavour to get such further temporary arrangement made as may remedy the inconvenience.