§ MR. OCTAVIUS V. MORGAN (Battersea)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has been informed that, on Thursday last, Mr. Somes, Deputy Chairman, jurymen, counsel, and witnesses were present at the County of London Sessions, Newington Division, and were prepared to go on with the business, but that a letter was read from Sir Peter Edlin, stating that, as two Courts were sitting at Clerkenwell, the Court was to be adjourned, and that the adjournment took place, to the great inconvenience and expense of all concerned; whether an adjournment under similar circumstances took place on Thursday, 17th April; and what action it is proposed to take to prevent similar occurrences?
§ MR. MATTHEWSI am informed by Sir Peter Edlin that an adjournment did take place last Thursday, as stated. The business at Newington for the week ending the 19th was not concluded in that week, and was adjourned to the 24th, the Chairman hoping that by that date the business beginning at Clerkenwell on the 21st would be concluded. This anticipation, unfortunately, was not realised; and accordingly, as there is no power under the Local Government Act to appoint Chairmen of the Second Court to sit contemporaneously at Clerkenwell and Newington, there was nothing to be done but to further adjourn the Newington business. The Second Court sat at Newington the entire day on the 17th of April. Until a new scheme is submitted for London Sessions, as provided in the Local Government Act, a recurrence of these circumstances can only be prevented by longer adjournments.