§ MR. H. KIMBER (Wandsworth,)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for 830 the Home Department whether he is aware of the increasing inconvenience occasioned to many of Her Majesty's subjects in the Wandsworth Police-court district, as well as other Metropolitan police districts, by the insufficiency of magistrates in number in the Metropolis, and the inefficiency of the present rotation system, whereby one magistrate has to sit in four or five courts during the week, destroying continuity of attention, causing parties and witnessess to attend frequently twice instead of once, lengthening the periods of remands, preventing any magistrate from acquiring sufficient knowledge of his district and its police, and generally dislocating the service; whether the Statute Law has already provided for 27 magistrates, whereas only 25 now exist; and whether, as he has the power to appoint the remaining two, with the assent of the Treasury, he will inquire into the matter, and if he finds ground for so doing, give the weight of his recommendation to the Treasury to sanction the cost involved, seeing that such cost is extremely small as compared with the immense loss and detriment to the public occasioned by the present system?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (SIR MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEY (Lancashire, Blackpool)I have not, until the Question of my hon. Friend, received any recent complaints of increasing inconvenience caused to the public at the Wandsworth Police-court or elsewhere by the want of sufficient magistrates to conduct the business. The present rota, only recently established, had, I hoped, made satisfactory provision in this respect. The question of appointing two additional magistrates has been under my consideration, as it was under that of my predecessor; but I have not been convinced that the facts before me sufficiently establish the necessity. I am, however, keeping the question in view, and, if satisfied that the public interests require it, shall be ready to press this increase upon the Treasury.