OUR JUNIOR BENCH
[To. the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
Snr,—May I make two. points about the salaries of county court judges raised- in your last issue by M. Henry N. Mathews ?
1. There are 56 county court judges and at present they. sit in all on 8,095 days, an average of 144 days per judge. Surely we should add to their work as,well as to their salaries. The anaemic suggestion of the rhuiworth Committee that the present limit of county court jprisdiction (£100) should be raised to £200 for actions sent from the High Court is playing with this problem. There should' be a general' increase of jurisdiction to £500 with certain reservations. Then, and only then, should salaries be raised.
2. What about stipendiary magistrates?. Most of them have the same salaries as county court jpdges, but nobody champions them. Yet the work of a stipendiary magistrate is at least as difficult as that of a county court jpdge. In the opinion of some- it is more responsible for, whereas a. county court judge's mistake can at most, cost a litigant £100' and costs, a magistrate's mistake may cost him his reputation, his liberty and in some cases (e.g., motor drivers). his permanent living. Magistrates in busy courts have dully the responsibility of -trying men and' women (with a maximum of twelve mouths' imprisonment in the balance), often without legal assistance from either police or defendant. Similhrly with their domestic jurisdiction. Almost-every issue that comes before the Divorce Court, including adultery, desertion and cruelty, has to be decided almost daily by magistrates and it is seldom that legal assistance is available And whet is more responsible than fixing the paternity of' an "- illegitimate" child?' Even the Divorce Court very seldom has to: face that responsibility, but magistrates haveit every week.
So I suggest that. attention Vo- both these- matters Is a matter of urgency. I, Oar one; am tired- of hearing- pathetic appeal§ about judges'. salaries as matters stand—I' am, [The salary of High Court Judges, unlike that of County Court Judges and magistrates,, raises constitutional* rather than economic questiOns.—ED. The SpectiztOr.r
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