The Gazette 1972

the Hundred of Salford, going back to before the Nor- man conquest. On a larger scale the Courts of Chancery of the County Palatinates of Lancaster and Durham now become merged with the High Court. The Durham Palatinate Court, too, has its origin in pre-Norman conquest timfes and the Lancaster court dates from 1351. The Old Bailey is the one court which provides the perhaps inevitable departure from the neat logicality of the new system. Although strictly a Crown Court it will continue to be known as the Central Criminal Court and the Lord Mayor and Alderman of the City of London will retain their ancient privileges to sit as judges. The full benefits of the reforms will probably not be felt for several years and in the words of Lord Hail- sham, the present Lord Chancellor, "an outsider might see precious little difference in the actual conduct of criminal and civil cases in the provinces". But the more flexible administrative arangements should at least have some imediate beneficial effect on delays, at present the biggest blot on the system of justice in this country.

and the trials of the different classes have been allocated according to the degree of seriousness and complexity to High Court Judges, Circuit Judges, Recorders and courts comprising lay justices. But coupled with the ex- pectation of having a more efficient system of justice there will be for many, and not only lawyers, a feeling of sadness at the disappearance of so many of the cen- turies-old legal institutions and traditions. The assize system dates from the reign of Henry II and the pageantry which has always accompaned the holding of the Assizes will be missed by many who have participated in or seen it. The history of Courts of Quar- ter Sessions, while less spectacular in pomp and panoply, is almost as ancient, the courts having been created by an ordnance of 1388 which required justices for each county to meet four times a year. Also abolished are all the courts of "venerable anti- quity", those often resplendantly named accidents of local history which somehow survived for centuries as independent institutions — courts such as the Bristol Tolzey and Pie Poudre courts, the Liverpool Court of Passage, founded in 1207, and the Court of Record of

The Times (29th December, 1971)

Revenue Commissioners—Temporary Importation of Books (1) Authority has been granted for the temporary importation of the following kinds of articles free of customs duty and turnover and wholesale taxes :

customs entry form. Senders should be advised accord- ingly ' • ,, (3) Importers are reminded that there is an overall statutory provision waiving duty and tax, without quali- fication, on articles contained in one consignment or parcel where the duty or tax amounts to less than £0.13. (4) Any further information required may be obtained on application to the Secretary, Revenue Commissioners, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, or to the Collector of Customs and Excise at any custom house or to any officer of customs and excise. Note —It is understood that if publishers send review copies for purposes of reviews, the Revenue Commis- sioners will ultimately allow a refund of the tax paid, provided the publishers make it clear on the cover that it n a review copy they are sending. Dublin Castle (December 197H

Books, booklets, periodicals, research papers, confer- ence documentation, university theses and the like which are being imported temporarily on loan for research or study purposes and in respect of which loan no charge is made by the lending authority other than the cost of transmission and insurance. (2) This concession is granted subject to : (1) The books or other material being stamped with the stamp of the lending authority, and (2) A declaration being made that the articles come within the concession. Where the articles are sent by post the declaration is to be given on the parcel by the sender. In other cases the importer should make the declaration on the relative

Prize Bonds in Estates of Deceased The attention of members is drawn to the terms of a prospectus for subscriptions to prize bonds issued on 15th March 1971. Paragraph 12 of the prospectus states that on the death of one of joint holders of a bond every repayment or payment in respect thereof will be made to the survivor. On the death of the sole holder of a bond repayment will be made to his personal representative on application. Pending repayment, the

bond will be eligible for inclusion in draws as if the holder were alive, for a period not exceeding 24 calendar months following the month in which the death occurred. Members are advised to bring this statement, which represents a change in practice, to the attention of personal representatives where the assets include prize bonds.

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