[i roto i te reo Māori]

§ 26.—Procedure In Criminal Cases.

The most important of the duties of the Judges of the Supreme Court is the trial of great "Criminal Offences." Attend to this, for it is very important. If a Criminal Offence has been committed by any person, any policeman or other person who knows of its commission should go to a Magistrate and declare to him all he knows about it. The Magistrate will listen to what is said, and, if in his opinion there is sufficient ground for doing so, he will issue a "Criminal Summons" to cause the man charged with the commission of such offence to appear before him; or, in cases of a serious nature, such as murder, rape, arson, &c., he sends a policeman to fetch him at once. Then, in the Courthouse, all the witnesses are heard by the Magistrate, and, if he believes that the person charged with the offence did commit it, he directs him to be punished. If the case be a serious one, and the Magistrate considers there is sufficient evidence against the person to justify his trial before the Supreme Court, he commits him to prison, to await there the next Session of that Court.