British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 111

CHAPTER IV.

and through him the High Commissioner's orders are transmitted. His office, the Secretariat, is thus the headquarters office of Government. Its staff is interchangeable with that of the District Administration and in fact transfers as between the districts and the Secretariat are regularly carried out. The Central Translation Bureau is a part of the Secretariat; it comprises the Chief Arabic Translator and the Chief Hebrew Translator and their staffs.

8. The Attorney General is the chief legal adviser to Government He arranges for the conduct of "Crown" prosecutions and in his office all legislation (except the by-laws of local authorities) is drafted. He also organizes and superintends legal education in Palestine and conducts the examinations for the local bar. He is assisted by the Solicitor General and other law officers.

9. The Financial Secretary is the chief adviser to Government on financial and economic matters and his office forms part of the Secretariat organization. He is primarily responsible for The preparation of the annual budget. The Economic Adviser to the High Commissioner has the responsibility of advising on economic matters generally and the superintendence of particular branches of economic activity notably in connection with the citrus and diamond industries.

10. The Judiciary is headed by the Chief Justice. The Supreme Court is constituted by the Chief Justice according to whether it is sitting as a Court of Criminal Appeal, a High Court of Justice or Court of Civil Appeal, a Court of Admiralty or a Court of Criminal Assize. The Chief Justice is assisted by four Puisne Judges, of whom two are British and two Palestinian. The district courts at Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Nablus are constituted by Presidents or Relieving Presidents (6 British) or Judges (10 Palestinians). Judges of the Supreme Court and of the district courts are appointed by an instrument by the High Commissioner under instructions from His Majesty and bold office during His Majesty's pleasure. Five Chief Magistrates (British) and thirty four Magistrates carry out the work of the magistrates' courts at 24 centres throughout the country. The Supreme Court bas appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters and is also, sitting as a Court of Criminal Assize, a court of first instance; sitting as the High Court of Justice, it has exclusive jurisdiction in a number of matters prescribed by the Courts Ordinance, 1.940 *. The District Courts are courts of first instance in both civil and criminal matters and also hear appeals from the magistrates' courts. The magistrates' courts are wholly courts of first instance whose jurisdiction
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* Volume I or 1940 legislation, page 143.

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