37 3H9 Turning to crimes, their continued tendency to increase was unfortunately maintained during the earlier part of last year. Eeal crimes, classitied by the Parquet as such, numbered 3,828 as against 3,055 in 1008 and 3,288 in 1007. The distribution of the different classes of offences for these three years Yas as follows:— Offences. 1007. 1908. 1909.

Murder Attempted murder Aggravated assault Robbery .. Attempted robbery Theft (Article 50) Destruction of crops (Article 51) „ „ (Articles 320, 322) Cattle poisoning Arson Rape and indecent assault Forgery Corruption .. Miscellaneous Total ., 789 425 5G 509 50 424 192 71 456 118 GO 8 130 859 Gll 64 497 57 459 ik 94 501 128 74 4 123 911 G47 67 5-16 45 190 1 143 84 492 166 95 2 139 3.288 3,655 3.828 Taking the year 1909 as a whole, it will be seen that the increase in cases of murder and attempted murder was again an unsatisfactory feature in the general criminality of the country. If, however, the statistics for the last four months of 1909 are taken separately and compared with the corresponding periods of previous years, a marked diminution in crime will be apparent, the result, no doubt, of the measures adopted under the recent police supervision la v which came into force in July last. The following table shows the number of crimes committed during the first eight and the last four months respectively of the past three y'ears :— .

January to August September to December 1907.

2,130 1,158 1908.

2,373 1,282 1909.

2,741 1,087 It should be added that an examination in detail of the figures shows that this reduction is almost entirely under the headings of murder and attempted murder. How far these results are likely to prove permanent, it is, as yet, too early to say. The diminished figures are, at any rate, yrhud facie proof that, in the exercise of their new powers, the police have been largely successful in laying their hands on the real authors of crime.

(h.) Civil Jurisdiction.—The civil work of the Native Tribunals shows as in former year.s a steady increase in all the courts except that of appeal.

In the course of 1909 civil jurisdiction was extended to ten more Markaz Tribunals, with the result that -5,156 cases, of which 4,529 were disposed of, came before them up to the end of the year. This mea.sure has not, however, lessened the pressure in the Summary Tribunals as the following table makes clear :— Markaz Tribunals Summary Tribunals Central Tribunals— (n,) Fjrst Instance (b.) Appo.al .. Court of Appeal 1. GASES entered for Trial.

« • .1908.

2,534 153-,338 5,726 4,814 1,158 1909.

7,809 182,116 6,564 4,322 1,157 House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.