All duties and powers which by law may be performed by justices of the peace, circuit court commissioners, judges of municipal courts, judges of police courts and judges of the recorders court of Cadillac shall be performed after December 31, 1968 by the district court. In any district in which there is a common pleas court, the duties and powers of the circuit court commissioner shall be performed by 4 referees appointed by the circuit court, which referees shall be court clerks of the circuit court commissioners court with 25 years’ experience as such court clerks, and if an insufficient number of such qualified court clerks are available, the remaining referees shall be persons licensed to practice law in this state. The present employees of the circuit court commissioners shall become employees of the circuit court in similar positions with salary ranges and benefits not inferior to their present status. The circuit court shall appoint all bailiffs of the superseded circuit court commissioner’s court to continue to act as bailiffs and to serve all process in the same manner and with the same fee schedule as formerly issued by the circuit court commissioner’s court and formerly served by such bailiffs. All the rights, privileges and benefits of the bailiffs shall be maintained. Appeals from the referee shall be to the circuit court in the manner prescribed by rules of the supreme court. Fees payable under any statutory provisions for the performance of any of the duties of the offices abolished by this act shall be payable to the clerk of the district court for forwarding to the political subdivision involved. Unless the context otherwise indicates references in all laws to the courts so abolished shall be deemed to refer to the district court. This act shall supersede and revoke any acts or parts of acts in conflict with its provisions but only to the extent of such conflict.