(A) In any civil action in the District Court after issues have been joined the court may in its discretion direct the attorneys for the parties to appear before it for a conference to consider:

   (1) The simplification of issues;

   (2) The necessity or desirability of amendments to the pleadings;

   (3) The possibility of obtaining admissions of fact and of documents which will avoid unnecessary proof;

   (4) The limitation of the number of witnesses with a view of avoiding improper cumulative testimony;

   (5) The advisability of a preliminary reference of issues to a master for findings to be used as evidence when the trial is to be by jury;

   (6) Such other matters as may aid in the disposition of the action.

   (B) The court shall at the time of the pretrial hearing make a record of the proceedings which recites the action taken at the conference, the amendments allowed to the pleadings, and the amendments made by the parties as to any of the matters considered, and which limit the issues for trial to those not disposed of by admissions or agreements of counsel; that counsel shall forthwith acknowledge their assent thereto, or, in the alternative, state into the record any and all objections they may have thereto; and such order when entered controls the subsequent cause of the action, unless modified at the trial to prevent manifest injustice. The court in its discretion may establish by rule a pretrial calendar on which actions may be placed for consideration as above provided and may either confine the calendar to jury actions or to nonjury actions or extend it to all actions.