CONFIDENTIAL
Item No. 1
Appointments from Hong Kong Bar to the
Supreme Court Bench
Sir James McPetrie said that, even where there was a
Service canditate suitable for promotion to the Supreme
court Bench, it might occasionally be desirable to appoint
someone from the Hong Kong Bar who had had extensive experience of private practice. Such appointments would, of
He did not think that a very course, be very exceptional.
occasional appointment of this kind would be a legitimate
grievance to members of the Service. They could not be
expected to like such an appointment, but he thought it would
be more acceptable to them if made at a time when there were
two or more vacancies to be filled and the other vacancy or
vacancies were filled by Service candidates.
Two vacancies
will arise in 1972 when both Sir Ivor Rigby and Mr. Blair Kerr
would be retiring.
2. The Governor said that he did not know why the Hong Kong
Bar Association had raised the issue at this time unless it
There was no-one
from the Bar whom he personally thought suitable for
appointment at the moment.
were that they were having a lean time.
In his opinion Mr. Oswald Cheung
was the best available. The Governor said that he was not
opposed in principle to a very occasional appointment from
the local Bar in the circumstances described by Sir James
McPatrie.
CONFIDENTIAL