APPENDIX “K”
Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University of Hong Kong.
December 29th, 1967.
Dear Mr. Litton,
INDEXING
INDXING OF THE HONG KONG LAW REPORTS
Thank you for sending me a copy of the letter you received from the Registrar, dated December 23rd, in which he states, inter alia, that “before a decision could be obtained [from Government]
Mr. Rear withdrew his offer to index the Reports for the years 1905-1964." I am grateful for the opportunity to comment upon it for, with the greatest respect, it is both inaccurate and misleading.
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It is inaccurate because I did not withdraw from the project until after I was informed that the Finance Committee had, on November 29th, agreed to defer indefinitely a decision as to whether public money should be made available to finance it. I can only assume therefore that the Registrar is referring to the letter, dated November 28th, which I wrote to the Chief Justice. However, this letter was not a "withdrawal" of my "offer to index the Reports for the years 1905-1964." The terms of the letter make it plain, as the following extracts show, that I was merely indicating that in view of the delay in making a firm offer to me I could no longer bind myself contractually to compile the subject- matter index for the volumes covering 1905-1956:
"I am writing to tell you that the delay in initiating (or vetoing) this project has been such that I can no longer contemplate doing it on the scale envisaged in my Memorandum of August 25th or the draft Agreement which has been discussed be- tween the Registrar and myself.
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