Ref: AGC/8/1/1900/64 IIC.
In Clawlay
п
BY F.C.O. BAG.
ATTORNEY GENERA)
BAL CHAMBERS
HONG KONG
31st December, 1971.
(28) Pre
hest in the fort Lorra the
Second
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E. 0. Laird, Esq., C.M.G., M.B.E., Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hong Kong Department, Downing Street,
LONDON, S.W.1.
Dear Michael,
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No.51
11 JAN 1972
HKK14/6
Appointments from Hong Kong Bar.
LAST
PAF.
El Dres
Thank you for your letter of 14th December, 1971.
When your letter of 7th July arrived, de Basto had already left Hong Kong, and a reply was held up until he returned which was not until September.
Before a reply was sent, a petition addressed to the Secretary of State was received, late in September, from a number of District Judges and Magistrates. The petition asserted that the signatories had heard of a proposal to appoint members of the bar to senior posts in the Hong Kong Judiciary, and asked for assurances that such appointments would not be made, or compensation if they were.
A few days later, Litton, who succeeded de Basto as Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association in January, 1971, informed me that he had heard of the petition, and that the Hong Kong Bar Committee proposed to put forward its own representations to the Secretary of State, arguing that there should be appointments to the Bench from the Bar and asking for a policy statement from the Secretary of State to that effect.
It was decided to hold up action of the first petition until the second one arrived, and to comment to the Secretary of State on both together. Litton sent the petition of the Bar Committee to the Governor on 26th November. However, this went astray and never reached the Governor. This emerged this week, when I asked Litton if he had in fact submitted a petition to the Governor. will be putting in a fresh copy of it next week.
Litton
The comments of the Governor on both petitions will then be prepared, after consultation with the Chief Justice, and forwarded to the Secretary of State with the petitions.
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