TNAG-0398-FCO40-444-Appointments-to-supreme-and-district-courts-from-the-Bar-in--1973 — Page 23

2

2

The standard of the magistrates in Hong Kong has in my opinion never been higher and the individual professional experience is:-

123+

1. Over twenty years

7

2.

Over fifteen years

10

3.

Over ten years

20

4.

Under ten years

7

44

Magistrates

HONG V

I would prefer to continue to recruit older men as the expense of living in Hong Kong for young married couples with children presents acute problems such as housing, schooling and transportation which go a long way to undermine the fabric of married life. These difficulties are less abrasive with children over 11 years of age as generous education allowances become available and wives are then able to go out to work.

With reference to the third paragraph of your letter steps are taken to brief all new magistrates of working conditions and on the question of sentences as soon as they arrive. We try our best to hold them back from sitting straight-away so that they may become familiar with local conditions.

The new Law School is unlikely to help the Judiciary for a number of years as almost all the graduates are seeking to be admitted as solicitors and the volume of work in private practice is such that most of the graduates will for many years hence be absorbed in the solicitors profession.

I have requested the Registrar to endeavour

to keep our establishment up to strength and I have directed him to seek to stagger the long leave of judges and magistrates (we now have 74 posts) so that a consistent number of judges and magistrates are away each month throughout the year.

If this can be effected it will then prove possible to gear the work to a steady rhythm so that the old stop-go system of too few magistrates in the summer and At the too many in the winter will be a thing of the past. same time magistrates will be at hand to open new courts in the developing areas of the Colony.

Cont'd