P.S.
- 3.
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SUPREME COURT HONG KONG.
We are all delighted that the increase in the age limit for the retirement of Appeal and High Court judges has been approved in principle. It is of particular importance to Hong Kong now, that the ones presently sitting should continue into the "transitional period" and that the younger ones continue into the SAR era, and also because it will give encouragement to people from England thinking of taking appointments here. However, an unseemly wrangle has developed, of the type so beloved of Civil Servants the world over and of Secretaries to the Cabinet in particular, namely a "differential"; in this case, the differential between the retirement ages for the District Court on one hand and the High and Appeal Courts on the other. It goes something like this: "Oh, in the past, there has been a differential of 3 years. As the District Court and Magistracy are going up to 65, we can not put you up to 70 because of the differential, so why do not let us compromise at 68" !!!! You would think that some of them had never left school, wouldn't you.