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Commissioner to affidayits, and he has to attend to the Judge's requirements
as his Private.
the Library. I think he will have enough to do without attending in the office of the Registry which will in future be down stairs and out of communication with the Judge.
The Chief Justice's Clerk now attends all Summonses in Chambers and keeps the Letter Book &c., for the Chief Justice. He also attends in Court when the Court is sitting in Original Jurisdiction. He is the medium of communication between the Chief Justice and the profession and between the Chief Justice and suitors. He has had to draw up all Orders made in Chambers. The Chief Justice has 2 days in the week fixed for hearing applications in Chambers, but applications have been made to me in Cham- bers almost every day since I have been here and the number of orders drawn up have been unusually large. The Chief Justice's Clerk might also I think act as Clerk of the Court in Original Jurisdiction, and also as Clerk in the Criminal Court when the pre- sence of the Registrar or Deputy Registrar is not required by the Judge. He might also take the superintendence of the Library under the Registrar.
The Library is getting to be a valuable one, but it is no one's business to look after it and with the present staff of the Court it is impossible to detail any one to do so. In this climate Books require constant attention to keep them in a decent state of preservation and repair, and there ought to be some one in the Library constantly in office hours to see that the Books are replaced on the shelves and that none are taken out of the Library without permission or being duly entered in a Book kept for the
purpose.
I have suggested that the Chief Justice's Clerk should have the superintendence of the Library, because if as is proposed the room now used for the Summary Court is turned into a Library, the Chief Justice's Clerk will ordinarily be in close proximity to it, whilst the Registrar and Deputy Registrars will be in the office down stairs.
The Chief Justice's Clerk cannot however always be in the Library if he attends to his other duties. I would therefore suggest and strongly urge upon the Government the necessity, if the valuable books at present in the Library and annually increasing in number and value are to be properly cared for, of employing a Portuguese or Chinese Clerk at a salary of say $5 per week to look after the Library under the direction of the Chief Justice's Clerk, This Clerk so engaged need never be idle as there would always be work of a clerical nature which could be given him to perform either by the Judges or by the Registrar from either division of the Registry.
In order to carry out the measures proposed and even those sanctioned by the Secretary of State some legislation will be necessary.
The Supreme Court Re-Construction Ordinance 1873 will have to be amended.
The Sheriff's Ordinance No. 1 of 1873 to be repealed and provision will have to be made by Ordinance in respect of distraints for Rent. No. 11 of 1864 Sections 5, 6, 8; 3 of 1865 § 12, $19 and § 32 will also have to be amended.
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