O O PY.
Enclosure 10.
Sir,
Government House,
Hongkong, 28th. June, 1905.
165
I have given careful consideration to
Your Honour's letter No. 2 dated the 3rd. instant bringing to my
notice certain matters connected with the Supreme Court as to
which the existing arrangements are stated to be very defective.
As regards the first point raised on it,
2.
viz:; that the Judges have no Secretaries it will, I think, be
convenient if I trace the genesis of the arrangements by which
Your Honour's predecessors considered that the requisite clerical.
assistance had been provided for them. The appointment of Clerk
to the Chief Justice dates back at any rate to 1980 that of
Clerk to the Fuisne Judge to 1878.
In 1882 the Supreme Court Ordinance of
1873 was amended to provide 2 Deputy Registrars und 2 Clerks of
the Court instead of 1 Deputy Registrar and 1 Clerk of the
Court. No Clerks of the Court "eo nomine", were, however, appoint
-ed, the Judges' Clerks being treated as filling these appoint-
-ments, and the duty of making a "minute of every Judgment
whether final or interlocutory" which was required by the Code
of Civil Procedure to be made by the Registrar being carried out (
with doubtful legality as regards Judgments or Orders made by
the Chief Justice in Chambers by the Chief Justice's Clerks,
who attended him there and as regards Judgments and Orders in
the Summary Jurisdiction Court by the Puisne Judge's Clerks. In
October, 1888, Lord Knutsford informed Sir William Des Voeux
193378
88
His Bonour
The Chief Justice.
that