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OP Y.
Enclosure 1.
C 0.
41841
no
Chambers,Ą NA OG
Supreme Court, Hongkong,
5th. October, 1908.
564
sir,
I have the honour to forward, in triplicate
as requested, for transmission to the Secretary of State, my
explanations with regard to my action in writing to the "China
Mail" on the subject of the extension of the Vacations of the
Court.
2.
I take this opportunity of requesting Your
Excellency to introduce an Ordinance into Council repealing
Section 11 of Ordinance 5 of 1898 for the following reasons.
The circumstances in which I made in Decem
-ber, 1907, an Order under this Ordinance extending the
Vacation were such as in my opinion fully justified it. In such
a matter the Chief Justice has a right to expect that the
Government, if it has any doubt as to the wisdom of the course
he has adopted, will discuss the question with him, and not
merely refuse its support on statements made either by the
Chamber of Commerce, or a small part of the legal profession.
3.
It is clear that after the treatment I have
received in this instance I shall not again have to exercise the
powers conferred on me by the Ordinance; and I am quite certain
that no one who follows me in the office of Chief Justice will
ever lay himself open to be similarly treated.
is Excellency
Sir Frederick Lugard, K.C.M.G.,
Governor of Hongkong.
I have etc..
(sd.) F. T. Piggott,
Chief Justice.