COP.
No. 3462/1908.
sir,
Enclosure
2
(a)
C.0.
Rec?
90
Reef 2 JUN 11
Government House,
Hongkong, 19th. April, 1911.
150
The pressure of ordinary work has not permit- -ted me time to read in detail the press report of the recent
case of Tatam v. Howell which has been tried in the Supreme
Court, but from the terms of Your Honour's Judgment I gather
that while there was not evidence to convict Howell of the
charges brought against him, there was much in his conduct
which was of an unsatisfactory nature.
Howell is in the Public Service. It first
came to my knowledge in 1909 that he had been concerned in the
"Hongkong Butchery", and after full enquiry through Mr. J. H.
Kemp, Registrar, Supreme Court, I appointed a Committee of the
Executive Council to enquire into Howell's conduct immediately on his return from leave in October, 1909, and he was suspended
from duty. On the report of the Committee the Executive Council
advised that Mr. Howell should be dismissed the Service (19th.
November, 1909,) but the Secretary of State held the view that
the facts disclosed did not warrant dismissal and directed that
he should be censured. He add that "if it should subsequently
appear from Tatam legal proceedings against him that his con-
-duct is open to further censure he should be informed that the
case will be re-opened". I shall be glad to learn whether in
Your Honour's opinion the facts disclosed at the trial are such
as to warrant the re-opening of the case.
I enclose a copy of the charge preferred
against Mr. Howell in 1909 and of the Secretary of State's
Despatch of 28th. January, 1910.
His Honour
The Chief Justice.
I have etc., (Sd.) F. D. Lugard,
Governor,&c..