1
ENCLOSURE (1)
93
Minute by Sir H.May (Colonial Secretary) dated 21st, March, 1910.
C O €201
Your Excellency,
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I have spoken to kr Bowley about this as
he has more opportunities of seeing Kr Gompertz's work
than I have. He tells me that Mr Gompertz has done extremely well as Puisne Judge and that his judgements have given great satisfaction. He, is, in Mr Bowley's opinion, a sound and clear-headed lawyer.
I think therefore that the Colony might
look further and fare much worse, under the present system,
if Kr Gompertz were not recommended for the Attorney General-
ship.
At the same time I an bound to add that I
consider the system wrong. Mr Gompertz has never held a
brief in his life; his only experience in Court as an
advocate is limited to the appearances in a few cases at
Criminal Sessions. Yet if he were appointed Attorney General
he would be the adviser and representative of the Government
against men like Mr Slade, Mr Pollock, Mr Potter and Er
Alabaster, the most junior of whom has had several years
experience in actual practice. That does not give the
Government a fair chance in any really serious litigation.
Government gets out of the difficulty now by retaining the
leader of the Bar if it can get him. But it is not always
possible to get him.
I have some reason to believe that Mr E.H
Sharp formerly of Hongkong might take the Attorney General- ship if it were offered to him. ir E.H. Sharp practised in England and Shanghai before he came here and while here was the leader of the Bar, and was generally recognised as
one of