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Hon. Colonial Secretary,
1.
Personally I am clearly of opinion that these
actions ought never to have been begun.
First because I strongly hold the opinion that Mr. Hamilton ought not to have been so thin-skinned as to have requir- -ød a libel action to be brought in order to relieve his feelings,
and
Second, because it was obviously extremely doubtful whether a Jury would find the matter complained of to be a libel on Mr. Hamilton individually,
and I gather from his minute dated 19th. July, 1918, that Mr. Kemp
as Attorney-General, ma inclined to hold the same view.
2.
To the above extent therefore, I am entirely out of sympathy with Messrs. Deacon, Looker, Deacon and Harston who advised Mr. Hamilton in a contrary sense (see letter of 20th July) and thereby originated this trouble.
3.
On the other hand, seeing that His Excellency, the late Governor, dearly authorised these actions to be commenced and prosecuted at the expense of the Government, see his minute dated 22nd. July, 1918, and seeing that such authority was doubt- -less communicated to Messrs. Deacon, Looker, Deacon and Harston, who went ahead on that footing, I must advise that this Government cannot properly repudiate all liability to pay the costs of those
solicitors.
4.
His Troellency the Officer Administering the Government as Colonial Secretary, (see his minute of 19th. July, 1918) clear- -ly expressed an opinion against the bringing of the legal pro- -ceedings in question, but I do not think that he can properly repudiate the authority to the solicitors for the Plaintiff, which was given by the late Governor.
5.
As regards the question of how much ought to be allowed on taxation to Messrs. Deacon, Looker, Deacon and Harston, that ig purely a question for the Registrar of the Supreme Court as Taring Officer, to decide, and it will be for him to say when the matter