may tend to show a misguided line of policy adopted by a particular Governor and would enable the Secretary of State, without inter- fering in any given case, to address some remonstrance or advice to the Governor, whilst the copy of the proceedings is always valuable to us as evidence of the way in which a Judge and Crown Counsel are doing their
work.
It is also useful to have this material here as promptly as possible so that the Secretary of State may be able to deal with any comment which may be made in Parliament etc. without the delay of calling for a special report on the case.
✓
VIR
13/11/24
agree with Sii T. Risley
8.8.201624
Rifle according to H.Kong. But
Kinh
a circular is incessang but
they will force as a
preendent in any
otter case
in which the pestiv
is
Edward
ね
& Jarman
1/2 22/11/24
dione
N°357
Sir,
0.
49320
2001 24
60
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
Hongkong. 13th September, 1924.
I have the honour to inform you that atter consulting my Executive Council, I have commuted to imprisonment for life with hard lacour sentences of death passed on Cheung Kiu, a Chinese woman, and on Chain Din, a native of India.
2.
I take this opportunity of enquiring whether it is your desire that I should report to you seperately cases in which I have exercised the prerogative of mercy by commuting the capital sentence. It appears to have been
the custom in this Colony to report each such case separately but I have not been able to trace the existence of any instructions to that effect. This appears to be unnecessary
in view of the fact that the cases in which the capital sentence is carried out are only reported in an annual schedule and I should be glad to be informed whether there is any objection to cases of commutations being similarly reported once a year.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient mumble servert,
7.8. Stutts
Governor, &c.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
J. H. THOMAS, M.P.,
&c.
&c.,
&c.