J
2
4. Dr.
in the Supreme Court, with the result that matters which
could have been settled in.ediately on numerous occasions
had to be held over until I could deal with them personally.
The net result of these conditions was the gradual
falling behind in the work.
Considerable easement in the situation was afford-
ed... in fact, I may say that it was made just workable...
by centralizing the Auction sales; to this end, the Court
Auctions were carried out entirely by the Auctioneering and
Brokering Company, who kept in close personal touch and gave
practically their entire attention to the Court work..
DE S.S. "LING HAL"
On May 4th, 1925, the S.S. "Ling Ham" was seized by the Court by Tarrant and by the end of the following
month-June, the Laster of the ship approached me and stated
that he was destitute of means to feed or to give financial
relief to his unpaid Chinese crew of fifty-eight men.
I will at this stage of my report drem your
attention to the following instructions of the Crown.
"To
The Bailiff of Our Supreme Court of Hong Kong.
We hereby command you to arrest the S.S. "Ling Nem" and to keep the same under safe arrest until you shall receive
further orders from Us.'
M
In the Crown Colony of Hong Kong, in the absence
of an Admiralty Marshal, his office and duties are necessar- ily combined with those of Head Bailiff of the Supreme Court.
1. It is established beyond any dispute by comion
practice that to 'keep under safe arrest' floating
property in the nature of a ship, the necessary crew
must be maintained since to withdraw the crew would
invalidate