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SATURDAY,
POINTING OUT THAT A NEW INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION CENT RECENTLY BEEN ESTABLISHED IN HONG KONG, SIR EDWARD SAID THA WAS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE THAT THE SEMINAR WAS BEING HEL HERE AT THIS TIME.
HE SAID IT MIGHT SEEM +A TRIFLE CHURLISH+ TO SUGGEST FULL ADVANTAGE BE TAKEN OF THE NEW FACILITIES, AND ADDED: +HOWEVER, HUMAN NATURE BEING WHAT IT IS, DISPUTES WILL, FROM TIME TO TIME, INEVITABLY ARISE AND THERE MUST BE ACCEPTABLE WAYS OF SOLVING THEM.+
RECOGNISING, SIR EDWARD SAID, THAT HE WAS TALKING TO MAN LAWYERS, WHO LIKED TO HEAR AUTHORITY CITED FOR STATEMENTS ME SIR EDWARD THEN QUOTED SIR WILLIAM HOLDSWORTH, WHO IN HIS HISTORY OF ENGLISH LAW, HAD NOTED THAT:
+EARLY ROMAN AND ENGLISH LAW RETAIN TRACES OF THE TIME
WHEN THE NATURAL WAY OF SETTLING DISPUTES WAS SELF-HELP, AND RECOURSE TO A COURT DEPENDED ON THE CONSENT OF THE PARTIES,+
+THE PRACTICE OF ARBITRATION, THEREFORE, COMES, SO TO
SPEAK, NATURALLY TO PRIMITIVE BODIES OF LAWS AND AFTER COURTS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE AND A RECOUR TO THEM HAS BECOME THE NATURAL METHOD OF SETTLING DIST. THE PRACTICE CONTINUES BECAUSE THE PARTIES TO A DISPUTE WISH TO SETTLE THEM WITH LESS FORMALITY AND EXPENSE T!'*. IS INVOLVED IN A RECOURSE TO THE COURTS.+
SPEAKING +VERY MUCH AS A LAYMAN+ SIR EDWARD SAID THAT NOTHING BUT GOOD COULD COME FROM THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT OF THE ARBITRATION PROCESS AND OFFERING A FURTHER VENUE OF ARBITRATION TO THOSE WHO WISHED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
IT WAS IN THIS SPIRIT THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CENTRE HERE HAD BEEN PROMOTED BY LEGAL AND COMMERCIAL INTERESTS IN HONG KONG.
IT WAS THE RESULT OF MUCH HARD WORK BY MR JUSTICE HUNTE THE MEMBERS OF THE STEERING GROUP, AND MANY OTHERS, HE SAID.
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, SIR EDWARD SAID, HAD ALSO ENCOU THE PROJECT.
+THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAS RAISED THE MAJOR PART OF THE FUNDS FOR THE CENTRE; THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS ASSISTED BY MAKING AVAILABLE, ON TERMS WHICH INCLUDE CONSIDERABLE FINANCIAL SUPPL THE TOP FLOOR OF THE OLD CENTRAL MAGISTRACY, HE SAID.
SIR EDWARD WELCOMED ALL THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE SEMINAR: WISHED THEM WELL IN THEIR DELIBERATIONS.
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