CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE-HONGKONG.
3.-In case it shall appear to the satisfaction of the Court that there is reasonable ground to believe that such document or thing will not be produced pursuant to such notice, the Court may make an order for the production of the same at the hearing of the suit by the party served with such notice.
4.-A witness, whether a party or not, shall not be bound to produce any document relating to affairs of State, the production of which would be contrary to good policy, nor any document held by him for any other person who would not be bound to produce it if in his own possession.
5.-Any person present in Court, whether a party or not, may be called upon and compelled by the Court to give evidence, and produce any document then and there in his actual possession, or in his power, in the same manner and subject to the same rules as if he had been summoned to attend and give evidence, or to produce such document, and may be punished in like manner for any refusal to obey the order of the Court.
6.--Any person, whether a party to the suit or not, may be summoned to produce a document without being summoned to give evidence, and any person summoned merely to produce a document, shall be deemed to have complied with the summons, if he cause such document to be produced instead of attending personally to produce the same.
CHAPTER IX. THE HEARING. Non-attendance of Parties.
LXI.-When a cause in the hearing-paper has been called on, if neither party attend in person or by counsel, the Court, on being satisfied that the plaintiff has received notice of the hearing, shall, unless it sees good reason to the contrary, strike the cause out of the hearing-paper.
2.-If the plaintiff does not attend in person or by counsel, the Court, on being satisfied that the plaintiff has received notice of the hearing, shall, unless it sees good reason to the contrary, strike out the cause, and make such order as to costs in favour of any defendant appearing as seems just.
3.-If the plaintiff attends, but the defendant or any of the defendants does or do not attend in person or by counsel, the Court shall before hearing the cause, inquire into the service of the writ of summons and petition and of notice of hearing on the absent party or parties.
4.—If not satisfied as to the service on every party, the Court shall direct such further service to be made as it shall think fit, and adjourn the hearing of the cause for that purpose.
5.-If satisfied that the defendant or the several defendants has or have been duly served with the writ of summons and petition, and with notice of the bearing, the Court may proceed to hear the cause notwithstanding the absence of the defendant, or any of the defendants, and may, on the evidence adduced by the plaintiff, give such judgment as appears just. The Court, however, shall not be bound to do so, but may order the hearing to stand over to a further day, and direct fresh notice to be given to the defendant or defendants, in case justice seems to require an adjourn-
ment.
6. In all cases where the plaintiff has obtained leave to proceed ex parte for want of appearance to the writ of summons, and in all other cases where the Court hears a cause and judgment is given in the absence of and against any defendant, the Court may afterwards, if it thinks fit, ou such terms as seem just, set aside the judgment and re-hear the cause, on its being established by evidence on oath to the satisfaction of the Court that the defendant's absence was not wilful, and that he bas a defence upon the merits.
7.—Where a cause is struck out by reason of the absence of the plaintiff, it shall not be restored without leave of the Court, until it has been set down again at the bottom of the general hearing list, and been transferred in its regular turn to the hearing-paper.