CO129-307 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [10-12] — Page 186

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Sir,

Supreme Court, Hongkong,

12th. October, 1901.

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Rave 21 NOV 01

I have the honour to ask Your Excellency's consider- ation of the matter of the new edition of the Ordinances of the Colony as affected by my approaching departure.

3.

Before leaving Japan I was just able to complete the revision of the whole of the Ordinances, with the exception of the Merchant Shipping Consolidation Ordinance, 1899. I thought it better to defer the revision of this Ordinance until the Bill for its amend- ment has been passed.

3.

I estimate that the Ordinance will be contained in two stoutish octavo volumes of about 750 pages each, and that the third volume of the edition, containing a complete Chronological Table of all the Ordinances, whether in force or not, and a full Index to the Ordinances comprised in the new edition, will extend to about 500 pages.

4.

Messrs. Noronha and Company, the Government Printers, under their contract for the printing of the edition, have in type 300 pages of the first volume and the whole of the Chronologic- al Table 91 pages. I have found them very courteous and ready to ex- But pedite the printing and to satisfy my requirements in every way, their available stock of type only enables them to set up some 300 pages at one time, and, as I could not very well let the work go to press without seeing at least two proofs, I calculate that, if they were to complete the printing of the new.edition, the work could not be ready for publigation in less than two years. This would be tedious and unsatisfactory for them and for me, and would go far to impair the accuracy and walue of the new edition.

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5.

I desire therefore to make the following sugges- tion with regard to the completion of the undertaking, naselj Nessrs. Noronha and Company, should print the first volume Chronological Table; that the second volume and the Index should be printed under contract in England - of course in the same style and on the same kind of paper; that the sheets of this portion when ready should be sent out here; and that the whole work should be bound by Messrs. Noronha and Company under their contract. I will undertake that these sheets shall be delivered withio six months of my arrival in England, and I have no doubt that the printing of the first volume and the Chronological fable will be completed soon afterwards.

I have submitted this proposed arrangement to

Excellency

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ir Beary 4. Blake, 3.0.N.E.3overnor.

Messrs.

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