CO129-335 - Governor Nathan - 1906 [8-10] — Page 184

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COPY.

Confidential.

sir.

Charbers,

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RF OCT 06

Supreme Court House, Hongkong,

7th. September, 1908.

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I have the honour to acknowledge Your Excellancy's

letter of 22nd August (6500/06/0.0.0.) enclosing a copy of a confidentia.

despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies dealing with the

proposals i have made with regard to (a) increasing the number of Judges

of the Suprere Court (b) the holding of bimonthly instead of monthly

Criminal Sessions: (c) the appointment of a Private Secretary to the

Chief Justice.

2.

With regard to the question of increasing the

number of Judges of the Supreme Court 1 much regret that the reasons

which I have advanced in favour of it are considerel insufficient by the

Secretary of State. After my letter, which contained an account of the

state of the business of the Court at the time, was sent to Your excel-

-lency, things went from bad to worse. The Court was clogged with long

cases which overlapped, that for two months 1 had to obtain the assist-

-ance of Mr. Justice #ise to take the Bankruptcy Court, which withirew

him from his own Court one day every week: and Charber Summonses hai to

be taken at odd times whenever a spare half hour could be found, and

fell greatly into arrears. Much inconvenience was caused to suitors on

this account. Eut for the fact that one case which was down for trial

and which would probably have lasted 3 weeks, was settled at the last

moment, some of the cases which were in fact tried could not have come on

to the great detriment of the parties.

I cannot put the case otherwise than this: that as

the officer responsible to Your Excellency for the administration of

Is Excellency

Sir katthew Nathan, K.C.M.G..

Governor and Commander-in-Chief.

Justice