CO129-347 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [4-6] — Page 472

C.O.

25185

RECE

R 13 JUL 08)

469

Chambers, Supreme Court, Hongkong, 24th February, 1908. Sir,I have the honour to acknow- ledge the receipt of the reply of the Committee of the Chamber to my letter of 19th February on the sub- ject of the minute of the Committee of the dealing with alteration Vacations of the Court.

The con- tente of the reply, and the fact that apparently the minute has been slightly modified since it was first printed, compel me to trouble you with this further letter.

2. I am of course quite willing to believe that the innuendo contained in the minute was not intended, but innuendo is not a question of inten- tion but of act, and the fact that this minute does contain this innuendo, is apparent from the tone of all the leading articles in the newspapers which have been devoted to the sub- ject.

3. The introduction of personali- ties in such a matter is I agree most! regrettable. But they have been! addessed to me and to my action in the matter owing to the unfortunate form in which the minute was word- ed, and bave caused me considerable annoyance. The facts which led to the change being made in the Vacations were fully explained by me to you personally as Chairman of the Chamber, and in the face of my letter printed in the Appendix of the Report, of my further letter to you which is not printed in the Appen- dix, and of the fact of which I in- formed you that the alteration was made after consultation, and with

the concurrence of the Committee of the Law Society, I can only repeat that "the facts which have led to the making of the rule have not the faintest resemblance to what is the plain inference from the minute." 4. I notice that the words in the minute as originally circulated to the members "the majority of the solici tors" have apparently been altered to "many of the solicitors," for that is the form in which the minute is printed in the papers. It may be that this change was made as the result of my letter, but even in this modified form, the innuendo remains unchanged. In this connection I find that in my letter of 10th Febru ary

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I referred to the minute as con- taining the words "the leading solicitors, "a fapsus calami" in- duced by the fact that the "leading solicitors" would probably be iny cluded in the "majority of the solicitors" to which the minute re- fers, the greater including the less.

5. In view of the discussion which has taken place in the newspapers in consequence of this minute of the Committee, in which my action is placed before the public in the most unfavourable light, and in a light which the facts do not in the least warrant, it will of course be neces sary to make my letter public, and I assume that you will, as I request. ed, lay it before the meeting of the Chamber this afternoon.

I have the honour to be, etc., (Sgd.) F. T. PIGGOTT.

Chief Justice.