CO129-347 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [4-6] — Page 543

3

:

:

COPY.

Enclosure 1.

sir,

C.-0.

Chambers 27200

Supreme Court

Hongkong,

25th. March, 21908 08

:

I have the honour to report for Your Excel-

-lency's information that the existing staff of, and arrange-

-ments in respect to, the Registry of the Supreme Court, are

very unsatisfactory, and are quite unsuited to the performance

of the important judicial and other duties which the staff is

called upon to perform.

I have given the matter my most careful

consideration for close on 3 years, and have come to the con-

-clusion that the following changes are essential to the proper

working of the Registry of a busy Court like the Supreme Court

of this Colony.

I regret having to suggest changes which

may possibly involve some increase in expenditure at a time

when, as I learn from other correspondence with Your Excellency,

the finances of the Colony need careful husbanding; but the

administration of justice has a great claim to consideration,

and I should not make these recommendations were I not convinced

that they are both essential and urgent.

2.

The Official Receiver in Bankruptcy.

It is in my opinion essential that there

should be an Official Receiver who can give his whole time to

the conduct of the business which he has to undertake; and if

this business is to be carried on satisfactorily and with due

regard to the many interests involved, it is necessary that the

Official Receiver should have a competent staff.

Hitherto it has been the custom to assign

the Official Receivership to an Officer who has to cumulate the

duties with those of his own office: as in the cases of Mr.

Wakeman, the Land Officer, and, while he has been away, of Mr

Kemp, one of the Deputy Registrars.

I