CO129-374 - Public Offices & Others - 1910 — Page 530

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present clerk, who was a Government official and was a .very good, worthy man, did much he was not strictly

entitled to do to assist the Chief Justice, but the

Chief Justice was at a disadvantage compared with other

officials, such as the Commodore, because they were

able to send round their Secretaries to leave cards,

while the Chief Justice had no-one. His social work

had to be left on one side, and he had not time to call

on the Foreign Admirals or Consuls, which was very

necessary. He ought to have a personal Secretary, and the salary need not be high. Then again, possibly in

consequence of this, in the case of official patronage

to concerts, the Jockey Club, etc., the name of the

Chief Justice as patron was always omitted, while that

of the Commodore was put in.

3. The third point which he raised was as to his

house, though he said he did not wish to press this.

He explained that on his arrival at Hong Kong there

was no house which it was possible for the Chief Justice

to take. Sir Matthew Nathan kindly lent him "Mountain

Lodge", and eventually he was able to take a five-room

bungalow for which he had to pay in rent, rates, and

taxes, $330 a year.

He would like it considered

whether some such arrangement which he believed pre-

vailed in the Straits could not be made in Hong Kong,

and that a house should be provided for the Chief Justice. People would be willing to build a house for the Government at 5%. At present he had to live at the Beach Hotel. He did not limit this proposal of build- ing government houses to the Chief Justice, because

other officials, notably the Colonial Secretary, were in the same position. The present Colonial Secretary

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for