CO129-420 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [1-2] — Page 330

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TOAST

ļ

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Hon. Colonial Secertary,

23 AR 15

1. We think that the post should be retained and should be filled by the appointment of a Solicitor.

2. There are several posts in the service which can be satisfactorily filled only by a solicitor or by some one with a certain amount of legal training or qualification. Such posts are the following: -

Crow Solicitor,

Assistant Crown Solicitor,

Land Officer,

Assistant Land Officer, and

Registrar.

Other posts can be filled by solicitors at least as well as by officers who are not solicitors, e.g.,

Deputy Registrar, and

Official Receiver,

In particular, the posts of Crown Solicitor and Assistant Crown Solicitor require definite technical legal qualifications under

the Crow Selšvitore Ordinance.

3. The desirability of having another solicitor in the

service is illustrated by the state of affairs in 1913 when Mr.

Gompertz and Mr. Wakeman were on leave, and Mr. Jacks was alone in the Land Office, and also by the state of affairs at present when Mr. Hodgson is alone in the Crow Solicitor's office. If anything had prevented the attendance of Mr. Jacks in the office in 1913

of Mr. Hodgson in the office last year, it is difficult to see how their places could have been filled, and if there had been any number of Chinese Extradition cases last year, I think that it would have been impossible for Mr. Hodgson to have carried on alone With another solicitor in the service it would be possible to meet

auch an emergency, as it would generally be possible to find some-

-one to act as a second Deputy Registrar. Again,a solicitor

could take up Bankruptcy work at short notice, whereas a cadet

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