CO129-508-5 Supreme Court of Hong Kong- slackness of registry accounting methods 28-10-1927 - 23-4-1928 — Page 21

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with a deficit of $7,818.97., which is due (but

irrecoverable) from the Auctioneering and Brokering Company, Limited, and payable to various judgment

creditors. The responsibility for this position rests on the Supreme Court Registry generally and,

as the Registrar must accept responsibility for his

department, more particularly on the Registrar.

I therefore caused a letter, dated 20th October last,

to be addressed to Ir. Nisbet (copy enclosed) and I

his reply satisfactory, I would observe at once that

Enclos.Nos.10 & 1 enclose a copy of his reply. While I do not consider

I am given to understand that it would be an utter

impossibility for Mr. Nisbet to make good the

deficiency and that his private financial position is by no means satisfactory.

14.

The conclusion to which I have come is that

the Supreme Court Registry was only adequately staffed

for normal times, that it was overwhelmed by a rush

of work consequent on the financial depression of

1925 and subsequent. years, that Mr. Nisbet was quite

unequal to the task of meeting and dealing with the

emergency which arose, and that all concerned were

obsessed with the idea that everything would be

straightened out on the sale of the "Ling Nam", which

was originally valued at $270,000, but owing to the

depression realized only $130,000.

15. The most serious share of the responsibility

should, in my opinion, rest upon Kr. Hill; but he was

acquitted by the Executive Council and his case must,

therefore, be regarded as res judicata. For the

general lack of supervision, which made the confusion

possible,