CO129-508-5 Supreme Court of Hong Kong- slackness of registry accounting methods 28-10-1927 - 23-4-1928 — Page 62

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Examination of the First Bailiff's "Record of Sales"

book shows that default has been made in respect of the

undermentioned numbers of sales conducted during the

months shown below:-

October, 1925...

.1

December,1925.

.1

March,

1926.

.1

April,

.6

May,

.7

June,

....17

July,

H

...26

.69

2.

August,

The Company, which was incorporated on the 23rd February, 1925, was first employed to conduct auctions on behalf of the Court in or about the month of May, 1925.

At this time Mr. Melbourne was acting as Registrar

and Mr. Hill was First Bailiff.

Mr. Hill says that Mr. L.E.S. Hodge, a director of the Company, came to the Court and asked if Mr. Hill

could do anything for the Company.

Mr. Hill states that he saw Mr. Melbourne before the Company was employed at all and that Mr. Melbourne said that he was willing to employ it so long as everything

went all right.

Mr. Melbourne's version of what occurred is that

Mr. Hill first employed the Company without authority and that he (Mr. Melbourne) signed a number of orders for sales by Hughes and Hough and only di scovered afterwards that the Company had conducted those sales. On his speaking to Mr. Hill about it the latter said that the Company got better prices, so Mr. Melbourne

countenanced the continuance of its employment.

On