XN000022-1986-01-13 — Page 4

MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1986

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MORE LOCAL RECRUITS JOINING THE JUDICIARY

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· CJ

THE LACK OF LOCAL RECRUITS TO THE JUDICIARY IS CERTAINLY NOT DUE TO ANY LACK OF TALENT AMONG PRACTISING MEMBERS OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION, MANY OF WHOM POSSESS THE ATTRIBUTES WHICH WOULD ENSURE THEM A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, THE CHIEF JUSTICE, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

+ IN THE PAST, SUCCESSFUL PRACTITIONERS HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO ABANDON THE GREATER FINANCIAL REWARDS, AND THE PERSONAL FREEDOM, OF PRIVATE PRACTICE. FOR THE BENCH. I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT THIS WILL CHANGE,+ HE ADDED.

SIR DENYS WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE

1986 LEGAL YEAR AT THE CITY HALL.

+WE WERE ENCOURAGED, DURING 1985, BY THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT SIX NEW MAGISTRATES WITH HONG KONG BACKGROUNDS AND HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE AN INCENTIVE TO OTHERS TO JOIN A BODY WHICH HAS SO IMPORTANT A PART TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.

SIR DENYS SAID HE SHOULD NOT LIKE IT TO BE THOUGHT THAT ANY POLICY HAD BEEN ADOPTED TO LOCALISE THE JUDICIARY, EITHER ENTIRELY OR AT ANY COST.

NOR, HE HOPED, WOULD IT EVER BECOME THE POLICY TO APPOINT THIRD-RATE JUDGES OR MAGISTRATES BECAUSE OF THEIR ORIGINS.

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE COMMON LAW SYSTEM HAD PROSPERED AND SPREAD TO SO MANY COUNTRIES WITH SUCH SUCCESS WAS THAT IT WAS A SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM, FULL OF DIFFICULT CONCEPTS AND SUBTLETIES OF REASONING, HE SAID.

IT COULD BE APPLIED SUCCESSFULLY ONLY BY JUDGES AND MAGISTRATES OF THE HIGHEST CALIBRE AND NOTHING SHOULD BE DONE TO FILL THE BENCH WITH MEN OF INADEQUATE QUALITIES OF MIND AND CHARACTER.

THE COMING YEAR WOULD SEE SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS TO BUILDINGS WHICH HOUSED THE JUDICIARY.

SIR DENYS SAID THE MOST IMPORTANT WOULD BE THE WANCHAI DISTRICT COURT HOUSE, WHICH WOULD CONTAIN 39 COURTS.

INTO THESE WOULD MOVE ALL THE DISTRICT JUDGES, FROM HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON, LEAVING DISTRICT JUDGES ONLY IN BUILDINGS OUTSIDE THE CENTRAL URBAN AREAS, AT TSUEN WAN, SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN AND, PERHAPS, KWUN TONG.

THE GASCOIGNE ROAD DISTRICT COURT WOULD BECOME THE SOUTH KOWLOON MAGISTRACY, AND THE OLD SOUTH KOWLOON BUILDING WILL HOUSE THE CORONERS AND A SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL.

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/+LATER IN