8) and
el
Mr.Laird
Sin J. Mc Petrie
Я адлям
with 13
Er.. 13/5
I attach a letter that I have received from Mr. Gerald de Basto, Chairman
of the Hong Kong Bar Association.
The Hong Kong Bar have for some time been
complaining that their members are never appointed to the Supreme Court Bench.
Mr. Gaminara knows something of the history of the matter and the relevant
file is HKK.14/14 attached.
2.
The Committee of the Association have evidently decided that I am the
person responsible for frustrating their ambitions (ante-penultimate paragraph
of Mr. de Basto's letter). This is ironical since I have for some time urged
acceptance of the principle that an occasional appointment to the Bench direct
from the Bar may be justified in the public interest even where there is a
suitable Service candidate available see folio 42 on the file.
The last
3. The tone of Mr. de Basto's letter is in places impertinent.
paragraph is also disingenuous. Mr. de Bas to knows very well that thought has
been given to this matter, since it was first raised with me by the Bar
Association when I visited Hong Kong in 1964, for he (Mr. de Basto) discussed
the matter in a meeting with Lord Shepherd here in August 1968 at which
Mr. Gaminara and I were present. The record of my discussion with the Bar
Committee in Hong Kong to which Mr. de Basto refers, is at folio 16/E.
4. I am not going to be drawn into a personal correspondence with
Mr. de Basto regarding the policy of H.M.G. and the Hong Kong Government on
this matter. I should be grateful to know if you would agree to my sending an
acknowledgment in the terms of the attached draft, which I would like to despatch
before the end of the week. We could then consider whether the representations
in Mr. de Basto's letter should be answered officially through the Governor.
тема?
(J.C. McPetrie)
13 May, 1970
Page 60Page 61
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