TNAG-0398-FCO40-444-Appointments-to-supreme-and-district-courts-from-the-Bar-in--1973 — Page 22

CONFIDENTIAL

Ref. A/9/78.

RUSHFORD

WAVED IN

No.51

73

HKK14/12

A.R. Rushford, Esq., C.M.G., Foreign & Commonwealth Office,

Downing Street,

LONDON, S.W.1.

in dear Tomy,

(21)

CHIEF JUSTICE'S CHAMBERS,

COURTS OF JUSTICE,

HONG KONG,

25/10

0 My Groomwood / 26+

@ Mr. Fofoot

(3) Mis. Kelly

か

to

sei

for the file.

122716

दिa R

plead

Prykelly

26/10

1973.

Thank you for your letter of the 20th September,

The establishment of magistrates in Hong Kong at the moment consists of 33 Magistrates, 10 Senior Magistrates and 3 Principal Magistrates, in all 46 Magistrates. We are 2 short of full strength at the moment and there are 5 names currently short-listed for the 2 vacancies. It may interest you if I give you a breakdown of the countries from which the individual magistrates come:

England:

Scotland:

Wales:

Northern Ireland:

Irish Republic:

Australia:

New Zealand:

Hong Kong:

13

3

25

1

29

7

♡ 2 - E 66

5

Overseas Chinese:

1

Total

44

I am

It is the express policy of the Hong Kong Government that, all things being equal, offers of -appointment should be made to local candidates.

particularly anxious to recruit local Cantonese- speaking magistrates but few candidates have come forward over the last few years and of those a good many have left the Judiciary to return to private practice. As you will see we now only have six local magistrates with us of whom three have less than 10 years professional experience.

Cont'd