498
REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR OF
THE SUPREME COURT.
The report of the Registrar of the Supreme Court for the year 1908, which was laid before the Legislative Council yesterday, shows that the total sums collected during the year by way of fees and commissions amounted to $46,592.80 as against $76,156,78 in previous year.
ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
The number of actions instituted in the Court during the year was 206, and there were 280 pending at the commencement of that year as against 261 and 162 respectively in 1907. 168 were disposed of during the year, 58 being settled or withdrawn before trial; 1 transferred to Summary Jurisdiction and 1 transferred to Admiralty leaving a balance of 316 undisposed of, as against 143, 39 and 280 respectively in 1907. The total amount involved was
$2.466,274.90, as against $3.276.203.22 in 1907. The debts and damages recovered amounted to $902,864.20, as against
8 4,049 36 iz 1907. The total fees collected amounted to $15,341, as against $16,201 in 1907.
SUMMARY JURISDICTION.
The number of actions instituted was 1.735 during the year and 225 were brought forward from 1907, as against 1,894 and 243 respectively in 1907 1,838 were disposed of, 724 being settled or withdrawn before trial, 184 being struck out, dismissed, and lapsed Writs, 135 struck out of the Cause-Book as having been standing over generally for more than a year. leaving a balance of 122, against 1,912, 792, 231 and 225 respectively in 1907. The total amount invol- ved was $345,051.29, and the debts and damages recovered amounted to $111.283.15, as against $474,500.43 and $183,952.21 respectively in 1907. The total fees collected amounted to
$9,261.75, as against $8,705,10 in 1907. The number of Distress Warrants for rent issued was 512, representing aggregate unpaid Rents amounting to $60.687.87, of which the aggregate sum of 817,579.95 was recovered, against 469, $65,614.26 and $22,122.50 respectively in 1907.
270 Warrants were withdrawn on settlement between the parties, as against 229 in 1907.
The total fees collected amounted to $2,729.50 as against $2,770 in 1907.
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION,
There were 26 cases and 59 persons committed for trial at the Criminal Sessions, as against 24 and 70 respectively in 1907. The number of per- sens actually indicted was 53, of whom 26 were convicted and 27 were acquitted. Against 6 persons no Indictments were filed. In 1907 the figures were respectively 56, 48 and 8.
APPELLATE JURISDICTION,
There were five Appeals instituted during the year, against 13 in 1907.
ADMIRALTY JURISDICTION.
There were four Actions instituted during the year, and 3 were pending in 1907; 4 were disposed of, and 1 was settled before trial, leav ing 2 pending. The number of vessels arrested
was 1.
The total fees collected announted to $352 as against 8314.50 in 7907.
BANKRUPTCY JURISDICTION.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PŘESS AND
4
[June 12, 1909. The aggregate value of the Estates was partnership lasted for seven or eight years $3,405,400, as against $12,675,740 in 1907. during which Mr. James accumulated consider- Probate Duties amounted to $81,136.00. Ad-able property, doing a profitable steamship trade ditional Probate Duty paid in 1908 $120.60. between Hongkong and ustralia, but he was Court Fees amounted to $8,236.40 and Official unfortunate enough to lose most of his earrings Administrator's Commission to $1,812.13. The subsequently through unlucky share transac- figures in 1907 were respectively $368,938.00, tions, into which he had entered while with and $11.820.90 and $1,468.13. No additional Probate after leaving Mr. Stevens and setting up in Duty was received during that year. There business for himself. were 69 Estates vested in, or administered
Official by the
Administrator during the year, representing an aggregate value of 814,978.17. The figures for 197 were res- pectively 42 and 824,560.78. 28 Estates were wound up during the year. representing an aggregate value of $42.479.69, as against 22 in 1907 representing $20,977.40.
OFFICIAL TRUSTS.
hands of the Official Trustee at the end of 1908 The total number of Trust Estates in the
was 25 and the aggregate amount of Trust funds 15.052.42 as against 27 Estates aggre- gating $116.215.47 in 1907, and certain house property. The amount of commission collected was $234.99, as against 8728.47 in 1907.
REGISTRATION OF COMPANIES.
from the commencement of the
44
The total number of Companies registered Companies Ordinance, 1865," was 561 with an aggregate capital of $256,761,334.00.
THE PROPO ED GOVERNMENT
NOTE ISSUE.
he following letter addressed by the Com. mittee of the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce to the Government has been forwarded by the Secretary of the Chamber for publication:
Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, 27th May, 1908.
SIB. With reference to your letter of the 15th April, 1909, (No. 3641/08) on the question of the proposed introduction in this Colony of a Government Note Issue on the lines of the system already adopted in the Straits Settle. mente, I have the honour to point out that the information now before my Committee is not sufficient to enable them to form an opinion as to the proposal and I would beg to be furnished with more details so as to enable my Committee to go fully into the question.
The more important points upon which my Committee would like to be informed are: --
1. The general lines which it is proposed to
adopt.
2. The arrangements for exchanging Dollars
into Notes and vice versa.
(a) Whether the Government will have their own treasuries and staff for working the issue.
(b) If not, what alternative system have the
they in view.
3. To what extent do the Government estimate the revenue of the Colony would benefit as as against the present tax on Bank Notes and the data on which such estimate is based.
My Committee, upon receipt of these fuller details, will then be in a position to express their views on the subject, and I am directed to ask you to thank His Excellency the Governor for referring the matter to the Chamber. I have &c.
E. A. M. WILLIAMS. Secretary.
Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY C.M.G. Colonial Secretary.
DEATH OF MR. H. G. J MES.
UPS AND DOWNS Of EasterN LIFE.
There were 34 petitions filed 23 being creditors' petitions, and 11 being petitions by the debtors themselves. The figures for 1907 were respective- 51, 34 and 17. The number of receiving orders made was 30, being 21 on creditors' peti- tions, and 9 on debtors' petitions. The figures in 1907 were respective 46, 31 and 15, and 1 Administration Order. The number of Public Examinations held was 22, as against 34 in 1907. There were 14 Adjudications; I Scheme of Arrangement was approved by the Court. The figures in 1907 were 39 Adjudications 2 Com- positions and 1 Scheme of Arrangement approv- ed by the Court. There were 2 discharges, as
With the death of Mr. Horatio G. James, against 3 in 1907. The aggregate amount of which occurred at his home in Syed Ali Road, of declared assets was $776,144.03 and declared at 2.3 p m., yesterday, says the Straits Times Liabilities $1,261,136.27, as against 8860,308.99 of the 29th ult. after a brief illness, Singapore and $2,383,714.06 respectively in 1907. The lost a man of excellent parts who was known Fees amounted to $6,176.02, including the here only by many older residents, but who had Official Receiver's commission as Trustee where loomed large in the early days of Hongkong's no I rustee had been appointed by the Creditors, commercial life. He first came to the Far East as against $6,255.25 in 1907.
in a sailing ship to join the firm of Jardine, Matheson & Co., of Hongkong, in which his great abilities and many excellent personal qualities led to his rapid advancement, 1873 or 1874 he left that firm to go into busi- ness for himself with Mr. George Stevens, which
PROBATE AND ADMINISTRATION, There were 234 Grants made by the Court:— Probates 101 Letters of Administration, 133.
The figures in 1907 were respectively 82 and 92.
In
AS PLANTER,
About twenty years ago, Mr. James came to Singapore and went into pineapple canning, but found it was not sufficiently profitable and gave it up in favour of the poultry rubber plantation was business, while his growing. He purchased a small plantation in Syed Ali Road, when that at present
traversed by a cart track which was exceedingly popular residential district was quite a jungle,
difficult of negotiation with rickshas, and soon established himself as a rearer of high quality of poultry and especially turkeys, for which he found a ready sale on the steamers, while eggs bearing his stamp were known as the best to be hal in Singapore, by the stewards of all the passenger lines touching at this port. Though this business was not heavily remunerative, it served to support Vr. James in comfort till his rubber trees came into bearing. For a few years past he has been manufacturing large quantities of rubber, both from his litt e planta- tion in Syed Ali Road, and also from a plants- tion in Kota Tinggi, Johore, in which he was interested together with Mr. H. Abrams.
FAILING HEALTH.
Mr. James has been in broken health for some years and has never fully recovered from the great shock given him by the death of his wife, which occurred nearly three years ago. He was attended by Dr. Lim Boon Keng in his last illness. He was of a deeply affectionate nature and has continued to mourn her decease till the day of his own demise. He was an exceedingly generous man, often too much so for his own good, and was many times the prey of the anworthy and the designing. Though acquaint- ed with the three the leading European languages, as well as with Malay and one or two dialects of Chinese, he was of a retiring disposi tion, not fond of social life and best satisfied when at his own hearth and surrounded by his hooks, of which he had a large library.
QUAINT PAINTINGS,
The walls of his house contain many quaint paintings, mostly of marine scenes, the product of the brush of his father, Commander Henry James, R.N., who served against the pirates in the Straits of Malacca, in 1836, on H.M.8. Wolf, as well as had many other adventures in widely The life of the divergent parts of the world. Commander, from the pen of his only surviving child, Miss Edith A. James, the sister of the deceased, who is now in London, was published by Messrs. Spottiswoode & Co., in 1899.
Mr. James left no relatives in this part of the world, but his affairs are being looked after by Mr. S. Vincent, an old friend of thirty years standing, who has been with him, with Mrs. Vincent, during his last hours.
THE PRATAS ISLAND QUESTION.
The following Canton telegram appears in a Peking contemporary :-
-
From authoritative sources it is stated that the Japanese Consul here has recognised the indisputable Chinese ownership of Pratas Island, and that he has acknowledged the destruction. by Japanese, of Chinese fishing junks and Chinese ancestral and other temples on the island. But Japan claims that five hundred and ten thousand dollars have been spent, out
of which ten thousand dollars have been obtained from the products of the island. Japan proposes to lodge a claim before the Chinese Government
for the balance.
The claim is counteracted by the following demands from th⚫ Canton Viceroy:
1. Indemnity for the destruction of Chinese fishing boats.
2. Reconstruction of the Chinese temples desoyed by Japan.
3. Indemnity for the illegal removal of hinese properties and products from the island.
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