The Gazette 1908-9

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

[JUNE, 1908

12

have a freer hand. I have great pleasure in putting it before you, and I hope you will pass it unanimously. The resolution was passed unanimously. Amendments to Bye-Laws. THE PRESIDENT, pursuant to notice, moved amendments to the bye-laws of which he had given notice, and in doing so, said : I think I should explain to you shortly that the object of the motion is to amend bye-laws 4 and 30 : No. 4 as to disqualification of members who have not paid their annual subscription by a certain fixed time; No. 30 as to the qualification of candidates for the Council. The motion is the result of an undertaking given by the President last November, that the Council would consider the existing bye-laws as to the qualifications of candidates for the Council. The matter has since been carefully considered by the Council, and they now submit for your consideration the amendments to the two bye-laws which are stated in the notice of motion. It appears to us, from a liberal construction of the Charter of 1852, that every member of the Society should be eligible for election to the Council. I do not think I need read that portion of the Charter which refers to that; but that provision constitutes all the members of the Society the body from which the Council is to be chosen, and makes every member eligible for election to one of the thirty-one places, as the case may be, on the Council; and there is nothing in the Charter that we can discover to modify that provision, and we therefore think that bye- law 30, which limits the body from which one or more members of the Council can be chosen, is inconsistent with the provisions of the Charter. Bye-law 30 excludes altogether from the body from which the Council is to be chosen all members of the Society who are not in actual practice, all who do not hold a certificate for the current year, and the large class of members who are not of seven years' standing at the date of the election. We propose, therefore, that the bye-law shall be amended, so that the only qualification for a candidate for election on the Council shall be that he be a member of the Society, and must be nominated by two members of the Society, who shall sign the nomination paper. As to 4: We consider it necessary to alter bye- law 4, in order to bring it into line, if I may use the expression, with the amendments proposed in bye-law 30 ; and we propose that a member, in order to be entitled to vote, or be eligible as a candidate, or to propose and

was the natural conseqiu-nce of the conspicuous ability shown by Mr. Lloyd-George in the office he has just left. You know the trying and difficult times he passed through, the dangers he averted, and the conspicuous success that crowned his efforts. It is, I hope, unnecessary for me to say that the resolution which I confidently submit for your cordial approval is neither influenced nor suggested by political considerations. It is suggested solely as marking an event which, I think, is a subject of congratulation from every member of our profession in the Three Kingdoms. I believe those congratulations would be forthcoming, although the vast majority of the members of our profession in the Three Kingdoms hold different political opinions from the Right Hon. gentleman (cries of "no, no"). Well, gentlemen are entitled to their own opinions, and I have mine. With these few words, I ask the President if he will be good enough to second the resolution, and I hope it will be passed unanimously. I need not say that everything depends in a resolution of this kind on absolute unanimity. THE PRESIDENT: I call upon the senior Vice-President to second the resolution. MR. COLLINS, V.-P. : I think our first duty is to thank Mr. Davoren for having brought forward, this motion. I have very great pleasure in seconding it, and I am sure everybody in the room will extend any congratulations they can offer to Mr. Lloyd-George, as a professional man, on his elevation to the important office. Of course, Mr. Davoren does not expect the Society to concern itself with the political opinions of any Cabinet Minister (hear, hear). We are dealing with the question purely on professional grounds, and I am sure that alone influenced Mr. Davoren in bringing it forward. Mr. Lloyd-George's career has been a very brilliant one indeed. He is quite a young man. He was admitted a member of our pro– fession in 1884, and very soon attained to a high position in it. He was elected to Parlia– ment, and on his appointment as President of the Board of Trade in 1905, he became a Privy Councillor; and now we congratulate him on occupying the second highest place in the Government of the country (applause). . THE PRESIDENT: You have heard this resolution proposed and seconded, and I have great pleasure in putting it to the meeting, more especially as I do not belong, I may say, to the political party to which Mr. Lloyd- George belongs. On that account I feel I