The Gazette 1914-15

DECEMBER, 1914]

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

57

to you more fully on the subject because we are actually engaged in making formal representations to the Judges on the matter, with the assistance and with the hearty co operation of the Bar Council. The Annual Report records the passing of The Government of Ireland Act, and the fact that the Prime Minister has announced his intention to introduce at a later stage a Bill to amend that Act. The merits or demerits of this most important measure involve questions of high politics with which we have nothing to do in this Hall, but I think it is permissible to express the hope, whatever the ultimate form of the Act may be, that the unity of our Profession will not be destroyed, and that no Irish Solicitor will be deprived of his Statutory right of practising his Profession in every part of the country. The Council regrets that it has not been able to make any progress with our Bill for the Reform of County Court Procedure. I am sure you will quite understand that owing to the state of business during the Summer Session of Parliament, and to what is described as " the tension of parties" during that Session, it was quite hopeless to expect that our humble measure would be given a hearing. The Council have no intention, however, of allowing this Bill to drop, and will press it forward again at the first convenient opportunity, either at home or abroad. I reported shortly to you at our last Half- yearly Meeting the work done by the Council in connection with .the following important matters referred to in the Annual Report:— The new Rules as to costs made by the Local Government Board under the Labourers Acts, the question of costs of claimants under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts, delays in the Land Registry, the suggested amendment of the service out of the Jurisdiction Rule, and I do not propose to make further reference to these matters on this occasion. But there is one matter referred to at the last Half-yearly Meeting and in the Annual Report which I am anxious to

bring under your consideration again, as it is a matter of great interest and importance to the Profession. I mean'the subject of Legal Appointments. The Council have quite recently circulated amongst the Members of the Society a special report on this subject giving exact facts and figures and references, so that every member is now able to judge for himself the exact extent to which the Solicitors' Profession has been unfairly treated in this matter of appointments to legal offices. I should like here to give credit to Mr. Quirke for the great industry and research he displayed in the preparation of this report, as the work of preparing it was almost entirely his. I shall be surprised if the figures do not come as a revelation to many who h'ave not given much previous thought to the matter. You will see that a gross sum of £336,759 is paid in salaries of offices of a legal nature in Ireland, and of this sum Solicitors receive only one- fifth share. Barristers hold 170 legal offices, in respect of which salaries are paid amounting to approximately £200,000 a year ; Solicitors hold 126 appointments, with salaries amount ing to under £69,000 a year. Contrast these figures with the fact that there were last year 1,587 practising Solicitors in Ireland paying certificate duty to the amount of £10,500 a year, and 438 practising Barristers paying no annual license duty whatever. The dis proportion in the number of these appoint ments given to members of the Bar and non- professional persons has, I regret to say, in recent years been steadily on the increase, and the virtual boycott of Solicitors is a most serious matter for the Profession. I know that the opinion is held by some of our members that the successive Councils of the Law Society are somewhat to blame for this unsatisfactory state of affairs, but I have never heard any such criticism from any member who has had actual experience of the working of the Council. I can testify myself to the fact that during the years I have served, the Council has done everything possible to obtain a fair share of these appointments for Solicitors. The most recent example of our action you will find referred to in paragraph 11 of the report, where you will see it stated that the Council had requested the Lord