The Gazette 1921-25

[DECEMBER, 1923

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society ot Ireland.

30

library. They ought to press forward their claim for compensation on the Government and to get suitable premises. He also drew attention to the difficulty in obtaining Accountant-General's accounts of funds in Court. MR. T. H. R. CRAIG said that it was stated that there was a demand for the Courts of Justice Bill, and that the English laws were not suitable for this country. In or about the year 1756 the Irish Parliament established civil bill procedure and county courts. It was they who were first with their procedure—and they had procedure in this country as distinct from a Crown bill that was set up by a Grand Jury—and a great many of the sections were taken out of their bill and embodied in 14 and 15 Victoria, which was their first county court in this country. This bill, he believed, instead of making law cheaper, would make it cost double. All this could have been avoided if the Govern ment had gone around to the profession and explained what they wanted. The bill would double the expense, would not work, and would muddle the whole thing. The bill would not hurt the solicitors' profession, but would hurt the public. MR. PATRICK J. BRADY said that, rightly or wrongly, some people thought that the old laws were not adapted to the needs of this country, and that they ought to be altered and improved. It was obliga tory on the Government, under the terms of the Constitution, that this reorganisation of the judicial system should be under taken. He believed that, if the bill was given a chance it would work in the interests of the profession as well as in the interests of the public. DR. T. J. QUIRKE said that he did not agree with the views of Mr. P. J. Brady. The bill would damage credit. One gentle man in the Dail said that it was no business of theirs to enable a Manchester man to recover his debts here. Was ever such a doctrine put forward ? He thought that it was the business of the law to make it easy fora man to recover what

The President of our Free State went this year on a double mission of Peace ; one that the Free State might be enrolled in the League of Nations, and the other to pay tribute to the shrine of that great Irishman Columbanus, the first great mission ary who left our shores to preach Christian peace and true freedom. In his farewell letter to his brethren in the North of Europe Columbanus uses the phrase : " Si tollis liber- tatem tollis dignitatem," words signifying that worthiness of life must be the companion of true freedom, that freedom cannot exist save when accompanied by all that seemliness and civic virtue which is expressed by the Latin word "dignitas" and which has been so lacking in our country during recent years. However, to-day we are justified in hoping that that wretched period of hate, and shame of crime and destruction has ended, and for ever. The country has recognised too that inaptitude for honest work does not consti tute the hero or the patriot, and we have an indication of returning confidence and enterprise in the extensive application which already has been made to share in the National Loan. I beg to move the adoption of the report of the Council. MR. STIRLING, Vice-President, seconded the adoption of the report. MR. JAMES BRADY said he was sorry to see by the report that amongst the other evils arising from Partition that the member ship of the Society had been considerably reduced. As to the Courts of Justice Bill, ho personally regretted that no attempt was made to amalgamate both branches of the legal profession in a country which consisted only of about four million inhabitants, and that as well as having two branches of the profession they had also the expensive luxury of two sets of judiciaries. He further regretted to observe from the report that but small attention appeared to be given by the Government to the suggested arnend- ments to the Bill as proposed by the Council. ROCHE said that the {ailing off in membership was due to the ack of accommodation and the loss of their SIR GEORGE