The Gazette 1933-36

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

JUNE, 1934]

Land Registry. You will have observed in the Gazette of the Society of last month, a Land Registry Memorandum dealing with the issue of Land Certificates. Since the issue of Land Certifi– cates to the owners has become general, the matter of registration of judgment mortgages against registered lands has presented some difficulty, as no registration affecting the land described in the certificate can be made until the certificate is produced in the Registry. Your Council has suggested to the Minister for Justice the desirability of making rules under the Local Registration of Title Act to facilitate the removal of this difficulty, and the Minister has informed the Council that this matter is at present receiving consideration. Library. In my opinion the most outstanding feature so far of my term of office, has been the large and valuable addition to our Library. The Society has had up to this in its present Library complete sets of all the authorised Reports, but there are other Reports which until now the Library has not contained. We have recently succeeded in acquiring on most advantageous terms 461 volumes consisting of The Law Journal Reports 1823 to date: The Law Times Reports, 1843 to date, and several wanted volumes of The Times Law Reports. The acquisition of these works puts our Library in the front rank so far as legal text books and books of reference are concerned, and must add greatly to the convenience of the many members who from time to time require the use of its volumes. It is only right to say that this great acquisition is due entirely to the efforts of our Secretary, Mr. Wakely. Portraits. There is another addition to our property which we have acquired within the past month. You observe the portraits which adorn this Hall. In the Council Chamber of the former premises of the Society at the Four Courts, we had a collection of photo- etchings of about twenty past-Presidents of the Society, and in addition we had a Collection of valuable engravings, presented to the Society by the late Sir Augustine Baker. The Society received compensation in respect of the destruction of these portraits and engravings, and last year your Council

decided to expend the compensation money on a collection of portraits of as many of the sixt}' past-Presidents of the Society as it would be found possible to procure. We succeeded in obtaining on loan 59 portraits or photographs of past Presidents and we entrusted to Messrs. Lafayette the work of producing photo-etchings in uniform size from these. Miss Gertrude O'Flynn, a member of the staff of Messrs. Lafayette and a pupil of the late Sir William Orpen, is responsible for the production of the 59 photo-etchings which you see hanging on the walls of this Hall, and I think you will agree with me when I say that she has displayed great skill in the performance of her work. Membership of the Society. In conclusion I would like, if my words can carry beyond this Hall, to impress on all Solicitors the benefit to themselves of becoming members of the Society, and with this object in view I would urge upon all of you the importance of inducing those of our professional brethren who are presently outside our fold, and with whom you may come in contact, to join the Society and thus assist us in our efforts to promote the welfare of the profession throughout the State. ____ MEETING OF THE COUNCIL 31st May Twenty-four Members present. High Court Rules. The Council having directed a letter to be written, requesting the Minister for Justice to bring before the High Court Rules Committee a suggested amendment of a High Court Rule, a letter was read in reply from the Secretary of the Department of Justice stating the matter will have the Minister's attention, but he fears that there is not any prospect of effective action until the present procedure as regards the making of Court Rules is simplified, and that it is the Minister's intention to lay proposals for such simplification before the Oireachtas as part of the Courts of Justice Bill which he hopes to introduce in the near future. Right of Audience. A letter was read from a member as to the right of audience of Solicitors before the Land Commission Appeal Tribunal, and the I Council directed a reply informing the [ member that Solicitors have a right of ' audience before that Tribunal.