The Gazette 1933-36

DECEMBER, 1934]

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

23

Membership. Passing to the Report, I am pleased to observe that the membership of the Society has increased somewhat over former years, but when I observe that there are 480 Solicitors practising in the Free State who are not members of the Society, I feel that a great deal yet remains to be done to make the Society as it should be co-extensive with the profession. It cannot be so described while one practising Solicitor out of every three is outside our fold, and is the more astonishing when you observe the advantages provided by the Society for its members. The accommodation we have here is the admiration of all who have had an oppor tunity of visiting the premises, and as I have already remarked, and as is emphasised in the Report, we now have a library complete with legal text-books of every description, including all the Reports from 1843 to date, and which are available on loan to members residing in all parts of the country. I do hope that when this fact is more generally known it will result in a further substantial increase in our membership. Legal Text-Books. Turning to the subject of legal text-books, as you will see from the Report, your Council have had under consideration for some time past the want of law books to meet the requirements of practitioners in the Circuit and District Courts. This is a matter which concerns the Bar just as much as ourselves, and a report from a joint committee of your Council and the Bar was submitted to the Minister for Justice so far back as July, 1933, who requested further information as to the cost of production. This was furnished, and the matter is still before your Council, but pending the passing of the Bill to amend the Courts of Justice Act, we feel it would be undesirable to take any further immediate action. Chronological Index of Statutes. I am glad to observe that since our Report was prepared there has been published by the Stationery Office an index of the legisla– tion passed by the Oireachtas in the years 1922 to 1932, a publication familiarly known to us as a Chronological Index of Statutes. The cost of this publication is half a guinea.

The more rapid publication of the bound volumes of Statutes has been urged on the Stationery Office by the Council. The volume of 1933 Statutes is not yet issued. Courts of Justice Bill. As you all know the long-expected Courts of Justice Bill was read a first time some months ago, but though the legal future of this country depends so much upon it, it has not yet been printed or made available in any form for the public or the professions which are so vitally interested in its contents. It is generally believed that the Bill provides for the appointment of two additional High Court Judges. If this is so, the delay in passing it into law is the more unfortunate, as one of the existing High Court Judges, having received an important temporary appointment under the League of Nations, must necessarily be absent from his work here during the busiest period of the legal year. We have made from time to time important suggestions for the better working of the Courts of Justice, and we have invariably received the reply that the matter would be considered when the Courts of Justice Bill was being prepared. So we continue to look forward with anxiety to the contents of the Bill. The Council has during the year looked after the general interests of the profession, and I now beg to move the adoption of its Report.

MR. GEORGE A. OVEREND

(Vice-

President) seconded

the adoption of

the

Report.

THE PRESIDENT put the resolution adopting the Report, and it was passed unanimously. MR. OVEREND (Vice-President) having taken the Chair, on the motion of Mr. H. P. Mayne, seconded by Mr. R. G. Warren, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the President with acclamation.

THE

PRESIDENT

having

returned

thanks the meeting terminated.