The Gazette 1946-49

and representative members appointed from the employers and employees, and the functions of a Joint Labour Committee are to make recommenda– tions for minimum remuneration and conditions of employment. The matter was referred to a Com– mittee of the Council with power to take such action as might seem advisable. SPECIAL EXAMINER IN LAW THE Council invite applications from solicitors for the office of Special Examiner in Law to the Society in place of Mr. Joseph F. Shields, Solicitor, resigned. The duties of the office consist of examining at the Intermediate and Final Examinations for apprentices to solicitors, in conjunction with another Examiner. Further particulars may be obtained from the Secre– tary. Applications for the appointment should reach the Secretary before yth July, 1947, and applicants may be required to attend for interview on i jth July. A HALF-YEARLY General Meeting of the Society was held on Friday, May i6th, in the Solicitors' Buildings, Four Courts. Mr. William L. Duggan, Vice-President, took the chair in the absence of the President. The following members were also present: Joseph Barrett, J. P. Carrigan, Arthur Cox, Roger Greene, William S. Hayes, William S. Huggard, James J. Lynch, Henry P. Mayne, William J. Norman, Daniel O'Connell, Thomas A. O'Reilly, Sean 6 hUadhaigh, G. A. Overend, James R. Quirke, Dermot P. Shaw, Joseph P. Tyrrell, J. Travers Wolfe, A. J. McDonald, K. M. Meares, The O'Phelan of the Deeces, James Fagan, Ivan Howe, Arthur G. Ardagh, D. D. MacDonald, F. Keonigs, J. J. O'Connor, J. J. Little, Desmond Moran, J. McCann, D. O'Donnell, R. J. Tierney, D. O'Donovan, F. R. Tully, Arthur T. Ellis. The notice convening the meeting was by per– mission of the meeting taken as read. The Secretary read the minutes of the half-yearly General Meeting held on November 26th, 1946, which were signed by the Chairman. The Chairman announced that the President had nominated the following members of the Society to act as scrutineers for the ballot for the Council to be held on 2ist November, 1947 : Messrs. J. R. McC. Blakeney, D. J. Collins, T. Jackson, B. P. McCormack, and R. J. Tierney. HALF-YEARLY GENERAL MEETING

that he had no power to deal with this matter as the terms of appointment of solicitors to Local Authorities is a matter which is within the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the County Manager, and that it is neither the policy nor the practice of the Minister or the Department to interfere in such matters. The Minister had further stated that in his view if the terms of a particular appointment are unsatisfactory, it is open to the Society to advise its members thereof and to point out to them the disadvantages of the position as advertised. The matter had been referred to the Committee to consider what action if any should be taken as the result of the views of the Minister. The Committee having considered the matter reported to the Council that a letter should be written to the Association of County Managers pointing out that the Minister had informed the Council that he personally had no objection to the appointment of solicitors on a basis of taxed costs, but that the matter was not one in which he could interfere, and that the County Managers should be asked to adopt the Council's suggestion that all such appointments should be made on the basis of taxed costs where the solicitor carries on the legal work of the Local Authority in his own office. The report of the Committee was adopted. Circuit Court Appeals : Costs THE Council considered a report from a Committee on a query from a member as to whether the recent increase of 25 per cent, in the costs of proceedings in or before the High Court or Supreme Court applies in the case of Circuit appeals, the costs of which are taxed by the County Registrar. The Committee reported that in their opinion the hearing of an appeal from the Circuit Court to the High Court is a proceeding in the High Court, and that the County Registrar taxing such costs performs the functions of the Taxing Master of the High Court. The reference in the rules to the Circuit Court costs adopts the Circuit Court scale as the measure of costs of the appeal, but the costs are High Court costs. Accordingly, in the opinion of the Committee the increase of 2 5 per cent, applies to the costs of the appeal. The report of the Committee was adopted by the Council. Law Clerks Joint Labour Committee THE Secretary reported that he had received notice of an application for hearing on i2th June by the Workers' Union of Ireland for the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee for Law Clerks under Section 36, Industrial Relations Act, 1946. A Joint Labour Committee consists of independent members appointed by the Minister and the Labour Court