The Gazette 1955-58

(b} By substituting the words " members' ro for " roll book of members " in Rule 6. ' (c) By substituting the following bye-law for t. .?. existing bye-law 42 Moneys received *<•$' the Society shall be lodged at least weekly . the credit of such current or deposit accounts of the Society and in such Bank as the Council may direct and payments from the Society's main current account shall be made by direction of the Council and by cheque which shall be signed by the President or a Vice- President and counter-signed by the Secretary or acting Secretary. The Council may direct that cheques drawn on subsidiary bank accounts may be signed by the Secretary or acting Secretary alone. (

other cause, I do not know, but this I do know that solicitors who have to explain these delays to their clients receive most of the blame. The law's delays have become a by-word and almost proverbial but I think that any fair-minded person will admit that the delay in transacting legal business to-day is not to be laid at the door of the lawyer but rather at the door of the Governmental and public institutions with which he has to deal. It seems to me that the more private business the State engrosses and gathers unto itself the slower the turn over of business becomes. The experience of the Society has been that isolated protests lead to a temporary improvement in certain branches or sections but improvement in one sphere is generally accompanied by simultaneous deterioration in another and I can assert without contradiction that since my time on the Council of the Society there has never been a period during which we were not dealing with complaints from the profession of inadequate service in one Department or another. This is primarily a matter for the public but it also affects solicitors in two ways. Firstly, we depend upon the proper functioning of many Governmental Departments in conducting our practices from which we earn our livelihood. Secondly, the reputation of the profession itself suffers from these delays. I cannot suggest the remedy and I do not know whether any is forthcoming. I can only assure our members that every effort will be made to deal with these complaints when they occur. In conclusion I would like to express to our Secretary, Mr. Plunkett, and to his staff, my very real appreciation and gratitude for their great assistance to me during the last six months. Arising out of the President's address, Mr. T. D. McLoughlin suggested that instruction should be given to apprentices on the technique of using law reports and standard legal text books. The President said that the matter would be considered. The meeting then adjourned to private business. The following motion, circulated on the agenda, was moved by Mr. Joseph Barrett, seconded by Mr. John J. Nash : " That the bye-laws of the Society shall be amended (a) By substituting the following bye-law for the existing bye-law i Any solicitor in Ireland may become a member of the Society by applying to the Council for admission to membership and if his application is accepted by payment of one year's subscription at the rate or rates hereinafter mentioned and on entry of his name and residence in the members' roll.

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