The Gazette 1955-58

inconvenience and embarrass not alone the pro fession but also the public without any real advantage to anybody. We are all aware of the outrageous increase in Court fees imposed by the Government some six months ago. I understand that these increases or at all events some of them may be the subject of review by the authorities concerned, and I trust that as a result of that review reason will prevail. While undoubtedly some of the fees could have been justifiably increased, the increases made in my view in most cases were exorbitant and grossly excessive. Apart from the expense to those on whom the increases ultimately fall, it means an enormous increase in the outlay incurred by a solicitor in the running of his office, for which he may not be recouped for months and indeed in some cases for years. I well remember some time ago when representa tions were made to the appropriate authority for a small increase in the District Court scale of professional charges. When that application was made the appropriate authorities argued that the District Court was regarded as the poor man's Court, and on no account in the circumstances could the professional charges be increased. To take two items alone, from the increase in the Court fees, a stamp on an Ordinary District Court Civil Bill, which used to amount to 1/6 is now 5/-, and in the case of the Circuit Court the stamp on a Circuit Court civil bill, which used to' be 2/6 is now £i os. od., an increase in the latter case of 700 per cent. There is no necessity for me to go into further details in this particular matter, except to express the hope that reason and common sense will prevail and that on review these fees will be considerably reduced. As a country solicitor I have a particular interest in the local bar associations. In my opinion it is essential for every solicitor to be a member of his local bar association. These associations through out the country relieve the Council of the Society of a considerable amount of work in dealing with professional problems that arise between the mem bers, and they are in many cases more competent to deal with certain classes of difficulties and dif ferences than are the Council of the Law Society. During my six months tenure of office, I have attended several of their functions, and I am glad to be able to report that they seem to be perform ing their duties most efficiently and in most cases have 100% membership. Unfortunately there are two areas in the country where the local bar associa tions for one reason or another are no longer • 4

at its principal source, namely, the Valuation Office, and as a result of that decision an interview was sought and obtained with the Commissioner of Valuation, who received the deputation most courteously and sympathetically, and made certain promises to the deputation and stated that as a result of a reorganisation plan then envisaged it was hoped that matters would improve. I regret to have to report that while undoubtedly there has been some improvement in the position still speaking on behalf of country practitioners I feel obliged to say that the new arrangements are not satisfactory. The trouble seems to me to be mainly due to the fact that the Valuation Office deal with property situated in the country by staff valuers from Dublin visiting the country twice a year and inspecting the properties concerned; the delay which is bound to occur as a result of this system can be obviated and in my opinion entirely removed by appointing local resident valuers in each area, one each shall we say resident in Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Mullingar, and Sligo. If this practice were adopted I am confident it would expedite the valuations, and what in my opinion is equally important would decentralize this system and considerably simplify the work of the Valuation Office and, in addition, the work of solicitors who are usually blamed for delays in Government offices. As regards the Probate Office, and the Land Registry, there has undoubtedly been some improve ment in these offices, but there are still delays particularly in the former although there appears to be a readiness to expedite cases of particular importance or urgency. I would like to refer at this stage to a tendency which appears to be creeping in of closing local Probate Offices and local Land Registry Offices; in my opinion if this tendency were to gather momentum or to increase in any way it would be disastrous to the profession in general, and to the country practitioners in particular. Many of these delays, and the closing of some of these offices is explained, or attempted to be explained, by what is called shortage of staff. I find it difficult to accept this explanation, in view of the enormous number of unemployed in the country at the present time, the large emigration of people looking for work whom we are told cannot find work at home. It would be a considerable inconvenience to the country practitioner if he had not available locally the records of the Land Registry of his county and the records of the local Probate Office; the closing of any such offices would, in my opinion,