The Gazette 1955-58

If you could see your way to publishing a note to this effect in a future issue of your Gazette it would no doubt alleviate any anxiety which your members may have on this matter. Yours faithfully, ROBERT J. JOLLEY & Co., LTD. Friends' Provident Building, 12/14, College Green, Dublin. zdth August, 1957. THE MEDICO-LEGAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND AT the Annual General Meeting of the Medico-Legal Society held in April, 1957, Dr. J. P. Brennan, Coronor for Co. Dublin, was elected President for the year 1957-58. In addition to the Hon. Vice-Presidents who were unanimously re-elected, the following Hon. Vice- Presidents were elected: Messrs. Scan Hooper, S.C.,; Liam Trant McCarthy, solicitor; and Dr. John Falvey. Mr. M. B. Daly, B.L., was elected Hon. Auditor. In his report the Hon. Secretary said that although the Society was founded only last Autumn it had grown in numbers very considerably. He thanked all those who had assisted the Society during the year, including the President and Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland for their great help. The President of the Society referred to some current trials in Ireland and England which he said had given a great interest to the medico-legal matters in this country. The Council of the Society has arranged the following ordinary meetings during the 1957-58 session :—3ist October and z8th November, 1957 ; 3Oth January and zyth March, 1958. A joint meeting with members of the American Bar Association on problems of medical juris prudence was held in the Gresham Hotel on Saturday, 3rd August, 1957, at u a.m. This was followed by a luncheon in the Aberdeen Hall, at which the following spoke :—The Chief Justice, the Hon. Earl Warren (Chief Justice, U.S.A. Supreme Court), Hon. David Berger of Philadelphia, Mr. Campbell Brown of New York, the Hon. Mr. Justice Murnaghan and Mr. J. A. Costello, S.C. Dr. Letitia Fairfield, C.B.E., M.D., President of the British Medico-Legal Society, will read a paper on "Confessions" on 3ist October, 1957, at the Royal Hibernian Hotel, Dublin, at 7.45 p.m. The annual dinner of the Society will be held on Thursday 17th October, in the Royal Hibernian Hotel, at 7.45 p.m. Tickets, zis. each. Dr. Frank McLaughlin, M.D., will speak on Thursday, 28th

Dear Sir, With reference to the July issue of the Gazette, I was very interested to read the letter published under the heading " Correspondence." I am dealing with a case where the owner of a rent has to pay rates but fortunately the amount of the rates is not very large, and I believe that my client when he bought the rent would probably have taken the rates into consideration, although he could not have taken into account the tremendous increase which has occurred in the last few years. I can, however, imagine a worse case than that of your correspondent. That is where someone, who perhaps needed the income very badly, bought a rent and the premises were subsequently sold to some charitable body which applied for and obtained exemption from rates. In such a case when the liability for rates passed to the Landlord it would be equivalent to confiscating the landlord's income to the extent of the rates. From my inquiries into the matter there seems to be no way to overcome the injustice except by legislation. Decided cases are not helpful and too much depends on the wording of individual leases. There have been cases where the Land lord has recovered the rates back from the tenant, but in most cases they cannot be recovered. Yours faithfully, DENZIL O'DONNELL, 25 Westmorland Street, Dublin. zyd August, 1957. Dear Sir, We refer to the letter in the July issue of the Gazette con cerning rates on premises occupied by the State. We act for a client who is paid a rent of £105 out of State owned property in the Midlands. She receives, in fact, less than £5 when our commission is deducted. We pointed out the unfair position to the Department concerned and they offered us the grandiose amount of £50 to redeem the rent. We suggested that the treatment accorded to owners of these rents is in strong contrast to the opening phrases of the introduction to the Constitution. We suggested that an average of fifteen years' rent should be taken in order to redeem it. They turned down this suggestion, but are con sidering increasing their offer. We are strongly of the opinion that this situation being fairly general should be taken up by the Law Society rather than individuals. Yours faithfully, O'CONNOR & DUDLEY, i College Street, Dublin. 4(6 September, 1957. RE : MESSRS. HAROLD J. WILEY & Co., LTD. Dear Sir, Our attention has been drawn to a paragraph in a recent issue of your Gazelle regarding the Professional Negligence Policies issued through the Agency of Messrs. Harold J. Wiley & Co., Ltd. We are writing to advise you that we have purchased the goodwill of this business and will look after policy holders' interests in the future. We have already written to all existing policy holders advising them of the change. However, we are writing to you to confirm that all Lloyd's policies remain in full force up to their existing expiry dates and are completely unaffected by Messrs. Wiley's liquidation.