The Gazette 1936-40

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland

[December, 1939

30

286; J. J. Dunne, 281 : J. B. Hamill, 277 ; E. H. Burne, 272; E. J. Mallins, 268: Daniel O'Connell, 268 : W. S. Huggard, 268 ; C. G. Stapleton, 259; J. J. Dundon, 254; R. A. Macaulay, 246 ; T. Desmond McLough- lin, 195; And the following to form a supplemental list in case of vacancies :— W-. McA. McCracken, 160: J. M. Dudley, 157; R. J. Nolan, 147. THE PRESIDENT, addressing the meet ing, said : Obituary. At the meeting last year corresponding to this present one you heard an able and important address from the then President, Senator T. \V. Delany. Since our meeting held in May last Mr. Delany has passed away, and our profession has lost an outstanding personality. Whether in the public life of his native County, in the Senate, or in matters connected with his profession, Senator Delany was always a prominent figure, and during his year of Office as President of your Council he was untiring in his devotion to the advancement of our profession. In the same period, a venerable and esteemed figure in the person of Sir William Fry has also passed away. Although he had for some time ceased to practise his pro fession he will be remembered as a dis tinguished lawyer, a Past President of the Council, an active member of the Solicitors' Benevolent Association and a prominent supporter of many Charitable Institutions in the City of Dublin. To the relatives of these gentlemen and other past members of the Society who have passed away since our last meeting I tender our respectful sympathy. Annual Report. You will have had in hands for some time the Annual Report of your Council. A perusal of it will give you some idea of the various matters which have during the year engaged our attention. Your Council met

on fourteen occasions, but I think it proper to state that these meetings represent only a fraction of the work done in the various Committees appointed for consideration of matters of importance. Circuit Court Appeals. The hearing of appeals from the Circuit Court by High Court Judges on Circuit has now been in operation for a sufficient period to enable the profession form an opinion as to its merits and it has so far in practice, proved satisfacton7 . Circuit Court Costs. You will also have noticed that Circuit Court Costs are being reviewed. I believe that as a result of such review, in the light of experience gained in the working of the Circuit Courts, several items in which these costs were open to objection will be rectified. I would like on behalf of the Soci ety to express my appreciation of the time and labour devoted to this work by the Rules Committee and particularly that of Mr. Thomas H. Craig, one of our own represen tatives. Estate Duty Office. At our last meeting, reference was made to correspondence with the Controller of Estate Duty as to delay in the assessment of duties and proposals put forth by the Council for effecting improvements in this respect. While the Department did not find itself able to fall in with our suggestions, it is only fair to say that no complaints have for some time been received under this head. Serivenery Office. Widespread and well-founded complaints have been forthcoming with reference to the delay which takes place in delivery of docu ments from the Serivenery Office of the Four Courts. These complaints, received as they were from members of the profession in widely separated parts of the country, and backed by the personal experience of several