The Gazette 1936-40

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

DECEMBER, 1937]

63

The 20th January, 1937, was by Statutory Order fixed as the Appointed Day for the purposes of Section 9, the effect of which was to transfer to the President of the High Court the jurisdiction in lunacy and minor matters and to create the office of Registrar of Wards of Court. The Superior Court Rules Committee has adopted rules regulating procedure on the hearing of appeals from the Circuit Court to the High Court on Circuit, under Part IV of the Courts of Justice Act, 1936, and these rules, when approved of by the Minister for Justice, will come into operation on a day to be fixed for the coming into operation of Part IV of the Act. It is expected that the new procedure in connection with the hearing of appeals in local venues will come into operation early in 1938. I regret to say that there are still over one hundred Circuit Court Appeals awaiting hearing, and until these have been dealt with, representations will continue to be made for the purpose of having them disposed of at an early date. The altered procedure in connection with the hearing of appeals is an added reason why all the existing appeals should be rapidly dealt with. As you are no doubt aware a new code of rules and procedure under the Local Registra– tion of Title Acts will come into force on the first day of December, 1937, and are now available. Mr. Henry Mayne, representing this Society on the Registration of Title Rules Committee, acting in conjunction with a Committee of the Council, devoted great energy and much time to the preparation of the Rules and had some important amendments made in them, and I would like to pay tribute to him for the work he has done. The question of editing and printing of legal text-books referred to at previous meetings has not been overlooked. The Council has been acting in co-operation with the Bar Council, but financial help which it was hoped would be available from Govern– ment sources has not as yet been forth– coming, and without such help the matter is difficult.

THE PRESIDENT, addressing the meet– ing, said : Gentlemen : I have pleasure in moving the adoption of the Report of the Council. The number of members of the Society for the current year is 793, a slight increase on the previous year. There are 1,365 Solicitors practising in the Irish Free State1 , 87 of whom are practising Solicitors resident in Northern Ireland, and have taken out from our Society certificates entitling them to practise in the Free State. It would appear that a large number of Solicitors still ignore the appeals which have been repeatedly made to join the Society which their own interests would suggest as most desirable. In these days when all bodies are strongly organized for the mutual benefit of their members and protection of their interests, it is surprising to find such a spirit of indifference in our ranks, and I would again urge this large body of apathetic members to join the Society. A vacancy occurred during the year amongst the Ordinary Members of the Council by the death of our late lamented friend, Mr. Peter Seales, which was filled from the supplemental list by the election of Mr. John J. Dundon. The Courts of Justice Act, 1936, became law on 28th November, 1936 ; the entire Act, with the exception of Section 4 and Part IV, came into operation on the passing of the Act. In certain sections of the Act provision was made for " Appointed Days." These sections are : Section 9 Transfer of lunacy and minor jurisdictions from the Chief Justice to the High Court ; Section 13 Increase of number of circuits of the Circuit Court; and Section 64 Prescribing the " Dublin Metropolitan District " for the purposes of the District Court. Section 4 (Increase in number of Judges of Supreme Court) came into operation on 22nd December, 1936, by an Order made by the Executive Council, as provided in the section.