The Gazette 1913-14

[JUNE, 1913

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society ol Ireland.

16

many people, that was the vacations and sittings at Easter and Whitsuntide. As the matter was so much talked about outside, he thought it should be known that it had not been left to outsiders to deal with. It had had the serious and continuous consideration of the Council. Last year they made repre– sentations on the subject, but those repre– sentations did not result in any change or alteration being made in the rules of the Court by reason of the difficulties which arose as to circuit. However, they had at present negotiations pending which he hoped would result successfully this year. They had framed a rule for the consideration of the rule-making authority, which he hoped would minimise, if it did not altogether get rid of, the difficulties which were made in spite of their representations last year. In conclusion, the President .said he found the room in the Society's premises provided by the Council for the President to be of very great advantage, and he thought the existence of such a room would bring before the public and the members of the profession the fact that the President of the Society was there for the benefit of the Society, and for the benefit of every member who wanted to consult with him (hear, hear). MR. JAMES BRADY said it appeared to him that the whole matter of County Court procedure, in which he had taken an interest for many years, was now a dead letter. Could they make no further progress with reference to it ? he meant was all the time, attention, trouble and anxiety on behalf of the Society and in the interests of the public now gone by the board; and had the Government made up their minds to cast the Bill to the winds, and say no more about it ? If that was the determination of the Government, he thought some strong step ought to be taken with regard to the matter. Personally he was sorry that a Com– mission of Inquiry had not been held, as it would have made it perfectly plain that there was no answer to the demand for reform. MR. ROONEY called attention to a rule which had grown up in the Chancery Division, by which all advertisements relating to incumbrancers and creditors were published exclusively in the General Advertiser. He had nothing to say against that paper, but he thought the principle was wrong, and that

the Chief Secretary a very important admis– sion : " That the difficulties in the existing procedure have been long recognised by the j mercantile community, the practitioners in the County Courts, and the County Court Judges." In addition, they received the following appreciation : " That the difficulties were dealt with very fully in the two Bills introduced by the Society in 1910 and 1911." The proposal at that time made by the Chief Secretary was to ask the Lord Chancellor to send the Bills to the County Court Judges so that the latter might make suggestions, amendments or alterations. The Council subsequently asked the Chief Secretary to arrange that the Council should see the sug– gestions of the County Court Judges, so that observations might be made upon them. There was again a very considerable delay. The request made by the Society was treated as reasonable, but up to the May meeting last year no report was received from the Judges, and it was not till between that and the November meeting they got the sug– gestions of the County Court Judges, who reported to the Chancellor. In a great many instances they were able to agree with the Judges, and since November the Council had done everything in its power to push on this measure of reform as a Government measure, but as late as the 13th March, when the Chief Secretary was asked in the House as to the state of matters, he was obliged to say he was not yet in a position to make any state– ment. Those were the bald facts of the case. It was not for him to apportion either praise or blame ; he left the facts with them, and it was for the public and the profession outside to assist the Council in every way in their power. As to the Under Sheriffs' Bill, they had been reproached with having thrown it over, but since the January meeting they had been able to show the Under Sheriffs that the reproach was undeserved. They had assisted the Under Sheriffs before, and they had continued to assist them, while at a Council meeting in J anuary they passed a very special resolution in favour of the measure, so as to assist them in a conference they intended to have with the Chamber of Commerce in Dublin. Another matter of very great importance to the public, and also to the profession, was the question which was at present agitating the minds of a great