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18
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
[JUNE,
1912
courted defeat and loss. With regard to the
trade unions, he agreed with Mr. Brady that
in endeavouring to obtain rights which only
Solicitors and Banisters should have, they
were absolutely breaking the first law of
trades unionism (hear, hear). The only way
to remedy the matter would be to have a
general strike of Solicitors. He was sure if
they ever had to undergo
that terrible
experience Mr. Brady would be the Jim
Larkin (laughter and applause).
MR. BRADY said he was pleased to see
that the North and South Dublin Unions,
also Balrothery Union
now had
their
Solicitors ;
so after all he thought they had
done some good.
MR. D. A. QUAID said action should
always be taken before the event. It seemed
to him to be a very strange thing that all
this legislation could be enacted without
protest, effective protest. Most of
these
Bills Labourers and other Bills were sent
to the Grand Committee on Law, and it
seemed to him strange that the Council of the
Incorporated Law Society were not able to
deal with these matters. He thought, with
all respect, that a little more energy should
be
imported
into
the scrutiny of
these
matters in the House of Commons.
MR. RICE (Vice-President) said that Mr.
Quaid was mistaken in thinking the Council
was not keeping the closest watch on pending
legislation.
But it was a different thing
fighting a clause and to succeed in getting it
eliminated, particularly when the Govern–
ment of the day insisted on it.
THE PRESIDENT said that his experience
was that the Council got those Bills, read them,
and considered how they affected the pro–
fession, and then made representations to
try and have them amended. On several
occasions during the last seven or eight years
they had succeeded in getting amendments
made.
If they looked at the Shops Act they
would see
it brought in portion of the
Factories Act. The Section (Sec. 120) that
provided that inspectors, if authorised in
writing, though not a Counsel, Solicitor, or
law agent, could prosecute and conduct or
defend before a Court of summary jurisdic–
tion, had been omitted. He thought it was
a great thing for the Incorporated Law
Society to have this Section struck out.
It
showed that they did not wait until after
the event. Another matter was the Coroners
Bill, which was brought in at the instance of
the Labour Party. They wanted in that
Bill to get power to attend Coroners' Courts
and to examine witnesses. That Bill would
be down for second reading the following day;
but it was a private Member's Bill. He hap–
pened to be in London last week on business
connected with the Incorporated Law Society,
and he took the opportunity of urging on the
English Law Society to support them in
opposing the Bill.
The resolution proposed by Mr. Brady was
then put, with the following words added :
" And to secure that the claims of the legal
" profession
to
legal appointments, such
" as
Resident Magistrates,
be
further
" recognised,"
and
was
unanimously
adopted.
The proceedings then terminated.
Meetings of the Council.
0
May 1st.
National Insurance Act.
A LETTER was read from a country member
asking the opinion of the Council on the
etiquette of a Solicitor undertaking to act as
Board of Trade Agent under the unemploy–
ment portion of the National Insurance Act.
The Council directed a reply stating they
would not consider the acceptance by a
Solicitor of such an office to be a breach of
professional etiquette.
Dublin Sessions Bar.
A letter was read from the Hon. Sec. of
the Dublin Sessions Bar requesting informa–
tion as to the action of the Council in reference
to rules under the Labourers Acts, and in
reference to the National Insurance Act.
A
reply stating the action of the Council relative
to both matters was approved of. A further
letter was read from the Hon. Sec. of the
Dublin Sessions Bar suggesting some amend–
ments to the Bye-laws of the Society. A
reply was
directed
giving
information
relative to the settlement of the particular
Bye-laws referred to, at general meetings in
recent years.