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DECEMBER, 1929]
The Gacette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
27
.gratified that we have got through a great
amount of useful work for the profession.
Those of you who have not served as yet
upon the Council can have little idea of the
amount of work and the many calls upon
time which have to be performed and obeyed
by any serving in the true spirit, and I
would like to pay tribute to the members
of our profession who have served upon the
Council in the last year. They are all busy
men, and many of them live very far away,
but each and all have given wonderful
.attendance and valuable service.
MEMBERSHIP OF TEE SOCIETY.
The membership of
the Society keeps
fairly constant, but I can never understand
why each member of our profession is not
a member of the Incorporated Law Society
of Ireland.
I had the extreme pleasure of being able
to accept the invitation of the Incorporated
Law Society of Northern Ireland just a week
ago, and I think it may interest you to know
that quite a large number of members of
•our Northern sister Society are members
•of
our society, and they expressed their
j leasure and determination to continue their
membership and the hope that they would
increase that common membership.
I know that we shall always have some
who for one particular reason or another
will stay outside the
ranks though they
practise under the protection of our Society,
but they are few, and I am satisfied that in
some cases abstention is caused by absence
of knowledge.
It is with feelings of thankfulness that
I note that since our last Half-yearly meeting
no
vacancies on the Council have been caused
by death, though I must mention the sudden
demise of a true friend of the Society in Master
Macnamara.
THE LEGAL PRACTITIONERS' (Qualifica
tion) BILL.
This Bill with amendments has become
law, and while in its amended form it is
less objectionable to that when introduced,
I cannot say that it has been received with
kindly feelings by any member of our pro
fession, but I have stated on behalf of the
Council that we shall ask our profession
to loyally carry out the spirit of the Act as
well as the letter, and I know we shall do so,
because after all no matter what some people
may say, the Solicitors of Ireland are a
loyal law abiding integral part of the com
munity.
I feel that although we carry out the Act,
it may prove to be the winding sheet of
some political reputations, but there it is,
and we have already considered the necessary
and suitable Regulations for putting the
Act into effect.
CERTIFICATE DUTY.
You will note that our efforts, more than
ably assisted by
the
Incorporated Law
Society of Northern Ireland, have borne fruit,
and now it is not necessary for a Solicitor
practising in Northern Ireland as well as
in the Irish Free State, admitted before 1st
October, 1921, or a Solicitor who on that
date was an apprentice, to pay more than one
certificate duty for
the privilege of so
practising.
I here pay willing tribute to Mr. J. H. G.
Wilson, the President of the Incorporated
Law Society of Northern Ireland, and his
Council, but
for whose seconding
and
supporting our efforts
this happy and
reasonable state of affairs could not have
been brought about.
INCOME TAX COLLECTION.
The Council have,
I believe, properly
safeguarded the interest of the profession
as
to actions by Income Tax Collectors
suing in person, and as to the suggested
alteration in the Circuit Court Fee Funds.
CIRCUIT COURT RULES.
The Rules for the procedure in the Circuit
Court have been passed by the Circuit
Courts Rule Making Committee. We are
represented on
that Committee by Mr.
Bradley and Mr. Morgan, who have worked
energetically.
COURTS OF JUSTICE ACT;
The question of amending the Courts of
Justice Act, 1924, is to be considered by a
Joint Committee of both Houses, and there
fore I say little on the subject, other than
that the inquiry is due to the attitude of