65 / 132
DEC., 1908]
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
67
traders of Dublin might have had the ad
vantage of the various items that were set
forth.
He thought the Incorporated Law
Society ought to press that matter a little
further, and ought to find out who blocked the
Bill, and put the saddle on the right horse.
They unanimously approved of it, but it had
been blocked by some outsider, and he thought
in the interests of the solicitors' profession,
the Incorporated Law Society ought to find
out who that outsider was, and let the clients
know that they (the solicitors) had no act or
part in it, and that the Bill met with their
unanimous approval (hear, hear).
MR. GERALD BYRNE said he had not
intended addressing the meeting that day, and
would not do so were it not for the fact that
the Dublin Civil Bill Court had been mentioned
so frequently. As he happened to be one of
the members of the Association referred to by
Mr. Craig, he wished just to say a few words
on the subject. There was no doubt a great
congestion at present with reference to the
cases to be heard—defended cases—before the
Recorder. The Recorder was trying to get
through these cases at present. With
re
ference to the question of amalgamating the
~ivil Bill business of the city and county, he
(Mr. Byrne) had always been of the opinion
that it would not work well
(hear, hear).
Dublin County was a very wide district. Take,
for instance, down beyond Balbriggan, and up
near to Drogheda.
That was the northern
district, and he thought it would be a monstrous
thing to bring these poor people——
MR. CRAIG said he never suggested that
Dublin City and County should be amalga
mated, nor did the Association either. What
they did suggest was that Civil Bills from
Kilmainham should be heard at the same time
and place as the city, and that equal facilities
should be given.
MR. BYRNE said that relieved him a great
deal. He agreed with Mr. Craig that as far as
Rathmines and Kilmainham were concerned,
these cases ought to be heard in Green Street.
When the boundaries were extended, taking
in Clontarf and Kilmainham, he did not see
why cases from Rathmines—which was almost
part and parcel of the city—should not be
heard in the city. With reference to the
question of the Court for smaller debts than
were heard in the Recorder's Court, his view
was as regards the Court of Conscience that
it was a very unsafe Court for plaintiffs to have
anything to do with (hear, hear).
It was
presided over at present by a gentleman who
was not a professional man. Until the Court
of Conscience provided
itself with a pro
fessional man as President—one who was not
appointed from year to year, but was per
manently appointed by the Government at a
proper salary, and until the Court was made
a proper Court for the purpose of levying
decrees and executing its orders, so far as he
(Mr. Byrne) was concerned he would not give
it countenance or support. They on
the
Council had discussed this matter over
and
over again, and sought that there should be a
proper President appointed, not from year to
year by the votes of ^anybody at all, but by the
Government. The moment they did that they
were faced with the Treasury, and their ex
perience was that the Treasury would not give
any money to increase salaries. But he would
be against extending the jurisdiction unless a
proper appointment was made. The Council
had fallen in with that view, whether rightly or
wrongly.
The Report was adopted.
The Voting Papers.
MR. ROONEY moved :—" That this meet-
' ing are of opinion that the voting papers
' referred to in Bye-law 33 of the Bye-laws of
'the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland
' should not contain any matter liable to pre-
' judice any Candidate or affect any Voter, and
'that accordingly Bye-law 33 be amended by
' striking out the following words :
' with the
' names of the respective nominators, and giving
' the number of attendances during the year at
' Council Meetings of any Candidate who is a
' member of the outgoing Council'; and that
' the consequential alterations in the voting
'paper in Schedule C (therein called 'Ballot
'Paper') be made." He said the Bye-laws
did not actually state that the Council should
be chosen by ballot; nevertheless it was quite
clear that the poll should be by ballot.
In
passing he should like to suggest that the Bye-
laws in many respects were not drawn with that
accuracy which one would naturally expect
from the Incorporated Law Society. The Ballot
Act was passed primarily with a view to Par
liamentary elections only, but, according to
Rogers on Elections, many of its provisions—
and particularly those relating to the poll—had
been extended so as to apply to municipal
elections, elections of members of local boards,
members of Improvements Committees, Poor
Law Guardians, and members of School Boards.
The compulsory application of the Act to elec
tions in private companies, clubs, societies,