129 / 216
JUNE, 1923]
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
interest
in
agricultural progress
in his
County. Mr. Lewis F. Kenny, a member of
this Council, died this month, and thereby
the Council have lost a valued colleague and
the profession a worthy member.
Since our last meeting, consequent on the
destruction of our buildings
and
their
contents,
the work of
the Society has
continued to be carried on under the same
disadvantages as were pointed out to you
by my predecessor when he addressed you
•six months
ago.
Notwithstanding
the
difficulties, however, the work of your Society
has been diligently pursued
by
your Council,
and many matters of importance to the
public and to the profession have been dealt
with. Amongst these was the consideration
of the Bill relating to the compensation for
injury to property and persons in respect to
which suggestions were submitted to
the
Government.
The continuance of the Rent Restriction
Act was another matter to which your
Council gave their attention ; your President
was one of the Committee nominated by the
Government to enquire into and report on
the operation of the existing Act and on the
policy of the continuance of the Act either
in its present or in an amended form.
During the enquiry some members of our
profession attended before and afforded
valuable
information
to
the Committee.
The new or continuing Act has not yet,
however, been introduced, but it appears an
early item in the pending list of legislative
enactments. The report of the Committee,
however,
has
been
published
by
the
Government.
Complaint having been made
to
the
Judicial Commissioner as to unnecessary or
unexplained delay of members of the pro
fession in proceeding with allocation of funds
when same were brought to credit, on the
order
of
the
Judicial Commissioner
a
peremptory notice calling attention to the
complaint appeared in the
Legal Diary.
It
was submitted to your Council that this
notice might be read as a general complaint
or reflection on members of the profession,
the greater number of whom were free from
blame. Accordingly, a deputation from the
Council had an interview with the Judicial
Commissioner in reference to the notice,
when it was arranged that the publication
of same should be discontinued, the Council
undertaking
to direct
the attention
of
members of the profession to the urgent
necessity of prompt action in all matters of
allocation,
so
that no
future cause of
complaint should arise.
The Council desire again
to draw the
attention of members to this necessity on the
part of Solicitors having conduct of sales, so
that the allocation of funds shall take place
before the closing day. Should unexpected
difficulties arise the Judicial Commissioner
informed the deputation that he would be
always ready to hear applications in reference
to difficulties arising from the Examiner's
requisitions, and to give such assistance as
might be in his power to facilitate the
compliance with, or discharge of,
these
requisitions.
The Council received in January last a
joint deputation of members of the Royal
Institute of Architects and the Institute of
Civil Engineers, who made representation to
the Council as to the advisability of the
employment by members of the legal pro
fession of professionally qualified persons in
the preparation of claims for the assessment
of damages in malicious injury cases, and the
Council received lists of names so that they
might be able to supply to members of this
Society the names of qualified persons.
A Committee of the Council devoted much
time and consideration to the matter of the
reference to the Judiciary Commission which
is still pending, and the same subject was
also considered by the General Council of
the Provincial Bar Associations of the Irish
Free State. A conference between the two
bodies resulted in one joint report.
This
report
contained
suggestions
for
the
establishment of Courts and the distribution
of legal business and proceedings between the
Supreme Court and
those of
restricted
jurisdiction, and it was forwarded to the
Judiciary Commission.
If the suggestions
contained in that report are adopted your
Council feel confident that the results will
be beneficial to the public and helpful to the
profession, especially to those members who
are engaged in country practice.
As many
inconveniences and,
indeed,
hardships have been experienced since the