67 / 116
DEC., 1907]
The Gazette of the Incorporated JJavj Society of Ireland.
65
they were not sure they were going to get the
purchase-money, or half of it, under the agree
ments that had been lodged. The Treasury
seemed to be the common butt; but he under
stood that at no time had the Land Commission
been held up for want of money. There might
be, of course, some difficulty in raising funds ;
but it was not the cause of the delay. The
cause of the delay was the minute inspection
arid bad arrangement of the present staff.
MR. WILLIAM FRY said he would
like
to congratulate the profession on the meeting
they had
that day, because he thought it
would be within the recollection of some of
them, that for years past they had not had so
representative a meeting. He thought they had
a right to explain to their country friends that
there was not a single letter that came from
the .country from any member of the profession
that svas not carefully attended to; and he
thought Mr. Wakely would bear him out in
saying that in the particular case Mr. M. J.
Byrne had referred
to he did not think it
ever reached him. An isolated case such as
Mr. Byrne had told them of was hardly a fair
sample of the way the work of the country was
attended to.
The Council was not alone
composed of men frqm the city, but there
were on it men from every province in Ireland.
They were in touch with the Northern and
Southern Law Societies; and, speaking after
twenty years' experience, he might say that
never had a request of the kind been neglected.
Of course requests were not always complied
.with—the Council must use its own discretion
as to whether a certain case ought to be taken
up or ought not—in the way a member might
ask; but every letter was well considered.
Dealing with the question of land-purchase
delays, he observed from the paper that Mr.
Birrell took the blame for the delays more or
less on his own department; but he said that
the present system could not last for ever.
'And it occurred
to him that as Mr. Birrell
enumerated the enormous staff of officials at
present engaged
in carrying the Act into
effect, that if the Treasury saved the expense
of all the inspectors and others who were now
prome'nading all round Ireland, and applied it
to the purchase-money of some of the estates
locked up in the department for so long, it
would be better in the public interest. But as
long as the present system lasted, they must
expect that cases would not go on as fast as
they, professional men, would work it. When
the Bill became law, their profession gave an
undertaking, that
they as members of the
community would do their level best to make
that. Act of Parliament work smoothly; and
they had been loyal to that, and had never
brqken faith, and they might be proud of nosy
few cases appeared in the list to account for
delays.
It was not their fault that only 2000
of the 6000 originating applications on the file
had been disposed of, and he attributed ^haf
to pnly one cause—want of money. There were
now a couple of vacancies in the examiners'
posts in the Land Commission, and the Council
were pressing the claims of the solicitors' pro
fession to fill thern.
Their men were rnpre
suite.d for the post than others, after the course
of examinatiqns they went fhrqugh, and the
training they got at the Jjands of their lecturers
and exarniners. Tljey were capable of fillipg
these positions; ancj he claimed as a right tfiat
their profession should not be. passed over on
the present qccasipn, and that' their profession
should be recognized in connexion with the
two vacant posts of examiners" (Jj.ear, hear).
There were other matters of deep jnlerest jn
the report, to whic^i the members might well
turn their attention.
If those genflernen fronj
the country who complained would only take
the trouble of studying that report, they would
say it was a record of good work. If they were
all united, neither the Local Government Board
nor any other Board could refuse to receive a
deputation ; but now the Board could afford to
shrug their shoulders and say, " Oh, they are
only solicitors." They asked for support, and
he trusted as one result of their meeting that
day, that far more members of the profession
would join the Society (applause).
MR. R. A. MACNAMARA said that, as a
member of a Committee that did work sent them
by the Council, he could say that no application
from the country had failed to be dealt with.
One of the reasons why as many cases as they
would like had not .been dealt with was the
want of funds, which these gentlemen in the
country did not supply, not being members. If
the gentleman from Kerry would send in such a
question as Mr. M. J. Byrne had referred to, it
would be considered by the Council; and if they
came to the conclusion it was one that ought
to be attended to, it would be done. They had
to pay Counsel, and had other outlay ; and they
could not do the work if solicitors through the
country would not contribute to the Society.
The solicitors of Irelaad had the matter of the
election of the Council in their own hands, and
if they did not pay, and become members, and
vote for the Council, why should they grumble
at the Council as it stood ? (hear, hear).