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DECEMBER, 1917]
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
49
late member of that Council, and one who
had in the short time he was with them given
the benefit of his ripe experience, particularly
on questions of practice, and had been very
helpful and worked very hard on the various
Committees on which he acted.
Prime Minister and Attorney-General.
This year was remarkable in the Solicitors'
profession, owing to the fact that Mr. Lloyd
George, the Prime Minister of England, and
the Right Honourable
James O'Connor,
K.C., Attorney-General for Ireland, were the
first Solicitors who have been appointed to
these offices.
The Irish Convention.
It was thought at one time that the Irish
Convention might require the use of that
hall and of certain of the rooms adjoining
for the purposes of their meetings, and Lord
Southborough (then Sir Francis Hopwood)
inspected the buildings, but, as they knew,
the offer of the buildings in Trinity College
was
ultimately
accepted.
The Council
earnestly hoped that the deliberations of the
Convention might result in the production
of a scheme for the future government of
Ireland generally acceptable and
to
the
advantage and welfare of this country in
which they were .all so vitally interested.
As to the work done by the Council during
the year, they had to consider numerous new
Bills, Acts, and Rules to be made thereunder,
including
" The Dublin
Reconstruction
(Emergency Provisions) Act," " The Repre
sentation of the People Bill," " The Increase
of Rent and Mortgage Interest Act," and
" The Courts
(Emergency Powers) Acts,
1917." As regards
" The Representation of the People Bill,"
a very important point as regards Solicitors,
and particularly country Solicitors, was
raised by the Bill as originally drafted. As
far as England was concerned, it was pro
vided
that
the duties of
the office of
Registration Officer, which was created by
the Bill, should be performed by the Clerks
of the County and Borough Councils, and
i
that the Councils should pay to such officers
Increased Salaries
for their care and attention in
the per
formance of
these duties ;
but,
in
the
application to Ireland, the Bill provided that
the Clerks of the Crown and Peace should be
the Registration Officers.
The County
Council were directed to pay the expenses
of such officers, who were not, however, to
make any charge for the additional trouble,
care and attention which were imposed on
them as Registration Officers. While this
Council were of opinion that the Clerk of the
Crown and Peace was the best qualified officer
to perform the duties in question (which were
of a semi-legal character), they were
Also of Opinion
that he should receive remuneration for the
additional duties in addition to his fixed
salary of office. A resolution to this effect
was sent to the various Members whose
names appeared on the Bill, and all Members
of Parliament for Ireland, and we are glad
to say that in Committee on the Bill an
amendment was
inserted
allowing
the
Treasury to increase the salary of the Clerk
of the Crown and Peace, having regard to
his additional duties. The question of
Judges Measuring Costs
against the desire of the party to whom the
costs were payable, and in the absence of
any special circumstances, had been pressed
very strongly by the Council, and they were
glad to observe that in a recent case in
which the Lord Chief Justice was requested
by the party who had been directed to pay
the cost of a motion, to measure same, his
lordship declined to do so, and stated that
unless the party to whom the costs are
payable makes the request,
the costs of
motions should be under the scale
fixed
by
the rules, subject
to taxation.
This
measuring of costs has worked a great