77 / 200
DECEMBER, 1937]
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
63
THE PRESIDENT, addressing the meet–
ing, said :
Gentlemen :
I have pleasure in moving
the adoption of the Report of the Council.
The number of members of the Society for
the current year is 793, a slight increase on
the previous year. There are 1,365 Solicitors
practising in the Irish Free State1 , 87 of whom
are practising Solicitors resident in Northern
Ireland, and have taken out from our Society
certificates entitling them to practise in the
Free State.
It would appear that a large number of
Solicitors still ignore the appeals which have
been repeatedly made to join the Society
which their own interests would suggest as
most desirable. In these days when all bodies
are strongly organized for the mutual benefit
of their members and protection of their
interests, it is surprising to find such a spirit
of indifference in our ranks, and I would again
urge this large body of apathetic members to
join the Society.
A vacancy occurred during
the year
amongst
the Ordinary Members of
the
Council by the death of our late lamented
friend, Mr. Peter Seales, which was filled
from the supplemental list by the election of
Mr. John J. Dundon.
The Courts of Justice Act, 1936, became
law on 28th November, 1936 ;
the entire
Act, with the exception of Section 4 and
Part IV, came into operation on the passing
of the Act.
In certain sections of the Act
provision was made for " Appointed Days."
These sections are :
Section 9 Transfer of lunacy and minor
jurisdictions from the Chief Justice to
the High Court ;
Section 13 Increase of number of circuits
of the Circuit Court; and
Section
64 Prescribing
the
" Dublin
Metropolitan District " for the purposes
of the District Court.
Section 4 (Increase in number of Judges
of Supreme Court) came into operation on
22nd December, 1936, by an Order made by
the Executive Council, as provided in the
section.
The 20th January, 1937, was by Statutory
Order fixed as the Appointed Day for the
purposes of Section 9, the effect of which
was to transfer to the President of the High
Court the jurisdiction in lunacy and minor
matters and to create the office of Registrar
of Wards of Court.
The Superior Court Rules Committee has
adopted rules regulating procedure on the
hearing of appeals from the Circuit Court to
the High Court on Circuit, under Part IV
of the Courts of Justice Act, 1936, and these
rules, when approved of by the Minister for
Justice, will come into operation on a day to
be fixed for the coming into operation of
Part IV of the Act.
It is expected that the new procedure in
connection with the hearing of appeals in
local venues will come into operation early
in 1938.
I regret to say that there are still over one
hundred Circuit Court Appeals
awaiting
hearing, and until these have been dealt with,
representations will continue to be made for
the purpose of having them disposed of at
an early date.
The altered procedure in connection with
the hearing of appeals is an added reason
why all
the existing appeals should be
rapidly dealt with.
As you are no doubt aware a new code of
rules and procedure under the Local Registra–
tion of Title Acts will come into force on
the first day of December, 1937, and are now
available.
Mr. Henry Mayne, representing this Society
on the Registration of Title Rules Committee,
acting in conjunction with a Committee of
the Council, devoted great energy and much
time to the preparation of the Rules and had
some important amendments made in them,
and I would like to pay tribute to him for
the work he has done.
The question of editing and printing of
legal
text-books
referred
to at previous
meetings has not been overlooked.
The
Council has been acting in co-operation with
the Bar Council, but financial help which it
was hoped would be available from Govern–
ment sources has not as yet been forth–
coming, and without such help the matter is
difficult.