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GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER1984
sacrosanct, but he accepted that the Society had the right
to charge the Fund in respect of administration expenses.
However, he thought that a 16% charge was somewhat
out of line. Mr. F. Daly made the point that while the
expenses might be high, the Fund had the services of high
powered people in the Investigating Accountants and
such people had to be paid the going rate. Mr. T.C.G.
O'Mahony commended the Society for organising the
Practice Advisory Service, but objected to the lack of
confidentiality in the investigating of accounts in that the
Investigating Accountant reported to the Compensation
Fund Committee in detail. He would like to have the
extent to which the Investigating Accountants reported
tightly specified. Mr. A. Collins pointed out that the
purpose of the Compensation Fund Committee was to
protect the Compensation Fund. Solicitors generally
should welcome investigations particularly as they could
draw attention to minor shortcomings in the operation of
solicitors' accounts.
Finance
Mr. T. Shaw detailed the charges proposed in respect of
membership, the Compensation Fund and the Practising
Certificate in the coming year. He then proposed the
following Resolution regarding the membership
subscription which had been amended to take account of
Mr. Doyle's suggestion that a reduced subscription be
provided for in the case of solicitors who were on the Roll
of Solicitors for 40 years or more:
'That Bye Law 3 of the Society be revoked and that
the following Bye Law be submitted:
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The Annual Membership Subscription shall be:
(a) Practising Members admitted to the Roll of
Solicitors
(i) for 3 years or upwards
(ii) for less than 3 years
(iii) for first year of practice
(iv) for 40 years or upwards
£50
£25
£ 1
£25
(b) Practising Members admitted to the Roll of
Solicitors
(i) under 65 years of age
(ii) over 65 years of age
£25
£12
94St.Stephen'
sGreen,
Dublin2.
of such sum or sums as the Society in general
meeting may from time to time determine, and shall
be payable in advance of 6th January each year or
on acceptance as a member provided that a new
member accepted and joining the Society for the
first time after the 1st July in any year shall be
required to pay only half the appropriate subscrip-
tion to the following 5th January and such new
member shall be entitled to vote at the then ensuing
election for the Council provided that he shall have
been a member at least the week before the date of
the election.'
The resolution was formally proposed by Mr. Thomas
D. Shaw and seconded by Mr. Ernest J. Margetson and
was adopted.
Benevolent Association
Speaking on the work of the Solicitors' Benevolent
Association, Mr. Eunan McCarron (Chairman) said that
at the close of the current year, the overdraft of the
Association would stand at £20,000. This was due to the
level of claims. At a subscription of £20, which had been
proposed, the subscription income would be about
£50,000, against payments amounting to £60,000. This
posed a question for the Association as to whether it should
sell its investments. Demands were increasing steadily
and the monthly meetings of the Committee now take
three and four hours since they deal with approximately
50 applications at each meeting. Almost every one of the
applicants for assistance was on State support.
Mr. McCarron hoped that members appreciated the
gravity of the situation and would impress it on their
colleagues. He thanked the President for his help during
the year, particularly on his visits to the Bar Associations.
Mr. Crivon said the report was a reflection of what was
happening in the profession, and a lot of practitioners
were in difficulty.
Referring to the financial reports, in particular those of
the Law School, he asked if the increase in expenditure
was justified. Mr. Shaw pointed out that the reports as
presented by the Auditors showed figures for an 8-month
period in one instance and a 12-month period in the other.
This gave rise to distortion. He assured Mr. Crivon that
insofar as the Finance Committee was concerned, it
operated the Association's financial programme on a very
tight rein. Mr. P. Prentice suggested that the Benevolent
Association might publish its accounts with the Society's
Annual Report. This would bring the present difficult
situation more clearly to the members.
Professional Purposes
Mr. T.C.G. O'Mahony commented that he had
r
.ot seen
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