221 / 736
ing lectures with those of the various universities still
remains in spite of every effort to reduce it. It seems
quite clear to me that there is no solution to the problem
of education other than that proposed in the Society's
Memorandum to the Commission on higher education,
namely
that
the student will pursue his
theoretical
studies first and his practical studies as a post-graduate.
I also
indicated to you
in my
last address that we
favoured a single law school and discussions are now
proceeding between representatives of the Society, Kings
Inns and the two Universities with this in view. These
discussions cannot be allowed to drag on and if an early
solution on those Hues is not to be obtained the Council
will have to take such measures for its own students
as they think necessary.
Conclusion
As will be seen from the report and from my preceed-
ing remarks it has been a year of varied and very in
tensive activity. I never ceased to be impressed by the
diligence and enthusiasm with which the members of
the Council do their work which makes very serious
demands on their time. There are eleven Council meet
ings in the vear which start at 2.30 p.m. and usually
conclude about 5 p.m. but the business of these meetings
are confined largely to matters of policy. You can gather
from the report that an immense amount of work has to
be done in committee. Every member of the Council
serves on at least two of the standing committee:; but
besides
these standing committees there are numerous
ad hoc committees such as the Public Relations Com
mittee, the Kings' Hospital Committee. In addition mem
bers of
the Council have
to serve on outside com
mittees, such as Rule Making Committees and so on
and of course for all these matters they have to do their
homework. These activities make enormous demands on
their time and energy. Members from some parts of the
country attending a Council or a Committee Meeting
may count on losing three days from their office. They
are also subjected to no small expense. During the year
I received, as did my predecessors, from these members
of
the Council, their wholehearted work
in whatever
aspect of the Society's activities was assigned to them
and I am deeply grateful to them for their co-operation
with me and for
their patience with me on many
occasions.
I should also like to thank my many brethern in the
Local Bar Associations all over Ireland who received me
so graciously and kindly throughout the year.
I would like to think that this has been a year which
marks a change in the outlook of the Society. As has
been pointed out many times by predecessors and others
the Society is a body with two functions, the protection
of its members and the protection of the public, and
these two functions are sometimes difficult to reconcile.
It tends to produce in the Society something of a nega
tive attitude. I
think in
the future the Society must
step over from the negative to the positive and become
a promotional organisation with the service of its mem
bers as one of
its principal,
if not
its very prime
object and I feel that this must in the future be the
outstanding mark of the Society.
To anyone of you who has not been President it is
difficult
to conceive
the efficient
streamlined
service
which is provided for him by Mr. Plunkett our Secretary
and his staff. We are indeed fortunate in having the
services of a gentleman of such great experience and
wisdom and who is completely devoted to his work and
the service of this profession and its members. He
is
supported by a staff who
from
the highest
to
the
humblest are marked by unfailing courtesy and attention
to duty. When I say that I am grateful to them for all
the help I have received from them all during the year,
I hope that they will take this as no empty compliment.
Gentlemen, I have the honour to propose to you the
adoption o fthe report of the Incorporated Law Society
of Ireland for 1967/68.
The President proposed for adoption the An
nual Report which was seconded by James W.
O'Donovan and carried unanimously.
Motion that bye-law three of the Society be re
voked and that the following bye-law be substi
tuted :—
The annual membership subscription shall be
£5 for a member who has been admitted to the
roll of solicitors for three years or upwards
and £2 10s for all others and shall be payable
in advance on 6th January in each year or
on acceptance as a member provided that a
new member accepted and joining the Society
for the first time after 1st July in any year
shall be required to pay only half the appro
priate subscription to the following January
5th 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 one week before the date of
the election.
Proposed by
the President,
seconded
by
James W. O'Donovan and carried unanim
ously.
Mr. McLoughlin suggested that a model of the
Society's new building should be prepared and
placed on display. The President indicated that
this would be done when
the plan had been
finalised.
Gerard M. Doyle enquired whether anything
had been done with regard to solicitors' costs in
legal aid cases. The President said that a memor
andum had been submitted to the Department of
Justice and would be discussed in due course.
Eunan McCarron proposed a vote of thanks to
the President for his services to the Society during
his year of office which vote was carried with
acclamation. The President having replied,
the
proceedings terminated.
MEETINGS OF TOE COUNCIL
12th December 1968: President
(Mr. Noonan)
in the chair and later Mr. McCarron
in
the
chair also present Messrs. Ralph
J. Walker,