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JUNE, 1915]

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

13

criminal cases. They had received expres-

,

sions of opinion in favour of a Court of

Criminal Appeal in Ireland both from the

Northern Law Society and the Southern Law

Association, as well

as

from

individual

members of the profession.

The Council,

therefore, reported in favour of the passing

of legislation to create a similar Court for

Ireland.

If they adopted the views of the

Council in reference to these Acts he would

suggest that for the present no steps should

be taken beyond forwarding a resolution to

the Law Officers of the Crown and the Irish

Members of Parliament. Legislation would

be necessary, and he need hardly say that at

a time like the present it was not to be

expected

that such

legislation would be

initiated, but they looked forward with hope

to a time of peace, when this and other

desirable

legislation

could

be

promoted

(applause).

The President concluded by

moving a resolution :

" That the extension to Ireland of the

" Criminal Appeal Act, 1907, is desirable,

" and that the extension to Ireland of the

" Criminal Evidence Act, 1898,

is not

" desirable."

MR.

JAMES MOORE, Vice-President,

seconded the resolution.

MR. JAMES BRADY said he was glad to

know

that his Northern and Southern

brethren were in accord with him with regard

to the Criminal Evidence Act, and their views

should be given some attention to.

If the

question were put to a vote of the entire

profession he would, he thought, win easily

on the subject. At courtmartials prisoners

were allowed to make statements in their

own defence, and in 99 cases out of every

100 of these prosecutions the prisoner was

acquitted ;

and he was at a loss to under–

stand why the Council, h:\ving regard to the

opinions expressed, should not approve of

the idea of extending the system to Ireland.

Before adopting that portion of the report

he considered the question should get some

more ventilation amongst the members of

the profession generally. The public were in

favour of it, anil he considered it a hardship

that, in a case in which a man was impleaded

that day before a magistrate for breaking into

the house, of a German, he should have his

mouth shut while he was being tried on the

charge preferred against him.

MR. MACNAMARA

said

the greatest

consideration was given to the question by

the Council, who had the advantage of having

the opinions of several members from the

country in coming to their decision. After

considering the view held in regard to it in

England, where it was called the " hanging

statute," they thought it more advisable

that this Act should not be extended to this

country.

MR. JOSEPH ALLEN (Lisburn) said it

was the view of the Northern members of

the profession that the Act, with the safe–

guards

in

the English Act,

should

be

extended to Ireland.

MR. R. BLAIR WHITE said he could bear

testimony to the great consideration given

by the Council to this matter. The opinions

of a large number of members of their

profession had been obtained outside the

Northern Law Society and the Southern

Law Association,

and

those had

to be

taken

into account, and had

influenced

the Council in arriving at their decision.

However,

having

regard

to

the

views

expressed, he moved that the consideration

of that portion of the resolution relating to

the Criminal Evidence Act, 1898, should be

adjourned until the November meeting.

MR. GAMBLE seconded the amendment,

which, on being put to the meeting, was

agreed to ;

and the portion of the resolution

relating to the Criminal Appeal Act, 1907,

was unanimously adopted.

MR. W. J. SHANNON moved: "That

" in future the Press be not invited to be

" present at the Half-yearly General Meeting

" of the Society held in the month of May,"

and in doing so stated that this recommenda–

tion was made by the Council as a result of

a request contained in a letter to the Council

from a member written on behalf of some

junior members of the Society, who felt that

from

time

to

time questions might be

discussed

there of much interest to the

profession, but of little public interest, and

in which discussion junior members who

hesitated to take part in public discussions

might desire to take part. He thought there

was much to be said in support of the

suggestion.