212 / 324
scription is only
£i is.
od. and any solicitor may
become a life member by paying £10 ics. od.
I am glad to be able to report that as a result
of the efforts of your Council a considerable improve
ment has been obtained in the salaries of wholetime
solicitors to local authorities so as to correspond
with the salaries paid to county medical officers of
health and county engineers. While the solicitors
concerned are few in number, the Council felt
that their claims were of importance, both as regards
the standing of the profession as well as in the
interests of the solicitors concerned.
Your Council decided some months ago to make
representations to the Department of Justice in
favour of legislation providing
for
reciprocity
between
Ireland and Great Britain as
regards
money judgments and these representations have
been duly made.
A draft memorandum has been settled by a Sub-
Committee of
the Council,
and
subsequently
approved by the Council, for submission to the
Workmen's Compensation Commission, which was
set up some time ago to examine the existing
Workmen's Compensation code, and
to
report
whether any change was necessary or desirable,
in particular in regard to the question of replacing
the present system by a scheme of national insurance.
This memorandum generally
expressed the view
that the Workmen's Compensation code as operated
through the Courts for approximately fifty years
should not be changed, and should not be trans
ferred to any administrative machine or replaced
by any scheme of national insurance.
Before I conclude, I must put on record the great
help and assistance that has been given to me
during the past six months by my two Vice-Pre
sidents, Mr. Collins and Mr. Downing, who at all
times have been only too glad, whenever required,
to help and assist me in the discharge of my duties.
I would also like to thank the members of the
Council and the various sub-committees of the
Council who have worked so well and so con
scientiously in the interests of the profession.
Finally, of course
there
is our ever-present
Secretary, Eric Plunkett, always available and so
efficient, without whose advice and assistance
I would at times have been completely at sea.
He has gone out of his way on many occasions to
help and assist me in the discharge of my duties,
and it is a tremendous consolation to me to know
that if I come up against any problem which seems
to me to be insoluble I have only to discuss the
matter with him and everything is
immediately
solved.
I must also thank his staff who are so helpful and
obliging, and who were always available and
anxious to assist me and the members of the Council
in the performance of our duties.
NEW SCHEDULE II.
The meeting then went into private business
and considered
the proposed new Schedule
II
and the Secretary's letter circulated with the agenda.
The Secretary stated that written or verbal com
munications had been received from the following
Bar Associations approving in principle of the
proposals: Drogheda, Midland Bar Association,
Wexford, Dublin, Kerry, Waterford, Mayo, Tip-
perary and Offaly, Kilkenny and Limerick. No
Association had expressed opposition. Mr. C. J.
Gore-Grimes proposed and Mr. Desmond Moran
seconded the following motion :
That this meeting approves in principle the
letter of April, 1957, concerning the new Schedule
II charges and leaves it to the Council to work
out the details.
The following amendment was proposed by
Mr. T. A. Lynch, seconded by Mr. G. G. Overend :
That the right of solicitors to elect to charge
under the existing system of itemised charges
instead of accepting a scale fee be preserved.
Messrs. T. A. Lynch, P. C. Moore, F. J. Gearty
and Matthew Purcell spoke in favour of the amend
ment. Messrs. D. P. Shaw and R. A. French
spoke against the amendment. Mr. Gore-Grimes
then asked permission to withdraw the substantive
motion which was granted. The Chairman stated
that the Council would come to a decision in the
matter and would give careful consideration to
all the views expressed at the meeting and in the
replies to the Society's circular.
COSTS OF ACQUISITIONS UNDER THE LABOURERS'
ACTS.
The meeting considered
the
letter from the
Secretary, to each member circulated with the
agenda. Messrs. Lynch, Gearty and Purcell ex
pressed the view that the President should dissent
from the Minister's proposal to make a new Order
abolishing
the
special
costs
code
under
the
Labourers' Acts. The President stated
that in
coming to a decision he would bear in mind the
views expressed by the speakers as well as replies
to the Society's circulars referred to in the letter
circulated with the agenda.
On the motion of Mr. P. C. Moore, Mr. Collins,
Vice-president, took the Chair. Mr. Moore then
proposed a vote of thanks to the President which was