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DECEMBER, 19111
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
59
and we still desire to do our best to make it
so. The very serious delays in the Registra
tion of Titles Office having frequently come
under the notice of your Council, we inquired
into the matter and ascertained the facts,
and, then as you will see from the Report,
we passed a strong resolution, which we
forwarded to the various authorities, and we
must have made our case very clear, for
without any delay the request for an increase
in the staff, which was heretofore neglected,
was at once acceded to.
In the defence of
the rights of our profession, your Council
have not shirked their responsibilities, how
ever trying, and no matter who the personages
might 'be who, wittingly or unwittingly,
sought to attack them. You will see this by
the paragraph relating to Coroners' Courts,
which I commend to your consideration.
This is the first year I have acted on the
Statutory Committee, but I feel from my
experience that I am entitled to say that I
look upon that Committee as one of great
importance to the public and to our pro
fession. The public who avail themselves of
it always get unbiassed and speedy justice.
I am glad to say that the vast majority of
complaints made against our brethren are
fanciful, and seldom go beyond the Com
mittee.
(Hear, hear.)
I will not detain you
by going in detail into the various other
matters dealt with by the Report.
I am
glad that the membership of the Society has
increased ;
it is now over 800, this being
the highest number on record—(applause)—
but we want it to still further increase, until,
as we hope, every member of the profession
will also be a member of the Society. (Hear,
hear.)
In the Report you will find para
graphs dealing with the Belfast Corporation
Bill, the assessment of increment value duty,
the Finance Bill, Guaranteed Land Stock,
the Taxing Office, Parliamentary elections,
questions of costs, and various other matters
of interest to the profession which have
engaged the attention of your Council during
the year.
It has been a busy one, and the
work entailed has occupied a great deal of
the time of your Council, which they have
|
willingly given for the benefit of their pro
fession. We trust you will believe that we
have during our term of office endeavoured
to look after your interests, and to uphold
the honour and dignity of the Society.
In
conclusion,
I wish
to
thank my
fellow-
members of the outgoing Council for the con
sideration, invariable courtesy, and assistance
they have ungrudgingly afforded me in the
discharge of my duties.
I move the adoption
of the report.
(Applause.)
MR. BRADLEY (Vice-President) :
I beg
to second the motion.
There is nothing
really left for me to say, after the very full
manner in which our President has dealt
with the various subjects, with the exception,
perhaps, of just one matter which probably
comes home to myself more than anything
else.
I refer to the County Courts (Ireland) Bill.
Now, your Council have taken a great deal
of trouble in connection with that Bill, and
I do not want to say for a moment that it
is a perfect Bill ;
but at all events, the Bill
has been approved of by both the Northern
and Southern Branches of
the Society,
approved of by Green Street Sessions Bar,
and last, but not least, by the Chamber of
Commerce of Dublin ; and yet, unfortunately,
it has met with opposition in the House.
Air. Brady, who I am very glad to see here
to-day, tells me that there is not the slightest
possibility of that Bill going through during
the present session.
But I do hope that
the new Council will ask Mr. Brady to re-
introduce that Bill in the next Session.
If
it is introduced I can only trust and hope
sincerely
that
those gentlemen who are
blocking it now will realise that the Bill is
the best we can do, and will withdraw their
opposition, so that it may become law.
If
it does become law I believe it will be found of
immense advantage not only to the profession
but
to
the commerce of
this country.
(Applause).
MR. JAMES BRADY : Mr. President, I
have listened with some attention to you
dealing with the Report.
I think the Report
is a very interesting one from the point of
view of
the Solicitors'
profession,
and
contains an amount of work which does
great credit to the outgoing Council for their
arduous
labours during
the past
twelve
months under your guidance.
There are just two matters in the Report
to which I wish to refer.
I refer first of all to the County Courts Bill.
There appears tome to be a dog-in-the-manger
policy in reference to the County Courts