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96
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
[FEBRUARY, 1912
we are going backward instead of forward.
We all know what Royal Commissions have
been in the past. They hear evidence and
draw up reports, and then the whole matter
is shelved, and at the end of ten years
nothing has been done. We have already
drafted a Bill; the profession approve of it,
and it has been submitted to Chambers of
Commerce all over Ireland, and they approve
of it.
It has been submitted also to other
bodies, including the Bar. The Council of
the Incorporated Law Society approve of it ;
in fact, it has gone forward with the approval
of everybody.
But, unfortunately,
it
is
brought forward in Parliament by a private
Member, with the result that if any single
Member says. " I object," without assigning
any reason, he blocks that Bill. We don't
require a Royal Commission to formulate
procedure or amendments for us. because
skilled members of the profession have them
selves put forward their ideas in a measure
that has been approved by all parties
concerned.
I think it would be better if you
would say that we will take steps to have
this measure accepted as a Government
measure, and brought forward as such at the
earliest possible opportunity.
If you go in
for a Commission 1 think you will defeat your
own object, and instead of completing the
matter at once you would be simply post
poning
it.
I,
therefore, propose as
an
amendment :
'' That with
the object of
removing difficulties which exist with regard
to the procedure in the Count}' Courts in
Ireland, the Government be requested to
adopt the County Courts (Ireland) Bill as
brought in by Mr. Brady as a Government
measure, and
that the Council
take all
necessary steps to carry out this policy."
MR. H. SHANNON,
in seconding the
amendment, said:—I did not come here
intending to make an}' remarks.
I fill the
position of Honorary Secretary of the County
Tipperary and King's County (Birr Division)
Sessional Bar Association, which
is
an
Association in -a most flourishing condition,
and the strongest in the country, representing
over fifty members of the profession. As Mr.
Craig has stated, it
is desirable that the
public should know that the profession are
not to be blamed in any case for what has
occurred
in
the past.
In
the County
Tipperary the members of the profession
recently considered this matter, and they
considered the provisions of the Bill intro
duced by Mr. Brady and the Bill suggested
by Mr. O'Shea, and we put them side by side,
and the outcome of our consideration was
that we should approach the Incorporated
Law Society and ask them to arrange a
conference between this Association and the
other Associations who are interested. We
had some few amendments to suggest to the
Bill of Mr. Brady in its present form.
I have
not had time to ascertain the views of the
members generally, but, speaking for myself,
I would oppose the appointment of a Com
mission for this reason, that a Commission is
merely appointed to shelve the question—
j
very often it is appointed for that purpose.
Then again, we have no guarantee who would
be appointed on the Commission.
It might
be an Englishman or a Scotchman, who would
not be so competent to deal with questions
concerning the grievances of the profession
in Ireland.
The professions concerned in
these questions are those of Solicitors and the
Bar.
If they consider the details the result
will be the formulation of a good Bill in which
the various interests will be united, and you
will have no difficulty in getting the Govern
ment to take it up and carry it through. We
are all agreed in regard to the necessity for
amendment
in reference
to
the office of
Sheriff; but surely that is a matter the
profession are competent to deal with. My
experience in the country is that no litigation
is prevented owing to prohibitive costs. On
the contrary, the profession—the Solicitors'
profession—are
most
inadequately
re
munerated,
I never knew a case in which a.
client, was prevented from going into Court
for this reason. .We are all agreed as to the
necessity for a Bill, and the only question is
as to the method to be adopted for getting out
of the present deadlock. I have much pleasure
in seconding the amendment, with the altera
tion
that we should have a conference
between the Council of the Incorporated Law
Society, the Bar, the Solicitors' Sessional Bar
Associations, and the Mercantile Associations.
The result of that conference will be that we
shall have a Bil: in which the various interests
will be united, and then there will be no
difficulty in getting the Government to take
it up.
MR. W, GROVE WHITE said ;—In 1889