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In passing from this topic I may mention that a
special Committee of the Council has recently been
appointed to consider the law relating to Trustee
investments in particular, and the law relating to
trustees in general with a view to making recom–
mendations as to the charges which are necessary
to adapt the law to present day circumstances.
Material is being collected to aid the Committee
in its work.
The Council would welcome the
assistance of members of the Society in this matter.
Solicitors have much experience of the working
of the Trustee Acts both as solicitors and not
infrequently as trustees. If any member wanting to
bring any particular matter before the Committee
will write to the Secretary the matter will be fully
considered.
I have to add that this inquiry is being
undertaken at the request of the Minister for Justice.
The Council have recently considered the difficulty
experienced by solicitors' apprentices in studying
for the Intermediate and Final Examinations of the
Society owing to the present scarcity of legal text–
books.
On account of the changes effected by
English legislation in subjects such as Real Property,
Conveyancing and Company Law since the setting
up of the Irish Free State, the modern editions of
English text-books on these subjects are not appro–
priate to this country. Students, as a consequence,
must rely upon the older editions. These editions
have been gradually going out of print and are now
becoming very difficult to procure, and the Secretary
frequently receives letters from apprentices asking
where they can obtain copies of the books on the
courses.
Some years ago the Government was
approached by the Council and requested to sub–
sidise the publication of legal text-books but no
step has been taken in this direction.
Even if it
were now decided to undertake the publication
of such books in this country a considerable interval
of time would elapse before any law books could
appear on the market, and in the interval the
difficulties in the way of apprentices preparing for
the Society's examinations would continue
to be
very great. The Council feel that the responsibility
lies upon them to take all possible steps to remedy
the situation, and they have therefore decided to
purchase as many copies of the appropriate editions
of the text-books as are available with the object
of lending them to apprentices preparing for the
examination.
The members of the profession
have been circularised as there may be a number of
solicitors who are prepared to sell law books to the
Society for the purpose of the scheme. A number
of books have been purchased but more are required.
It is hoped that at least in part the present difficulties
will be overcome, as the result of this scheme.
The Council is represented on the various Com–
mittees dealing with matters affecting the profession,
and during the past year the Superior Court Rules
Committee, the Circuit Courts Rules Committee
and the District Courts Rules Committee have all
been at full pressure with frequent meetings in
revising the rules of Court and bringing them
up-to-date.
My term of office as President is drawing to a
close and I wish to avail of the occasion to express
my ' gratitude to my colleagues on the Council
for their unvarying loyalty and help throughout
the past year. To the members of the Society in
general I feel indebted for co-operation in our work.
My work in the Chair has indeed been rendered
light by the studied research and assistance offered
me by our capable Secretary, Mr. Plunkett, who at
all times was at my side to help in the work.
I now move the adoption of the Annual Report.
Mr. Cox seconded the adoption of the report.
Mr. Scan (!) hUadhaigh addressed the meeting
on the subject of the membership of the Society.
The President put the motion for the adoption
of the report to the meeting and it was carried
unanimously.
Mr. Lynch then took the chair and Mr. Overend
proposed and Mr. Cox seconded a hearty vote of
thanks to the President for his services to the
Society during his year of office and for his presid–
ential address. The motion was put to the meeting
and carried with acclamation.
The President
thanked
the meeting and
the proceedings
ter–
minated.
MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL
OCTOBER 24th. The President in the chair. Also
present: Mr. R.oger
Greene,
Vice-President;
Messrs. G. A. Overend, J. P. Tyrrell, H. P. Mayne,
S. O hUadhaigh, P. R. Boyd, L. E. O'Dea, W. L.
Duggan, J. B. Hamill,' J. Travers Wolfe, J. P.
Carrigan, H. St. J. Blake, A Cox, W. J. Norman,.
J. R. Quirke, J. J. Lynch, J. Gillespie, J. Barrett,
J. J. Bolger, C. G. Stapleton, W. S. Hayes, J. S.
O'Connor, H. O'Donnell, P. F. O'Reilly.
The following was among the business transacted :
Solicitors' Remuneration
The Council considered a report from a Com–
mittee on the subject of solicitors' remuneration.
The report stated that the present scales of solicitors'
remuneration are inadequate for the needs of the
profession having regard to the change in financial
and economic conditions resulting from the recent
war.
The report recommended that the Council
should apply to each of the appropriate Com–
mittees for an increase of 25 per cent, on all classes
of solicitors' business based on the actual levels
of remuneration now in force.
The report was
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