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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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