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must always be in readiness to hold inquests at

short notice, generally at considerable distances from

their homes, to which they must travel at their own

expense, the Council are of opinion that the time has

come when the salaries of all Coroners in Eire

should be substantially increased, and that pro–

vision be made also

for payment of salaries

to Deputy Coroners who also are either solicitors

or doctors, and strongly urge the Minister for

Local Government Board to bring in forthwith

a Bill amending Section 14

(6) of the Local

Government Act, 1898, and repealing or deleting

Section

18 of the Coroners' (Amendment) Act,

1927, and further enacting that from henceforth

salaries be payable

to

all Deputy

Coroners.

That copies of this resolution be sent to Ministers

for (i) Justice

(2) Local Government Board, (3)

Social Services, (4) Posts and Telegraphs."

Circular Letter from Department of Justice

to Coroners

THE Secretary read correspondence from Coroners,

enclosing copy of a letter which they had received

from the Department of Justice, stating that re–

presentations had been made to the Department

by the Association of Locomotive Engineers and

Firemen suggesting that at an inquest arising out

of an industrial accident in which a member of the

Union has been killed, officials of the Trade Union

should be permitted to attend the inquest and to

examine witnesses. The following resolution was

proposed, seconded, and unanimously adopted,

and it was ordered that a copy should be sent to

the Hon. Secretary of the Coroners' Association :

" That this Council view with concern the letter

addressed by the Minister for Justice to Coroners

on the subject of the representation of Trade Unions

at inquests, and request the Coroners of Ireland to

continue as in the past to confine the right of ad–

vocacy in their Courts solely to the parties and to

Barristers and Solicitors."

The matter was also referred to a Committee of

the Council to consider what action, if any, should

be taken.

Solicitor's claim for privilege

THE Secretary read correspondence received from

Mr. Gerald Y. Goldberg, Solicitor, Cork, with

reference to the recent proceedings before Judge

O'Connor in which Mr. Goldberg had been fined

for contempt of Court for refusing to answer

questions relating to certain transactions between

his client and himself. He stated that he had been

advised that no appeal against the order lay under

the Courts of Justice Act, 1936, and that the only

remedy open to him was to ask for a case stated to

the Supreme Court, with the consent of all parties,

including the Attorney General.

It was ordered

that Counsel be briefed at the expense of the Society,

to attend to protect Mr. Goldberg's interests in the

matter, and that Mr. Goldberg be advised that in

the view of the Council any questions put to him

relative to solicitor and client transactions should

not be answered'

JULY 3rd. The President in the chair : Also present:

Messrs. W. L. Duggan,

J.

J. Bolger, .Vice-

Presidents; Messrs. J. P. Tyrrell,

T$f.

]. Norman,

P. R. Boyd, T. A. O'Reilly,

J. P. Carrigan.

f. B. Hamill, D. O'Connell, J. J. Lynch, J. R.

Quirke, J. Barrett. W. S. Hayes, G. A. Overend,

Hugh O'Donnell, L. E. O'Dea," A. Cox, R. J. Nolan.

Applications under Sections 16 and 18

FOUR applications by Law Clerks to be bound as

apprentices for three years were considered on

reports from the Court of Examiners and granted

by the Council.

Three applications to the Chief Justice for ex–

emption from the Preliminary Examination were

considered.

In the case of one application, it was

decided to offer no opposition to the granting of

total exemption from the examination, and in the

case of the remaining two applications it was decided

' to offer no opposition to the granting of exemption

from Latin and one book of Euclid. The Secretary

was directed to inform the Chief Justice accordingly.

Application under Section 14 of the Defence

Forces' (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1946

ON the report of the Court of Examiners the Council

considered an application from an intending ap–

prentice that the period of his service in the Defence

Forces should be reckoned as good service under

his

indentures of apprenticeship. On a

report

from the Court of Examiners, it was decided that

two years of the applicant's service in the Defence

Forces should be reckoned as good service under

his indentures of apprenticeship subject to proof of

satisfactory military service.

Solicitors' Bill

THE Council considered a report from the Solicitors'

Bill Committee on the subject of a suggested fund

to indemnify or compensate clients for losses due

to defalcations by solicitors which had been referred

back to that Committee for reconsideration. The

report of the Committee was adopted, and it was

ordered that a special general meeting of the Society

be summoned for October and, to consider the

suggestion that the Bill should contain provision

for an indemnity or compensation fund, should the

Council deem it advisable or necessary to include

same in the Bill.

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