Previous Page  92 / 822 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 92 / 822 Next Page
Page Background

that he had no power to deal with this matter as

the terms of appointment of solicitors to Local

Authorities is a matter which is within the sole and

exclusive jurisdiction of the County Manager, and

that it is neither the policy nor the practice of the

Minister or the Department to interfere in such

matters. The Minister had further stated that in

his view if the terms of a particular appointment

are unsatisfactory, it is open to the Society to advise

its members thereof and to point out to them the

disadvantages of the position as advertised. The

matter had been referred to the Committee to

consider what action if any should be taken as the

result of the views of the Minister. The Committee

having considered the matter reported to the Council

that a letter should be written to the Association

of County Managers pointing out that the Minister

had informed the Council that he personally had

no objection to the appointment of solicitors on a

basis of taxed costs, but that the matter was not one

in which he could interfere, and that the County

Managers should be asked to adopt the Council's

suggestion that all such appointments should be

made on the basis of taxed costs where the solicitor

carries on the legal work of the Local Authority

in his own office. The report of the Committee

was adopted.

Circuit Court Appeals : Costs

THE Council considered a report from a Committee

on a query from a member as to whether the recent

increase of 25 per cent, in the costs of proceedings

in or before the High Court or Supreme Court

applies in the case of Circuit appeals, the costs of

which are taxed by the County Registrar. The

Committee reported that in their opinion the hearing

of an appeal from the Circuit Court to the High

Court is a proceeding in the High Court, and that

the County Registrar taxing such costs performs

the functions of the Taxing Master of the High

Court. The reference in the rules to the Circuit

Court costs adopts the Circuit Court scale as the

measure of costs of the appeal, but the costs are

High Court costs. Accordingly, in the opinion

of the Committee the increase of 2 5 per cent, applies

to the costs of the appeal. The report of the

Committee was adopted by the Council.

Law Clerks

Joint Labour Committee

THE Secretary reported that he had received notice

of an application for hearing on i2th June by the

Workers' Union of Ireland for the establishment of a

Joint Labour Committee for Law Clerks under

Section 36, Industrial Relations Act, 1946. A Joint

Labour Committee consists of independent members

appointed by the Minister and the Labour Court

and representative members appointed from the

employers and employees, and the functions of a

Joint Labour Committee are to make recommenda–

tions for minimum remuneration and conditions of

employment. The matter was referred to a Com–

mittee of the Council with power to take such action

as might seem advisable.

SPECIAL EXAMINER IN LAW

THE Council invite applications from solicitors for

the office of Special Examiner in Law to the Society

in place of Mr. Joseph F. Shields, Solicitor, resigned.

The duties of the office consist of examining at the

Intermediate and Final Examinations for apprentices

to solicitors, in conjunction with another Examiner.

Further particulars may be obtained from the Secre–

tary. Applications

for

the appointment should

reach the Secretary before yth July, 1947, and

applicants may be required to attend for interview

on i jth July.

HALF-YEARLY GENERAL

MEETING

A HALF-YEARLY General Meeting of the Society

was held on Friday, May i6th, in the Solicitors'

Buildings, Four Courts. Mr. William L. Duggan,

Vice-President, took the chair in the absence of

the President. The following members were also

present:

Joseph Barrett, J. P. Carrigan, Arthur Cox,

Roger Greene, William S. Hayes, William

S.

Huggard, James J. Lynch, Henry P. Mayne, William

J. Norman, Daniel O'Connell, Thomas A. O'Reilly,

Sean 6 hUadhaigh, G. A. Overend,

James R.

Quirke, Dermot P. Shaw, Joseph P. Tyrrell, J.

Travers Wolfe, A. J. McDonald, K. M. Meares,

The O'Phelan of the Deeces, James Fagan, Ivan

Howe, Arthur G. Ardagh, D. D. MacDonald, F.

Keonigs, J. J. O'Connor, J. J. Little, Desmond

Moran, J. McCann, D. O'Donnell, R. J. Tierney,

D. O'Donovan, F. R. Tully, Arthur T. Ellis.

The notice convening the meeting was by per–

mission of the meeting taken as read. The Secretary

read the minutes of the half-yearly General Meeting

held on November 26th, 1946, which were signed

by the Chairman.

The Chairman announced that the President had

nominated the following members of the Society

to act as scrutineers for the ballot for the Council to

be held on 2ist November, 1947 : Messrs. J. R.

McC. Blakeney, D. J. Collins, T. Jackson, B. P.

McCormack, and R. J. Tierney.