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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.