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matter to which Our Council must pay attention if
and when we are armed by the Bill with the appro
priate powers.
Solicitors’ Remuneration
Like every other class in the community, solicitor5
have been affected by the falling value o f money-
Relief to us was long delayed. Since our last meeting,
however, the Solicitors Remuneration General
Order, 1951, has been made under Section 2 o f the
Solicitors Remuneration Act, 1881. It has I think
been received with real satisfaction. I should pay
tribute to the work done by various members o f
the Council in obtaining, but especially to that o f
Mr. Roger Greene, who was President at the time
o f the principal discussions, and who did not spare
himself in his efforts, to which indeed success was
mainly due.
The Council is still active in regard to remunera
tion. An application for an increase in Land Registry
fees is still pending.
Stamp Duties
For some years our President has at the May
meeting made reference to the heavy burden imposed
by the new Stamp Duties. Some little relief has
been given by the recent Budgets, but the amounts
still appear to the Society to be unreasonable and
unjust. They amount to a capital tax. The Exchequer
might well have been satisfied to retain the long
established one per cent, rate, which would itself
have provided a rich harvest as values increased.
It is easy to understand that taxation must in these
times be heavy if the needs o f the country are to be
provided, but so heavy an impost on the transfer
o f property represents a tax not fairly spread upon
all classes o f the community. All o f us have known
many cases in which it weighed very oppressively.
To the solicitor it is a particularly unpleasant tax,
because he is willy nilly the collector.
Government departments
It has always been the experience o f the solicitors’
profession to receive courtesy and consideration
at the hands o f the Civil Servants who staff our
public departments. This certainly has always been
my lot. That we should have to complain o f delays
in the various offices with which we have particularly
to deal has been no fault o f those who work in them,
ut rather o f the inadequate staffing. The work of
these offices has been very greatly increased of
recent years. The increased and complicated rates
or stamp and death duties have, for example,
entailed far more work in the Stamp, Probate and
Land Registry offices than in the past. The Council
has perforce had to make representations in Such
matters as these. These representations have always
been courteously received.
Location o f Legal Offices
The time has, I think, come when some reorganisa
tion and re-grouping o f such offices should be
considered. Much time is lost to solicitors and their
assistants by the scattering o f such offices throughout
the city. It is quite illogical. An obvious example
is the Registry o f Deeds, situated far from the Land
Registry and the Courts where our clerks have to
spend much o f their time. The Land Registry
building will no doubt soon need extension. It
would be a very great reform if the Registry o f
Deeds could be moved to stand beside the Land
Registry. This might be done by transferring to it
the building adjoining the Four Courts devoted to
the Public Record Office and perhaps transferring
the Record Office to Henrietta Street. It would,
indeed, be a sensible reform if all the public offices
now spread between Henrietta Street, the Custom
House, St. Stephens Green, and so on, could be
concentrated. No doubt such a programme might
entail a public expenditure not welcome at the
moment, but plans should at least be made.
Law Reform
This Society has often advocated the great
necessity for reform and modernisation o f what I
might call the bread and butter law, namely the
laws which govern the every day affairs o f the
community. It is to be regretted that in this respect
Ireland has lagged behind other countries. Perhaps
we have been too much concerned with what have
seemed more urgent things. It is at least welcome
to report that a beginning has at last been made with
Company Law on which a Commission has now
been sitting for some time. The Society is rep
resented on this Commission and I hope its labours
will bear good fruit. I hope that the start so made
will be imitated in other branches o f the law which
perhaps need modernisation even more. I believe
that we have delayed too long in trying to adapt
the body o f laws we took over in 1922 to the special
needs o f our own community and country.
One o f my pleasanter duties as President has
been to attend the annual dinners o f several o f our
Bar Associations throughout the country.
The
experience has been an invigorating one. There is
nothing that can help our profession better than
the growth and strength o f the Bar Associations.
I would end these brief remarks by once again
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