The Gazette 1949-1952

J. Nash, William J. Norman, Daniel O’Connell, James J, O ’Connor, Gerald J. O’Donnell, Patrick F. O’Reilly, Thomas A. O’Reilly, Sean O hUadhaigh, George A. Overend, Maurice M. Power, James R. Quirke, John J. Sheil, Joseph P. Tyrrell, Reginald J . Nolan, Timothy A . Buckley, James B. McGarry, Richard Ryan, James G. Lyons, Robert W. R. Johnston, James J. Hickey, Joseph P. O ’Connell, Sean A. O hUadhaigh. The notice convening: the meeting was, by permission o f the meeting, taken as read. The minutes o f the Ordinary General Meeting held on 23rd November, 1950, were read, confirmed and signed by the Chairman. The Chairman announced that he nominated the following members o f the Society to act as scrutineers o f the ballot for the election o f the Council to be held on 22nd November, 1951 :— John R. McC. Blakeney, Desmond J. Collins, Thomas Jackson, Brendan P. McCormack, Roderick J. Tierney. The Chairman, addressing the meeting, said :— ‘ ‘ Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with the greatest possible regret that the President offers you his apologies for not being present at this half-yearly General Meeting of the Society. This would have been his first opportunity o f addressing the Society as a whole since his election and as you may well imagine he has not abandoned lightly his opportunity o f doing so. As he has explained to members o f your Council the President has been invited as principal guest to the annual dinner of the Eire Society o f Boston on May 19th and he has accepted the invitation. The President feels greatly honoured by the invitation o f the Eire Society o f Boston which he regards as a tribute to our Society. As one of the Vice-Presidents I have been asked to read this address to you on behalf of the President and I hope that you will accept his apologies for not being with you. Since our last half-yearly meeting the Great Reaper has carried out his customary duties and this year some very eminent members have fallen to the stroke o f his scythe. The following members o f the Society have disappeared from our midst. Mr. Charles J. Laverty, o f Castleblayney, died on March 12th. He was admitted in Trinity Sittings, 1894, served on the Council from 1924 to 1939 and was President in 1934-35. The following solicitors have also died since our last ordinary meeting:—Francis J. Allen, A . Newton Anderson, J. Sydney Bright, Francis Clinch, Charles J. Crowley, Joseph Dodd, Vincent P. Duffy, Robert T. Falkiner, James G. E. Fitzgerald, John Forde, Sir Joseph Glynn, A. Moreland Harper, Gerald J. Hegarty, John Kelly, John J. Macken,

Thomas S. McAllister, Daniel McCartan, W. j . McCourt, William S. McCullough, Thomas McKinty. William Patterson, Albert E. Prentice, Gerald F. Robinson, William J. G. Seeds, Robert B. Wolfe. We offer our sincere sympathy to their families. Once again I appeal to those members o f our profession who have not joined our Society to do so without further delay and I ask the existing members o f our Society to canvass their colleagues and apprentices with a view to getting them to join. I also appeal to every solicitor throughout the country to join a local Bar Association and to do everything possible within his power to make his Bar Association a vigorous and live body. Recent events have underlined the necessity for professional bodies to organise. As I see it for some time to come professional organisations are liable to come under fire from many quarters. A closely knit and well organised Law Society, supported by active Bar Associations, will be able to resist such attacks if and when they come. The time-worn cliche, “ united we stand, divided we fall,” carries greater significance to-day than it has done for many a day past. This Society will do everything within its power to assist Bar Associations and in return the Society expects Bar Associations to co-operate with the Society when they are called upon. I would ask you to attach the greatest possible importance to the necessity to organise your Associations and to act accordingly. L aw R eform : I understand the Attorney General has set up a section in his office for the investigation and overhaul o f our present laws with the object of reforming them and bringing them up-to-date. This is long overdue. I congratulate the Attorney General on this practical step but it occurs to me that he is making a mistake in dealing with such an important matter within the narrow confines o f his own office. Theory is never a substitute for practical experience and it seems to me a .pity that the Government when considering Law Reform generally do not set up a number o f parallel com­ mittees with different Chairmen to examine and make proposals for legislation on the lines o f the Company Law Reform Committee which has recently been set up. It seems to me that there will be very littie professional or public interest in the machinery o f Law Reform which operates behind

closed doors in Upper Merrion Street. C ompany L aw R eform C ommittee :

As you know, the Council at the invitation of the Attorney General appointed Messrs. Overend 4