The Gazette 1914-15

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

[DECEMBER, 1914

56

L. C. P. Smith, 209; R. B. White, 208; W. Houghton Fry, 207 ; James Moore, 204 ; J. H. Walsh, 203 ; P. Rooney, 203 ; T. G. Quirke, 203 ; M. L. Hearn, 198 ; and the following to form a supplemental list to fill vacancies :—J. F. Dunwoody 191 ; A. Lloyd-Blood, 191 ; John J. MacDonald, 175. THE PRESIDENT, in moving the adoption of the Annual Report of the Council, said :— Since I had the privilege at our May Half- yearly Meeting of giving you some account of the work done by the outgoing Council during the first six months of their tenure of office, I am afraid our domestic concerns have been almost completely overshadowed by the great war, which is the first subject referred to in the Annual Report. The Society has reason to be proud of the attitude of the Profession in reference to the war, and of the appreciation shown by its members, in more ways than one, of the gravity of the issues involved for all of us in that great struggle. Shortly after the outbreak of war, and after consultation with the Lord Mayor of Dublin and with such members of the Council as I was able to get into touch with during the Vacation, I invited subscriptions to the National Relief Fund from Irish Solicitors, and I am glad to be able to have this opportunity of thanking those who so liberally responded to the invitation. A number of Solicitors had already subscribed to the headquarters of the Fund, and a great number wrote from Belfast, Cork and Limerick, and the country parts of Ireland, that they felt bound (and very naturally so) to support their local centres of collection. Nevertheless, I was able to forward to the Lord Mayor in all the sum of £1,077 13s. 6d., contributed by some 180 subscribers. The amount thus contributed is very creditable, and I have reason to know that the generosity of our Profession has been very much appre ciated by those in charge of the-collection of the Fund. In this connection I should like also to mention that the members of the outgoing Council decided not to hold their customary Official Dinner this year, and, instead of expending their money in entertaining, they very generously sent to Sir Lambert Ormsby the sum of £127 2s. Od. to assist in the provision of Irish Motor Ambulances for our wounded soldiers,

Better far, however, than these contribu tions to patriotic funds is the fact that since the outbreak .of war no fewer than 40 young Irish Solicitors and 33 Solicitors' Apprentices have joined His Majesty's Forces—a total of 73, the majority of whom have obtained commissions in Lord Kitchener's new Armies. You will find in the November number of our Gazette a list of the names of some of these gentlemen—a list which was complete so far as we knew at the time of publication. Mr. Wakely has ascertained several additional names since the publication of this first list, and he tells me he is not sure that he has as yet succeeded in getting all the names. The Council intend to keep a permanent record of the names of these brother Professionals of whom we are all justly proud. We shall follow their military careers with the greatest interest, and it should be the duty of all of us to see that their interests do not suffer by reason of their absence on their patriotic service. On the passing through Parliament of the Special War Legislation, the Council circulated amongst the members of the Society print copies in pamphlet form of the Postponement of Payments Act and The Courts (Emergency Powers) Act and the Proclamations and Rules made under these Acts, a course which we trust has proved a convenience to members. These Acts were rushed through Parliament necessarily with haste to meet the great emergency which had arisen, and this may account for the fact, now obvious to all of us, that the Acts do not appear to have been drafted with a view to the special circumstances existing in this country. As to the working out in practice of the provisions of these Acts, the Council are aware that considerable dissatisfaction exists at the manner in which Plaintiff's costs of necessary applications to the Courts have either been arbitrarily disallowed altogether or fixed by the Court at a totally inadequate lump sum. Indeed, I may say that the whole subject of the arbitrary measuring of costs, not only under these special Acts, which are transient, but generally under the Judicature Act, which is permanent, is having the close attention of the Council at the present moment; and I only abstain from reporting