The Gazette 1952-1955

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 5