The Gazette 1952-1955

suitable for students on many of the major subjects on the curriculum. For example, for the study of the Law of Property and the Law o f Contract and Tort, apprentices have to rely on pre-1922 editions of the standard English works, and, as can be readily imagined, they are becoming more and more difficult' to acquire, as most o f those editions are long since out of print. There are many other subjects o f vital concern to intending practi­ tioners and, indeed, qualified solicitors, too, on which there are no authoritative textbooks applic­ able to this country. One refers, in particular, to the Income Tax Code and the Laws o f Death Duties. During the past six months, there have been discussions with the Departments o f Justice and Finance, with a view to the Society’s obtaining a refund o f the stamp duties paid on indentures of apprenticeship and certificates of admission, in addition to the annual duty payable on practising certificates. I f the Society could obtain a refund o f these duties, it would then be in a position to make a substantial contribution towards the cost o f publication of such textbooks, that to-day leave a conspicuous gap in the library of every apprentice and practising solicitor. The Universities • “ Since our last meeting there have been informal discussions with the Universities, because, as many former students, who are now members o f the Society, must know, the working o f the law schools in the Universities has not been entirely satisfactory. It seems to me that the proper place to acquire a knowledge of the history and the theory o f the law is in a University, and the Council feel that if the Universities could enlarge the curriculum of the law schools, and engage whole-time professors and lecturers, that is, men who would not only deliver discourses on a wide variety o f legal subjects, but who could find time to advise and assist the students individually, the lawyers o f the future would be much better qualified for admission to the learned professions than they are to-day. I f the Council felt that at the Universities the students could acquire a thorough knowledge o f the history and theory o f the important legal subjects, then the lectures sponsored by this Society could, I think, be devoted exclusively to matters that are o f peculiar importance to the solicitors’ branch o f the legal profession. I refer to subjects such as Company Law, the laws of Death Duties and Estate Duty Practice, the Income Tax Code, the general practice o f a solicitor’s office, including the rights, duties and responsibilities of a solicitor. I do not think one can stress too strongly the immense advantages o f a University education. It is not merely the

indeed, for a number o f years before we ever thought of commemorating our Centenary, many members of the Council, and others who are not on the Council, have suggested that there ought to be held an Annual Dinner of the Society. For myself, and I know I am expressing the views of many members o f the present Council, I am all in favour o f the idea o f such a convivial gathering, and I think the profession, as a whole, would be much the better if we did give ourselves an oppor­ tunity of meeting across the dining table, at least once in each year, and thereby renewing old friend­ ships and making new ones. It seems to me that the obvious time for such a Dinner 'would be on the night of our Annual General Meeting, at the end of each year, which is always held as near as possible to the 26th November. This year, the Meeting will take place on the 26th November. “ I do not wish to detain you now by going into details, but here is an outline of what I have in mind. The Dinner would be held in the Aberdeen Hall of the Gresham Hotel, because, one would hope that that would be the only place- that could accommodate the number of members who would wish to be present. It would be at a fixed price not exceeding, say, twenty-five shillings, and would include a certain measure of Wine, very much on the same lines as our Centenary Banquet was served. “ Another idea of mine is that we should be ‘ ourselves alone ’ ; in other words, we should not have any Guests. O f course, I do not suggest for one moment that this Dinner should supersede the Council Dinner. That is a very old function and is the occasion when the President and Council, on behalf o f the Society, have the pleasure of entertaining Ministers of State, members o f the Judiciary, heads o f learned bodies and other dis­ tinguished citizens, and here I must insert a com­ paratively sordid note. I should 1 ke it to be known, because I think there are certain members who are not fully aware o f the fact that the entire expenses of the Council Dinner are paid for by the members of the Council themselves, whether they attend or not. So much for the social side o f our activities, past and future. Education o f Solicitors’ Apprentices “ I now turn to a matter which is o f the greatest importance to the profession, and which the Council have under constant consideration. I refer to the education of our apprentices. The Council realise that the present position is not entirely satisfactory, due partly to circumstances outside their control, and here I must reiterate the views o f my dis­ tinguished predecessor, when he deplored, in his address a year ago, the lack of modern textbooks