The Gazette 1952-1955

local Bar Associations, and those happy occasions have brought home to me most forcibly the very considerable part which the Bar Associations play, not only in the interests o f the profession, but in the public interest, and I would urge every solicitor to. join his local Association and, in particular, I would like to see every young member immediately after his admission to the profession, seeking membership o f his local Bar Association. By becoming a member o f the Association, he would get to know his colleagues better, and he would gain that help and assistance which would inspire him to face the future with confidence. “ Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for having listened to me so patiently, and if any o f you want to ask questions or make any observations, now is the time, now is your chance.” Mr. T. D. McLoughlin addressed the meeting on the subject of the Solicitors Bill. The Chairman lepbed. As there was no further business the pro­ ceedings terminated. PRESENTATION OF ADMISSION CERTIFICATES O n 14th May, the President, before presenting certificates to newly-admitted solicitors, addressed them as follows :— “ L adies and G entlemen , “ One of the most pleasing duties that devolves on the President is the presentation of admission Certificates to newly-admitted solicitors, and first let me offer you my warmest congratulations and those o f my friends and colleagues on the Council. I hope that each and all of you may enjoy many years of happiness and prosperity. “ As you know, before you received your Certifi­ cates, you had to achieve a certain degree of proficiency in your examinations, and there can be no doubt that you all have now some knowledge of law, but do not for one moment imagine that you are already competent lawyers. You are not. Real and lasting knowledge can be acquired only by experience. During the early years o f your pro­ fessional career never hesitate to seek the aid and assistance o f your more experienced colleagues. I can assure you it w ill not be refused. I passed the final examination some, twenty or so years ago, and only the other evening I was glancing through the actual questions which I had to attempt to answer—and may I say that I did so with a certain astonished pride—because, I can assure you that if I had to answer the same questions to-day, I doubt if I would get more than 10 per cent, of the total marks, and yet I feel sure that I am a much

1 must point out that in England, duty on specific and pecuniary legacies, legacy duty payable on the residue, and succession duty have all been abolished. Therefore, in many cases where the assets do not exceed, say, £75,000, the actual amount payable here .could exceed that payable in England on a similar estate. “ There is one concession which the Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced in 1944, and which I think our Minister for Finance might well follow. In cases where the deceased was an owner-occupier leaving testamentary beneficiaries, such as a widow and children, estate duty is assessed on the value of the property on its pre-war price. This concession in many,cases avoids hardship and permits the widow or widower and other dependent relatives to remain on in possession. O f course, the concession is only granted where the beneficiaries remain in possession for a specified period and where there is no immedi­ ate sale or letting. Many of us have known cases in recent years where homes have had to be broken up because the relatives could not afford to remain in possession and at the same time pay estate duty on the present-day inflationary value. Number o f High Court Judges “ Before I conclude, there is one other matter to which I want to refer, which is causing the members of this profession the greatest concern, and, indeed, I am sure that it is of equal concern to the members o f the Bar. I mean the insufficient number o f High Court Judges available to try actions, in particular, the common law actions. The number of High Court Judges available for the trying of jury and non-jury actions is the same to-day as in 1924, when the Courts o f Justice Act was passed, but, as you know, the number of actions set down for hearing, particularly common law jury actions, has increased at least fivefold during the past twenty-five or thirty years. I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that now nearly a year elapses between the date on which an action is set down for trial and its actual hearing. “ This inordinate delay causes solicitors the greatest embarrassment and is not in the interests of the administration o f justice. “ During recent months representations have been made in the proper quarters with a view to having more High Court Judges appointed, but I regret that I cannot tell you of any favourable promises made by those in authority. Bar Associations “ Since I was elected President, I have had the great pleasure of travelling up and down the country and attending many of the Annual Dinners of the