CO129-348 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [7-10] — Page 584

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Council or to the Government and posing as the chempion

of injured solivilors against the Chief Justice: to pre-

vent in fact what actually took place in the present

ORES.

a

The Society was duly formed by ell the momborc of the

profession, and Committee elected. The notion of the

sigantories of the letter woe therefore an infraction of

the rules of the Society which they themselves had acson-

ted to. I referred to this in a private letter to Mr.

Howitt, pointing out to him that the action of the Chan-

ber in countenancing this wos highly detrimental to the

public life of the Colony, and that the La Dociety

deserved as malen consideration as the Chicuiber of COLNSTOS

itself. To the Mir. Heri Lt prid no attention. But, one

thing the whole profession realised including the signa-

tories to the letter,vus that the branch which had been

fostered by Mr. Heritts:11-judged notion put the existen-

ce of the Law Society in jeopardy.

the

22. The position of affeirs described in the foregoing may

be thus sumarised

-

The Chief Justice had taken a step which ho tac justified

in doing under the Ordinance: he had taken it solely in

the interests of the public and with a view to improving

the administertion of justice: the Solicitors of his

Court had been stirred up in opposition by the Chairman

of the Chamber of Commerce in an underhand way, which was

disapproved of by the rest of the profession: the ques-

tion had been dealt with by the Chairmen of the Chamber

in the most unfair way possible, distorting the intention

of the Chief Justice, and the newspapers had followed

suit, making most unjustifiable attacks upon the Chief

Justice: the ill-feeling which had been stirred up shewed

signs of spreading: the solicitors who had signed the

letter to the Chamber vere in doubt as to what attitude