The President: We will hear the report from the Auditing Committee, Mr. George E. Butler, Chairman: REPORT OF AUDITING COMMITTEE To the North Carolina Bar Association. GENTLEMEN:-The undersigned committee, appointed to audit the accounts of the Secretary-Treasurer, beg leave to submit the following report: We have examined the account of receipts and disbursements of Thos. W. Davis, Treasurer, for the period beginning July 1, 1917, and ending June 25, 1918, and the accompanying vouchers, and find the receipts and disbursements in exact accord with the Treasurer's report. We find the books and accounts of the Treasurer neatly and well kept, and we desire to commend the Secretary-Treasurer for the care and diligence shown in the discharge of his official duties. It is especially desired to call the attention of the Association to the fact that members do not realize the importance to the Association of the prompt payment of their dues. It appears from the papers submitted by the Treasurer that very little attention is paid to the drafts drawn by the Treasurer on the members of the Association, necessitating additional notices at an additional expense to the Association. We suggest that a resolution be passed at this meeting and sent by the Treasurer to all of the members with his notice of dues, requesting that the members pay their dues immediately upon receipt of notice from the Treasurer, and especially their back dues, thereby decreasing the expense of collection and the additional work heretofore imposed upon the Secretary-Treasurer. Respectfully submitted, GEO. E. BUTLER, Auditing Committee. Mr. Butler: I want to say that your Auditing Committee was somewhat surprised to find a large number of drafts that had not been honored. We saw from the examination of the accounts that drafts had been drawn to the amount of about $1,700 on members for annual dues, and out of that there had been collected $401. The condition of the treasury is not what it would be, and should be, if the members would promptly pay their dues. I believe that every member of this Association gets a copy of the report of the proceedings, and in that book is recorded these most excellent addresses as well as the proceedings. We have heard one this morning that is worth more than the annual dues. (Applause.) If somebody will introduce this tentative resolution that we have drawn, we would like that done. The President: Gentlemen, you have heard the report as read. What is the pleasure of the Association? Seconded, voted on, and approved. Mr. Hicks: Whereas, it appears from the report of the Auditing Committee that some members of the Association do not realize the importance of prompt payment of their dues; and Whereas it appears that four-fifths of the drafts drawn by the Treasurer for dues during the past year have been returned unpaid, thereby necessitating additional notices and increased expense to the Association in collecting dues: Resolved, That the members of the Association be requested to pay more attention to the drafts and notices sent out by the Treasurer and promptly pay their dues upon notice from the Treasurer, to the end that the expense of collection be reduced. Resolved further, That a copy of this resolution be sent by the Treasurer to each member of the Association. Judge Biggs: I think it should be said "some members." The way it is worded now it sounds as if none paid their dues. As I understand it, you first notify by letter before you draw the draft. The Secretary: Before and after. (Laughter.) They don't pay much attention. Mr. Hicks: I agree to the amendment. Seconded, voted on, and carried as amended. The Secretary: Your Special Committee recommends that the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association be amended as follows: At the end of section 5 insert: "Section 5a. Committee on Uniform State Laws to consist of five members. It shall be the duty of the Committee on Uniform State Laws to promote uniformity of legislation in the several States, and to that end to examine such uniform acts as have been or may be approved by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and by the American Bar Association and report to each annual meeting of this Association such acts as in the judgment of the committee should be enacted into law in this State. If any such act is approved by this Association the same shall be referred to the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform for appropriate action by that committee, with a view to its enactment into law by the General Assembly.” Judge Biggs: I think that the matter is in proper form to be acted upon now, because at the last meeting there was a report made by Judge Bynum, Chairman of the committee, in which he recommended that a committee of this kind be appointed. It was appointed, and this is merely putting it in legal form. This is simply putting in legal form what was done at the last meeting, amending the report of Judge Bynum by leaving it to the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform to carry out any recommendation of this Association before the Legislature. We have already adopted what was done there. Judge Rountree: There has been no second. I will second it. I understood from the discussion we had yesterday that one serious defect in the Constitution was that this committee was not of a more permanent nature. It seems to me that that committee or the committee on Legislation and Law Reform ought to be made a more or less permanent one, and my idea would be not to elect the whole committee for five years but that the committeemen be selected-one for five years, one for four years, one for three years, one for two years, and one for one year, until we got them started, and then all would be for five years. I am perfectly satisfied that a committee of that kind can be of no advantage if selected for one year. About the time they become interested the time is out. They will never commence and never accomplish anything. I think this committee ought to make some suggestions about this. Mr. Manly: What Judge Rountree says is true. We want to follow out the plan of the American Bar Association. We will get this resolution through now and have another distinct resolution fixing the powers. It will have to go over until another meeting unless passed by unanimous consent. We want this committee to report to this body. It will be turned over to the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform, and that was an acting committee with an expense account, to see that these resolutions or proposed legislation is carried out by the Legislature of North Carolina. Heretofore we have changed this committee every year, but these standing committees and chairmen were not intended to be changed-put an efficient man there and keep him there. Judge Rountree: Keep him there a reasonable time, you mean. Mr. Manly: As long as efficient. If you put the number of years on you might defeat the purpose, if he is inefficient. We thought it might be better to try it out. The presidents heretofore, like Judge Rountree, have complimented their friends by putting out everybody else as soon as they got the job, and that has been going on right along. (Laughter.) Judge Rountree: I had distinguished precedent in you. (Laughter.) Mr. Manly: The man who is named here as the next President will know the wishes of this body and will appreciate the importance of this Committee on Legislation and Law Reform. This committee attempts to give uniformity to our laws, so that it is of vast importance. There should be good men on it. I have several suggestions to make, but— Judge Biggs: When we started out twenty years ago we thought the President shouldn't reappoint any man on a committee who had been on it before. There is no reason why the Chairman of the Memorials Committee should be on for more than one year, and there are other committees of that kind, but the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform is different. We will adopt a measure one year and present it to the Legislature and the Legislature will not adopt our recommendation, but if we kept the same Chairman who had that matter in charge and began the investigation, he would take the matter up two years hence and put it through. In almost everything we have failed on the first attempt; even with the Supreme Court we would have to try them six or eight years before we would succeed-increasing the courts of the State. They wrote us they couldn't do that, and last year they did it. We present a matter one year and they will turn us down; that same matter should be presented at the next session. I think the President should bear in mind that those two committees the Committee on Uniform State Laws and the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform-should be more or less permanent; Legal Education too. I think that would be for the good of the Association. Judge Biggs: I don't think it should be for any certain length of time, but it should be left as it is now. The President: There is a motion to amend the Constitution and By-Laws as read by providing for the appointment of this additional standing committee. A vote being taken, unanimously carried. |