summarized in the report referred to, such laws providing mothers' pensions, extending the control of the State over feeble-minded or criminally inclined persons, eugenic laws, laws against the sale or use of impure drugs and narcotics, suppressing illegitimate use of property such as occur in redlight districts, the enactment of city zoning laws, limiting the height and size of buildings in certain districts of cities, and likewise the trades and business which may be carried on therein. Many of these acts as well, in fact, as the general trend of legislation for several years, evince the growing tendency to place the welfare and safety of the community above any rights of the individual so far as these rights are not guaranteed and protected by constitutional provisions. And even where such protective provisions exist there seems to be a disposition on the part of the legislatures of some of the States to regard them rather lightly whenever in their opinion the public welfare would be thereby promoted. WM. P. BYNUM, Chm. WM. C. HAMMER. WALTER E. MOORE. N. J. ROUSE. JOHN C. SIKES, Sec. When this report was prepared we didn't have the recent act of the New York Legislature, which seems to be the best expression of the legislatures on the lazy man's law. I will call attention to two or three provisions in it: SECTION 1. The Governor is hereby authorized to issue a proclamation, during the present war with Germany and its allies, to the effect that public exigency requires that every able-bodied male person, between the ages of eighteen and fifty years, inclusive, be habitually and regularly engaged in some lawful, useful, and recognized business, profession, occupation, trade, or employment until the termination of such war. Any such proclamation shall be filed with the Secretary of State and published at least once in each county in a news paper of general circulation therein. The Governor may, in like manner, revoke any such proclamation before the termination of such war. SEC. 2. From and after the issuance of the proclamation by the Governor, as provided in section one, and until the termination of the present war with Germany and its allies, or until the prior revocation of such proclamation, every ablebodied male resident of this State, between the ages of eighteen and fifty years, inclusive, shall habitually and regularly engage in some lawful, useful, and recognized business, profession, occupation, trade, or employment. A refusal by any such person to be so employed for at least thirty-six hours per week shall constitute a violation of this section. The possession by any person of money, property, or income sufficient to support himself and those regularly dependent upon him. shall not be defense to a prosecution for a violation of this section or of any provision of this article. SEC. 4. No person shall be excused from accepting any proposed employment on the ground that the compensation is not adequate, if the wage or salary is equal to that paid to others in the same locality for the same kind of work. In addition to its other powers, the State Industrial Commission may assign any person registered with the bureau of employment to any available job or occupation for which such person is fitted. The Chairman: If there is no discussion of the report, what is the further pleasure of the meeting? It is moved by Mr. Aydlett, and seconded, that the report be adopted. Carried. The report of the Committee on Memorials, Mr. G. S. Bradshaw, is postponed until the afternoon session. The Chairman: Is there any further report from the Committee on Admission to Membership? Mr. Brock: There is no further report. The Chairman: Is there a report from the Committee on Legal Education? Mr. J. S. Manning, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Education being absent, the report is read by Judge J. Crawford Biggs: At the last meeting of the Bar Association, as Chairman of the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, I submitted for the committee a report making three recommendations as follows: First. That the course of study for applicants for license to practice law be broadened so as to make it commensurate with the requirement that the applicant must have read law for two years at least. Second. That a rule be prescribed requiring every one who proposes to apply for license to practice law to register with the Clerk of the Supreme Court, stating that he or she had begun the study of law preparatory to taking the examination two years hence. Third. That safeguards be inaugurated to prevent cheating and other fraudulent practices on the examinations. The Association at its last annual meeting adopted these recommendations, and I brought them to the attention of the Supreme Court, and I am pleased to report that the first and third of these recommendations were adopted at the Fall Term, 1917. The Court added to the course of study theretofore required the following subjects to be covered by the applicant before he can apply for license, to wit: Agency, Bailments, Carriers, Negotiable Instruments, Partnership, and Sales. The Court also inaugurated a new system for conducting the examinations designed to prevent cheating, which will no doubt be effective for this purpose. Respectfully submitted, J. CRAWFORD BIGGS. Judge Wm. P. Bynum moves that the report be received and filed. It is seconded and carried, and so ordered. The Chairman: Is there a report from the Judiciary Committee, Mr. E. F. Aydlett, Chairman ? Mr. Aydlett: Your committee begs leave to report that on account of conditions now existing we recommend no extensive changes be urged until after the close of the present war, except some of the counties need more courts. This is especially true of the First Judicial District. The counties in this district have to secure special terms at expense of the counties to get the cases tried. Mr. G. S. Bradshaw moves that the report be received and filed. Seconded and carried; so ordered. The Chairman: The report on Grievance, Mr. George Rountree, Chairman. Mr. Rountree: I beg to report on behalf of the committee that we have received the usual number of complaints against members of the bar, eleven in all. In two of these reports, which were examined by the members of the committee that could be gotten together, the committee was unanimously in favor of holding that the reports were ill-founded and they have been subsequently withdrawn. There were many reports that seemed to indicate that the complainants were under the impression that the North Carolina Bar Association is a collection agency. That, of course, is a mistake, and there were, I think, three of those complaints which we rejected with pleasure; three of the complaints have been referred to the solicitor with request to act; three we have recommended be referred to the incoming committee, and in two we thought we had no jurisdiction at all. I have not written out this report because I could only get a meeting of the committee yesterday afternoon, but I will write it out later. The report as written is as follows: REPORT OF GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE To the North Carolina Bar Association: Your committee beg leave to make the following report: There have been eleven complaints filed against members of the Bar of North Carolina, which we have dealt with as follows: Two of these complaints were against prominent members of this Association, and in both cases, in the opinion of the Committee, were not well founded. One of them was with reference to the amount of fee charged a collecting agency. Your committee decided they had no jurisdiction of this matter. The other was a complaint against a firm because of the failure to settle an estate as speedily as parties desired. Investigation showed that the member of the firm having the matter in charge, and who alone was cognizant of the facts, was stricken with a disease which disabled him from work for months, and as soon as he was sufficiently recovered to attend to business, the matter was settled, and your committee found no blameworthiness on his part. Of the others, your committee decided that they had no jurisdiction of two of them, as they were complaints with reference to fees or other questions that could be settled in the courts by civil action, and three were referred to the proper solicitors, with the request that an investigation be made and that he report his conclusion to the chairman of the incoming committee. A copy of the letter to the solicitor was sent to the presiding judge. Four complaints were referred to the incoming committee, leaving two, over which we had no jurisdiction. Respectfully submitted, GEORGE ROUNTREE, Chm. ZEB. V. WALSER. E. R. PRESTON. W. C. FEIMSTER, Sec. |