POOR BARRISTERS

Evening Star, Issue 20876, 20 August 1931, Page 2

POOR BARRISTERS

TWO POUNDS A WEEK For the last fourteen days he had been engaged in considering what should bo the minimum wage for a large number of the working men of this country, and they would bo astonished if they knew the amounts that were sometimes claimed, said Lord Sankey, tho Lord High Chancellor, when making an urgent appeal for more liberal subscriptions to the Barristers’ Benevolent Association at the annual meeting of the association in Middle Temple Hall, says the ‘ Daily Telegraph.’ They would be equally astonished when ho told them what some of their own profession had to live on. In a letter sent to him tho secretary of this association said that about thirty-two of the beneficiaries had incomes of £9l a year, and thirteen others of apputxiniately £lO4 a year. Some members of tho bar were extremely fortunate, and he did not grudge them their good fortune, but on the whole the bar was going through extremely bad times, and ho thought it was unfortunate that there should lie numbers living upon a starvation wage. Ho supposed that niost of them, when they first went io tho bar, anil were not making tho £30,000, £40,000, £60,000, nay, £70,000 a year, which he had seen it stated, “ fashionable ” counsel got (laughter) signed bankers’ orders in favour of the association. He would like to see a quinquennial examination of those orders to ascertain if they did not need revision by filling in with larger amounts. The financial condition of this association could not bo regarded as satisfactory. Lord Justice Scruton supported tho pleas for a revision of bankers’ orders, remarking that they were sometimes for amounts proportionate to an earned income of £2OO or £3OO a year, but quite disproportionate to incomes of £20,000. Lord Atkin suggested that subscription to tho association should bo regarded as a prior charge on anything like a settled income at the Lai - ; a duty on all who had obtained permanent appointments, a claim upon every judicial personage in tbe country. It was more difficult to blast than to drnr subscriptions out of persons. Mr J. E. Singleton, K.C.. one of the honorary treasurers, stated that last year they spent £628 over the income. Mr Justice Luxmoor snid_ it might be that a good, healthy deficit was the best possible appeal for an association of this kind. Among those present were Lord Justice Slesser, Mr Justice Bateson, Mr Justice MacKinnon, Mr Justice Farwell, His Honour Judge Tobin (treasurer of tho Middle Temple), and many leading members of tlio bar.