Evening star., 1948-12-19
Infer-American Bar
Urges Study Center al
Library Of Congress

The executive committee of the
inter American Bar Association,
which closed two-day session yes
terday at the Pan American Union,
Endorsed projected nter-American
Center Of Legal Studies in the Lii
brary of Congress.
1t adopted resolution to CO.
operate with the Committee of
Latin American Law of the Ameri-
can Bar Association and the Pan
American Union in a program to
get the proposed center established
and financed by law. Under the
plan, codes of the various American
nations would be collected and also
basic laws especially those dealing
with taxation and labor would be
included.
Legal material from other nations
would be translated and published
in a quarterly publication, under
the proposal. Digests of important
court decisions and laws would be
contained in the periodical. PERTH
nent material would be published in
the four basic languages of the
emisphere-English French, Port
uguese and Spanish. The ground
work has been laid by the Law
Library in the Library of Congress,
officials said.
The committee voted to invite
President Truman to address the
associations first convention in the
United States, to be held in Detroit,
May % to June l of the coming
year. The program calls for enter
tanning delegates in Washington.
They will visit the Supreme Court,
the White House and Congress, the
associations secretary general, Will
liam Roy Valance, State Depart
ment attorney, said.
A reception and dance at the Pan
American Union are being planned.
Nearly 1000 delegates are expected
to attend the convention-300 from
Latin America, 500 from the United
States and 100 from Canada.
Lorne Lavigne, attache of the Ca
madam Embassy, presented report
at yesterdays meeting, outlining
Canada's plans for entertaining the
visitors. These include visits to
Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and
Quebec and steamer. trips down the
st. Lawrence and Saugenay Rivers.
The Women's Bar Association of
the District will present a paper
at the convention, Miss Carolyn
Royal Just, member of the asso-
cations council, said yesterday.
The National Association of Women
Lawyers will suggest proposed
oath for lawyers, similar to that
taken by doctors-the oath of Hip
pocrates-in which they undertake
to serve the poor, she said.
A model law for Societies of
the Americas to protect copyrights
was discussed yesterday by Sam B.
Warner, the Register Of Copyrights
of the United States. He recently
returned from q trip to South
America.
Among those attending the ses-
sions of the committee was Miguel
S. Macedo of Mexico City. He said
his father also was a lawyer, as were
his grandfather and great grand
father
A proposed legal dictionary in
Spanish, English, German and
French is expected to be ready for
the press in February, DR.. Lawrence
D. Egbert. official reporter at the
German war trials, told the commit
tee. A Portuguese translation is to
be made later, he said
The teaching of international law
in United States law schools was re-
ported on by Prof. James Oliver
Murdock of George Washington
University. Mr.. Valance reported
on survey of Latin American law
schools by DR.. Claude Horack, for
mer dean of Duke University Law
School, who has recently visited in
South America.
George Maurice Morris, former
president of the American Bar As
sociation, and prominent Washing
ton lawyer, presided at the meeting,
as the committees chairman.