PEOPLE AND LAWS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24, 30 January 1911, Page 8

PEOPLE AND LAWS.

A PLEA FOR A CHANCE TO STUDY THEM. A SYMPATHETIC MINISTER. Last session's "legislative rest" produced a very large volume of statutes. 'Some of the Acts are new, and some are amendments. The general public .and the legal profession have now the task of getting reasonably familiar with the fresh enactments; but some of th& laws may operate before the people .have had a. fair opportunity to study them. This matter was discussed by tho Minister of Justice (the Hon. Dr. Findlay) with a Post representative to-day. "A good deal of pressure," the Minister ■ said,, "is- being brought to beair on* me to submit 1 to the Government's proposals that statutes, except these of which the operation is urgently needed at once, should not come into force earlier than Ist March. Under the existing law a statute comes into operation when signed by the Governor unless it contains a provision postponing the operation to a certain date. That dabe is almost invariably Ist January. Wliea' Parliament sits, as it sometimes does, well on into November, it is impossible for the Printing Office to punt, bind, and produce copies of statutes until tho latter end of January at the earliest. Hence the courts, the legal profession, and the public at large are expected to administer, advise upon, and obey, respectively, laws which they have had no opportunity of seeing. There is no doubt that this has often given rise not only .to serious difficulty but to injustice. While there are many drawbacks to the proposed change, it may wel.l be that the balance of convenience wiil lie mi postponing the operation of most of our statutes until Ist February or Ist March. This is a matter -which I am carefully considering with a view to bringing it before the Government." The Minister explained thai no action could be_taken regarding the Vatutes of last sc-ssion- Any proposals made by him would concern the legislation of the future.