STATUTES REVISION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 59, 7 September 1938, Page 12

STATUTES REVISION

BILL INTRODUCED

MANY AMENDMENTS

FAlft RENTS ACT EXTENDED

The Statutes Amendment Bill, containing 53 x clauses, was introduced by Governor-General's Message in the House of Representatives this afternoon.

Its main provisions include an extension of the Fair Rents Act for another twelve months, and section 218 "of the Land Act, which empowers the revaluation of land where there is an option to purchase, under the provisions of the Land Act of 1892, is amended. ■ *. Crown tenants have made repeated requests to have the terms of the Mortgagors' Rehabilitation Act applied to the capital value of their holdings, and the answer has been, given by the Government that this power is already in existence. However, it was found that the^ relevant section referred to licences granted under the Land Act as consolidated in 1908, and it was overlooked that certain licences had been granted under another statute in 1892. These licences which were inadvertently excluded have now been brought into line with other classes of licences. The Law Practitioners Act is to be amended to enable the more ready enforcement of the payment of practising fees by solicitors, and the date of the election of Licensing Committees is being altered to conform to the I changing of the term of Parliament from four years to three years. A slight, alteration will be made in the procedure on appeals from the Magistrate's Court, making the security to be given by the appellant less burdensome. WOMEN POLICE. Authority is also set out in the Bill for the appointment of a force of women police. An anomaly regarding the registration of , architects will be corrected through a clause which will enable an architect who has ceased practice to become again registered, although under the present provisions of the law this is impossible. Another clause provides for the appointment of an additional member to the Opticians' Board. He will be a representative of the employees. Pharmaceutical apprentices, under another clause of the Bill, are to be allowed to serve their apprenticeship in ! approved private hospitals, in addition to public hospitals. A provision dealing with workers compensation cases sets out that the certificates given by medical committees are not finally binding, and may be revised by the Court.