CONSOLIDATION OF THE STATUTE LAWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 172, 31 July 1901, Page 2

CONSOLIDATION OF THE STATUTE LAWS.

Mr TV. Joliffe, the Law Draughtsman, formerly of Atshburton. haa just received from the Government Printer a copy of the first volume of his " Consolidation of the Statute Laws." Mr Joliffe is an English -barrister by profession, who has been many years resident in the Colony. The work was started as a labour of love and a pastime to while away his leisure ; but it grew until he has now all but completed the classification and consolidation of the whole of the statute laws of the colony. Since the General Assembly first set about law-making it has passed no lesa than 780 statutes, contained in 47 volumes, on all kinds of subjects, many of them amending or repealing either wholly or in part statutes passed in previous years. The law was further complicated by the fact that one Act would frequently contain a section repealing or amending a portion of an Act which bore an entirely different title. The volume consists of 20 Acts covering the provisions of 1843 existing statutes, and reaches to the Constitution Act. The work will bo f^mpleted in five volumes, that is to say, {&• whole of the statute law of New Zealand. The idea is that Parliament, on being satisfied after taking such action as it deems proper that these five volumes contain the law, the whole law, and. nothing but the law of New Zealand, may fairly be asked to repeal all its former Acts embodied in this consolidation, and substitute the consolidated Acts in their places. This proposal will probably not come up till next year.