English Legislation.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13520, 15 February 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

English Legislation.

NLW LAWS FOR 1908. On January Ist several new achs paired in the last ' session of Parliament came into force in the United Kingdom. lhe fnllowinir .summary of some of them, from a London daily, shows that in certain subjects the Imp'urial Parliament is following the lead of New Zealand. SMALL HOLDINGS. The most important is the Small. Holdings and Allotments Act. From the extraordinary interest which has been shown in this measure in the country distiicts, it is quite evident that the Hoard of Agriculture will have plenty of work to do. The Act hasseveral important provisions. It gives county councils compulsory power to hire as well as buy, laud for small holdings. The rent or price of the land is to be fixed by a single arbitrator appointed by the Boaid of Agriculture, in case no agreement is come to by voluntary arrangement. The management of allotment is taken out of the hands of the district and given to the parish councils, and the size of an allotment is increased to five acres. In case county councils take no steps to put the Act i'u force when asked to do so, the Board of Agriculture can take action. Two Small Holdings Commissioners have been appointed to see that the local authorities do their work. The Treasury has made a, grant of £IOO,OOO a year towauls the expenses of these Commissioners. There are provisions in the Act which ensuure that the local authorities shall report every year to the Board of Agriculture as to the demand for small holdings and allotments, and the steps which are being taken to supply them. PUBLIC TRUSTEE.. The Public Trustee Act is a measure which has been before Parliament for many yeau' past, but it passed into law only last Session. It appoints a. public trustee, who will act under wills, marriage settlement's and such Jike instruments, and administer estates. A regular scale of fees is laid down under the Act. PATENT LAWS REFORM. Mr Lloyd George's Patents Act is a daring departure in the way of amending the patent laws. To begin with, it assists the- poor inventor who desires to protect Lis invention by lessening the cost of registering the patent and proving tLat it is hot an infringement of other patents. But it goes much further. It deals with a. grievance which is severely felt by traders at present. Foreign patentees patent their inventions in this country, and then do nothing to manufacture under these patents here. In future, a. patent will only. be granted to a foreigner on the understanding that the patented article is adequately manufactured in this country. Again, the Act protects manufacturers' in this country from agreements imposed upon them by foreign makers, which' compel them to use only certain classes of machinery in carrying on their business. PUBLIC HEALTH ACT. A great, and far-reaching measure is the new Public Health (Amendment) Act. It was introduced by Mr John W. Wils-on, M.P., as a private measuie, but it was taken tip by Mr John Bruns, and put through by the Government. Many local authorities have private Acts, which contain valuable clauses dealing with the health of towi;s. Mr Wilson has collected all these clauses, and made them applicable to the whole country. Among the -new provisions is one which forbids any person suffering from any infectious disease from working at his ordinary avocation, unless he can do so without risk to his fellow-workmen.

The power of the 'local authorities to deal with milk supplies is increased. If ail epidemic breaks out and can be traced U> milk, the local authority has power to call upon the seller- of the "milk to furnish a complete list- of all the places from which he obtains supplies. Another provision of the Act forbids any person to send clothing to a laundry which he ktiows to have been exposed to infection. LAUNDRIES AND PARTNERSHIPS. The Factory and Workshops (Amendment) Act extends the provisions of previous Acts to laundries. The Limited Partnei-b-hipii Act extends the principle of limited liability to private partnerships, and allows a partner to limit his liability in any partnership he may enter. The Married Women's Property" Act enables a, married woman to 'dispose of, or join in disposing of, real or personal property held by her jointly without the concurrence of her husband. The Lights on Vehicles Act provides that every vehicle travelling after sunset must carry a light in the front, and if with a load' projecting 6 feet a lamp in the rear. Wagons used in harvest work mtiy be exempted bv the local authority. BUTTER—BIRTHS—VACCINATION. The Butter and Margarine Act icgulates the sale of bull-er substitutes, and prevents the sale of any of these substitutes without ample and complete notification to tiie buyer. The Notification of Births Act is an adoptive uiea.surc. When it is put in force by local authorities, all births must be notified to (he niedii-al officer of health, thirty hours after they have taken place. The new Vaccination Act gives the cowscientiou." objector power tomake a statutory declaration, instead of going before a magistrate, in order to obtain an exemption certificate. NEW WAY WITH LAW BREAKERS. A valuable measure, which deals with criminal procedure is the Probation of Offenders Act. It gives the Courts power to deal with a prisoner without convicting him. The Court may dismiss the information, or it may release the prisoner on hits own recognisances, and place him under the care of any persons the Court may direct; and it may require him, as a condition of release, to cease from frequenting the company of undesirable places or people, and from using intoxicating liquors.