A.—6

1884. NEW ZEALAND.

STATUTES REVISION COMMISSION (REPORT OF THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

To His Excellency Sir W. D. Jbkvois, K.C.M.G., &c, &c. May it please youb Excellency,— In accordance with the provisions of " The Eevision of Statutes Act, 1879," we have the honour to lay before your Excellency our report of the work performed by us during the late recess. The only new measure we have prepared for consolidation is the Electric Lines Bill; and we have also adapted for introduction certain Bills previously prepared by us, viz., the Municipal Corporations Act, the Counties Act, and the Police Offences Act. In explanation, we beg to state that in the early part of this year we communicated with your Excellency's Government respecting the future work of the Commission, and the subjects which yet remained for consolidation, as indicated in the concluding part of our report for last year, with the view of ascertaining whether it was likely that Bills comprising any, and, if so, which, of such subjects would be introduced into the Assembly if consolidated by us. We received a reply to the effect that the Government proposed to reintroduce certain of the Bills previously prepared by us; but, with the exception of the new Bill submitted with this report, it was not thought necessary to consolidate the Acts on other subjects at present, especially as some of them would probably be the subjects of other Bills. Under these circumstances nothing remains for us but to report to your Excellency accordingly, leaving it to your Excellency's Advisers to take such action as they may deem expedient to enable us to finish our labours as originally contemplated, by preparing an edition of all the public general Acts of the colony, or finally to close the Commission. We may state, for your Excellency's information, that we have already prepared upwards of fifty Bills, which consolidated nearly two hundred and eighty Acts and ordinances of the colony. Of these the following have not yet passed into law: The Criminal Code Act, the Counties Act, the Fisheries Act, the Municipal Corporations Act, the Public Trust Office Act, the Savings-Banks Act, and the Police Offences Act. Of the subjects yet remaining to be consolidated, and referred to in our correspondence with the Government, the following are the most important, nam'ely: Civil Service, Evidence, Electric Telegraph, Land, Land Transfer, Landlord and Tenant, Local Courts, Local Government, Mines and Mining, Mines Eegulation, Mining Companies, Native Land, Property Assessment, Public Eevenues, Eating, Eeligious Trusts, Settled Estates, and TradeMarks. For further information respecting the matters comprised in these Bills, we beg to refer your Excellency to previous reports furnished by us. If it should be decided to print at once an edition of the general Acts of the colony, we may assure your Excellency it will afford us pleasure to assist in bringing the work to a satisfactory conclusion ; but it will of course be for your Excellency's Advisers to determine how this can be done most effectually, having due regard to the importance of the subject. Alexander J. Johnston. Wellington, 2nd June, 1884. W. S. Eeid.

Authority: George Didsbdry, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB4.