The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-28
UNIFORM LEGISLATION.
of the National Bar
Association Movement
Some of the Proposals.
Special to The Jersey city Neus.

/ TRENTON, Marcn 20, lo5o-0eferdl Yeas
| ago a movement was started by the
National Bar Association to promote uni
| formity of legislation in the United States
in respect to those subjects, III which
uniformity might seem to be practicable
| or desirable, and especially in the laws
| governing marriage and divorce, insol-
| vency and the form of uotarial certllc ates.
Anumber of the States at once look
| action in the matter, among them New
| Jersey. In 1891 al act was passed
providing for the appointment OF q Com
mission, TO consist OF three lawyers, 10
| examlne into the matter and confer with
| the Commissioners of oJher States Gov
| ernor Albeit appointed G. D. w. Vroom,
of Trenton; r. Wayne Parker, OF New
ark, and Otto Grouse, OF Jersey City, as
| such Commission.
These gentlemen have met In confer
ence with the Commissions OF other
| States and lave lone considerable work,
aud their report, which has been sub
| mitted to Governor Werts, Is a very lhl-
portant document. Its aim is to suggest
| such amendments to existing law as will
| obviaJe the complications arising every
| day from the diversity Of the laws OF neigh
| boring States. 1t has caused a great deal or
| trouble in our courts, and the report OF the
| Commission makessone experimenting
| gestions to the Legislature and appenuS
l CODES OIL aCbS ulCu IL AOOpOCos W0oAO ~
some extent remedy the evil. The term
of the Commission has expired, but the
last Legislature recognized their services
| by extending their time. but made no pro-
vision for compensation. Il is purely a
labor of love, as not even the expenses
| of the Commission are provided for.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DEEDS.
The first recommendation the Com
| mission makes is the adoption OF a uni
form system of acknowledgment of deeds
for all the States, and the New YORK
method is suggested. 1t seems to nave
attained the happy mean between Two
| great extremes, on the one hand Of re-
| curing the wax or wafer, and on the
| other OF allo wing any scrawl az a zeal.
Another Suggestion is that the ancient.
aud somewhat curious practice or taking
the acknowledgment of a married Woa-
an separate and apart from her husband,
| be abolished. Instead of a seal or wafer
| the letters L. S. are suggested as sufh-
cient.
MARRIAGE M DIVORCE
As to marriage, the Commission recog-
nizes hat each State tnusu take such pro-
| visions AS are suited to its conditions. In
some OF our sparselY settled Western
States. the same officers cannot be OBJ
tanned that can be here. but everywhere
it is important that the record should be
| complete and certain. Among the re-
| Communications made by the conference,
| and appended to the report OF the Com
mission in regard to marriage, are the
following
| eighteen III the male and sixteen in the
female.
That some or formality, or
written evidence, signed by the parties.
| and attesied by two or more witnesses.
be required to all marriages, and that in
| States where the so-called common law
marriage is now Recognized, no SUCH
| marriage shall be contracted unless evil
| denced by writing. signed in duDllsate by
| the parties, and attested by at least two
| witnesses.
That the magistrates or clergymen
| solemnizing such marriages shall file a
| record of the same with some public
officer; and that a record also be HE'D OF
common law marriages. IhaG unless
this is lone in the latter case, neither
party shall have any right or interest III
the property of the other.
The conference recommended that the
divorce laws of this and other Eastern
States be recommended for adoption by
the other States. Also that waere a mar
rage is dissolved, both parties shall be at
liberty to marry again.
WILLS.
Regarding the law OF wills, the Com
mission reports that the New Jersey law
is the most liberal of all the States. The
conference suggests that wills in writing.
subscribed by the testator, shall be good
everywhere, If executed with the formal
tiles OF The place where made.
AS to bills and notes. the conference
recommends that the three days OF grace
should be abolished. They are declared
to be a relic of other times. and are alb
surd, troublesome and have already been
abolished in some twenty States.
WEIGHTS N MEASURES.
It is a curious fact that great diversity.
exists in several States as to weights and
| measures, and the Commission recon-
mends the adoption of the following table,
which, except IN one or two Instances.
agrees with The weights now existing
here.
/. The avoirdupois pound to bear to the
troy pound the relation of 1908 to $3.50
The hundredweight to contain 100 of
~avoirdupois pounds and the ton 20 hun
dredweight.
2. The barrel to contain 31M gallons
and the hogshead two barrels.
g.. The dry gallon to contain 2S2 cubic
inches; the liquid gallon 231 cubic inches.
4. The bushel in heap measure TO con-
tain 21504 inches.
5. A barrel of flower measured by
weight snail contain 1876 pounds; a barrel
of potatoes. 172 pounds.
G.. A bushel of wheat to contain go
pounds. or Indian corn or rye So pounds.
OF barley 4s pounds. OF oates 81 pounds.
OF corn meal so pounds. OF
l rye ul6Al ~ pOullus. vi peas W
pounds. or potatoes 60 pounds. OF
apples 4S pounds. OF carrots so pounds.
OF onions 81 pounds. Or clover seed 60
pounds. OF herd grass or timothy a
pounds. OF bran aud shorts 70 pounds
or fax seed 55 pounds. OF coarse salt 70
pounds. OF fine salt so pounds. OF lime
10 pounds. or sweet potatoes "a pounds.
or beHns 60 pounds. OF dried apples IS
pounds. or dried peaches 33 pounds. Or
rough rice As pounds. OF upland cotton
seed 30 pounds. Or sea island cotton
seed A pounds. or buckwneat 43 p ,unds.
PASTOR RUSSELL NOT READY.
He wfIl eva Full Attention TO the
Lowndus AfYtir Next sunday.
Che O1nIrtarlua "a III fara nee nf fha. LANES