The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-08
THE UNIFORMITY OF LAW.
Mai. NeldTim Tells Of the Changes Su6-
geSted BY The Committee.

Recommended That the Days Of Grace
on Commercial Paper Be Done Away
/ With-Uniform Weights and Measures
| Wanted in All the states-WilIs
( Should Have the Same Number of Wit
nessss in All the States Nineteen
States Represented at the Meeting Of
the Committee.
Maj p. W. Meldrim has returned to the
city from the north, after stopping a few
days at TattnaH county superior court on
his way home.
Mai. Meldrim was member Of the com
mittee on the uniformity Of law. appointed
to re esent Georgia at the meeting of
that committee, held at Saratoga, n. Y,
tonal Bar Association. He, together with
Mr.. Walter b. Hin Of Macon, represented
this state.
There were only nineteen states repre-
sented at the convention, of which Mr..
Beekman of New York was chairman.
The committee drafted a long report on
different laws, which. in many states,
come into conflict, and this report viii be
submitted to the governors of each of the
states which were represented, and bv
them turned over to the legislatures. with
such recommendations as they see fit to
make.
Among the more important subjects
dealt with was the question of DAYS of
grace, the number of which varied greatly
IN the states represented. Some of them
have four, others three and several of
them had none at all. This leads to much
confusion in commercial interchanges
between parties Of different states. and
might be the cause of some trouble where
the laws of the different states were not
well known. The committee recon-
mended that all the states abolish the
DAYS of grace on commercial paper, which
would put them all on the same footing
and obviate any trouble.
Another important subject was that of
weights and measures. Almost every-
thing nowadays is sold by weight or
measures, which are derived from the
weight unit. But in different states the
number of pounds which constitutes a
bushel in the different products varies to
a certain extent. This creates difficulties
IN commercial transactions, which could
only be remedied by having a standard
weight for the bushel of each of the pro
ducts, and having it the same number of
pOuAAAo HI cll lAlt states. me com n1ttee
MADE out schedule Of weights for the
bushel of each Of the staple products
measured in this way, and will recon-
mend Its adoption in their report
Inc marriage laws are, perhaps, the
most widely divergent of all in the diff
terent states. man may be married in
one state and his marriage not recognized
in another. These laws were carefully
looked into and many suggestions with
regard to making these laws uniform
have been embodied in the report
wis was another subject to which
considerable attention was given As n
case in point illustrating the lack of uni
formity in the states on the law of wills,
man with property in Georgia died in
New Jersey sometime ago, and his will
was drawn by a New Jersey lawyer.
There only two witnesses are required
but in Georgia three are necessary, and
the consequence was that the portion of
his Will relating to the property in Geor-
gia was held invalid, and other disposition
was made of the property. The commit
tee recommends that the number of wit
nesses be made the same in all the states.
and makes other suggestions with regard
to these laws.
The report is thorough one with re-
spect to the matters taken up, and will
no doubt result in the accompaniment
of some good with regard to uniform
10" q III matters OF TINS hinu, as gen
eral rule, the committee recommended
the adoption by the other states of the
laws on these subjects which prevailed
in the majority of the states.
Two or three of the states appropriated
money to pay the expenses of the work
of these commissioners, for stenographic
work and other expenses that had to be
paid, but Georgia was not on this list.
| The consequence is that these states
which did not make such augmentation
get the full benefit of the money expended
| by the other states which do foot the
bills.