Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-03-01
Great Necessity for Compilation Of
the Laws.

Great Necessity Tor SOmpllatlOn OF
the Laws.
The territorial laws should without
doubt be compiled. 1t is almost impos.
sible to tell where you are sat- when
looking through the present tumble. In
one of the session laws you may think
you have found just what you want, then
may be later you will find in one book
one portion repealed, and in another
still different change. Compile the laws
by all means.
All of our exchanges who have any
necessity, but some of them seem to
think that there is a steal behind it. The
amount to be appropriated for this work
is $4,000. The salaries and other ex-
penses of the commission appointed to
do the compiling amounts to $4,000.
For the printing, translating and binding
the sum of $10,500 is allowed. Now, the
only question to discuss is whether too
much money has been appropriated for
this work. What the cost for the transla-
tion amounts to we do not know. 1t
would be at least several Thousand dol
lars. Then the composition, in both
English and Spanish editions, will also
amount to several Thousand dollars, which
will have to be paid to printers, and
proof readers are not expected to do
their work for nothing. The binding is
quite an item. Now, the bill provides
that the law books shall be sold for $40
each and the proceeds turned into the
territorial treasury. Every lawyer, JUS
tice of the peace and many of the
county officers and, possible. several news.
paper men, (who want to know what the
libel law is) will want copy. It is
claimed that the proceeds of the sale of
the books will reimburse the territory
for the entire expense entailed by reason
of the compilation.
By all means put the laws in such shape
as to make them Ineligible and compre-
hensible.-Las Cruces Republican.
XIX
Compile the Territorial Laws.
A bill before the legislature provides
that the sum of $4,000 shall be appro-
priated for the compilation and printing
of the laws of New Mexico. OF this sum
$500 will be for salaries and other ex-
penses of the commission, leaving &c.,
500 for the expense of printing and sun
dry incidents that cannot be enumerated
at this time. careful estimate places
the cost of printing, binding, ETC., at
$4,000. This leaves $1,000 for as COR
ruption fund, according to couple of
journals that are opposed to the pubic
printer doing the work, although his
figures are less than the rates provided
by law in New Mexico. If either of the
two kickers fail to secure the job they
don't want the work done at all. This is
logic of a peculiar kinda kind that is
certainly not in harmony with advanced
ideas.
The urgent need of compilation of
our laws is admitted in every quarter,
and the lawmakers will certainly do
nothing else but pass the measure. 1t
seldom follows that printing of this
character is satisfactorily done when let
to the lowest tender. The established |
scale of prices is mono too high in New
Mexico, but In paying that rate it is very
important that only firstclass work |
should be accepted. In this respect no
risk is taken by giving the contract to
the public printer, for the New MEXICAN
job Office has an established repu-
tatlon Tor proflclency. While the Bee
is an advocate of economy where the
expenditure of public money is con-
cerned, it recognizes the dividing line be-
tween good article at fair price and |
makeshft imitation, dear at any figure.
The people of New Mexico want the |
laws compiled, they have no objection to |
the public printer doing the work, so let
the bill become law that the work may be
undertaken at once. We're there any i'm
mediate prospect of statehood being
granted the territory, this compilation of
the laws would be unnecessary; but as
small clothes will be our garb for some
time to come, an intelligent idea of the
governing laws is necessary, and this can
only be had by thorough wedding out
of useless material and comprehensive
indexing of existing statutes. San Mar.
Cia1 Rae