Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-05-24
REVISION Of
LAWS TO BEGIN
Commission Will
Commence Actual
Work in June
TASK WILL Be LAB0R|0Us
Offices Fitted Up In Capitol
Building for Use of Law
yers..-All in Readiness.

On June the Commission of Law
Revision appointed in accordance with
an act of the recent Legislative AS
sembly will begin compiling and re,
vising the statutes Of New Mexico.
Practically everything is now in readi'
ness for this laborious task which it
is estimated will consume about a
year. Commodious quarters have been
fitted out and placed at the disposal OF
the commission on the third floor oil
the Capitol comprising the suite of
committee and other ante rooms OF the
House of Representatives.
Attorney Benjamin M. Read, of this
city, who was elected as secretary of
the law revision commission has been
busily engaged for the past twt
months in making preparations for
the actual work. He has secured with
two exceptions all Of the reference
books together with other supplies
needed. The only volumes missing are
Spanish copy Of the Compiled Laws
of 1897 and paper-bound pamphlet
of the Session Laws of 1903 also
printed in Spanish. The Territory has
furnished large number of the books
including decisions of the various
state and territorial Supreme Courts
which were loaned from the Territor-
ial Library.
Each Member Has Individual Books.
Each of the five members Of the
commission has been supplied with
three leather bound copies of the Com
piled Laws OF 1897. Five of these vol
umes have been annotated on the mar
gins by Mr.. Read calling attention to
amendments by subsequent legisla-
lures of laws then in force and the con
struction placed upon many of them by
the Territorial Supreme Court as we'll
as crossing out any statutes that have
been entirely repealed since the last
compilation Of laws. The other two
sets were secured for the purpose of
mutilation as each member will re
quire two books out of which to cut
statutes still operative for use In the
compilation which will have to be
done before the actual revision can be
accomplished.
Paper bound copies of the Session
Laws of the Legislative Assemblies of
1899, 1901, 1903 and 1905 have been
procured also for the use of the mem
bers, and similar copies of the Session
Laws of the Legislative Assembly this
year will be added as soon as off
the press of the New Mexican Print
ing Company. Five copies of these
Session Laws have also been ammo
tated similar to the volumes Of Com
piled Laws as means of reference.
The Spanish law books are for the
use of the official translator, Hon
Malaquias Martinez. and his assistant
Miss Domitila Read The latter has
been employed for about month as
sisting the secretary and also trans
ferring the explanatory notations II
the English books to those published
in Spanish. The translators will alsC
have two sets to cut from, or will
when the two missing volumes are
forthcoming.
Commission Has Virtual Legislatlv.
Powers.
The law revision commission |.
vested with practically the same
power as the legislature, although
when it's labors are finished the con
structive work must be submitted fo
approval and enactment to the Thirty
eighth Legislative Assembly whicl
will convene In 1909. The commits
sioners will take up section by section
as they 60 along giving a complet,
history of the various statutes from
the time of their introduction togethe
with decisions rendered by the Terri
torial Supreme Court relative to thei
COQSLlCuClOIdllty vi IAIcl ~ OIdClou v.
that tribunal. Everything that has be
come obsolete because of having
served It's purpose such as special leg
islation will be eliminated as we'll a.
all laws that have been repealed.
Discrepancies in English and spanisl
Laws.
Secretary Read has found dlscrel
ancies in making comparisons OF tn
English and Spanish laws and In on
instance has discovered where two en-
tire sections had been omitted in tn
translation. The Territorial Suprem
Court holds that the original law go,
erns whether passed in Spanish or il
English. This ruling was necessar
on account Of any mistakes that Nigh
occur in translating.
In the revision of the laws this yea
1t is proposed to have the letter
"TR" placed In tho margin opposit
the laws introduced in Spanish, ind
eating that they are translations an