The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-14
ACTS OF LAWMAKERS
NOW OFF THE PRESS
Record Time Is Made-High
Praise For Clerks Prich-
ard and Harris.

CHARLESTON, w. Va, April a.
Within the net ten days every state
and county official in West Virginia
will have an advanced copy OF the
acts of the regular and extraordinary
sessions Of the Legislature. The
work has already started in sending
them out, the first being mailed the
first of this week.
me extraordinary session of the leg
lslature adjourned March 13. Moth
ing was done toward compiling, head
noting and printing the acts until af-
ter that time. Work began on the
Monday following the close of the SEES.
sion- So that in twenty-three days,
considerably less than a month, the
laws passed by the legislature, which
In an entirety. represents the most i'm
portant revision of statutes since the
session of 1872, were complied, print
ed and laid before the people OF the
state for their information and guild
ance.
The acts now being distributed con-
sist of lab chapters of the regular, ana
two of the extra session, with the
Joint and concurrent resolutions adopt
ed by the two houses. The charter
laws are separated and printed as a
separate volume and are not issued
with the rest. ALI the laws passed ex-
cept charters for municipalities are
in b advance acts. and as printed
for present distribution make a book
of nearly seven hundred pages.
Most people familiar with legislative
work and the customary Legislative de-
lays in the matter of publicity of laws
passed are astonished, but pleasantly
an Of tho ~~ra1aIanta ~~a-nD4-a1.
of this work. But when it Is explain
ed that. coupled with unusual efficien-
cy on the part of the clerks Of both
branches, Col. John T. Harris in the
Senate, and John Guy Pritchard In the
house of delegates. was the new sys-
tenn evolved by these clerks in fur
therance of the recommendations OF
the Governor, by which an immense
mount of duplication, Unnecessary
clerical assistance and much ancient
and obsolete delay was relegated to
the scrap heap, and the printing de-
partment administered so as t be-
come the efficient agency for prompt
publicity 1t was always intended that
it should be.
The ney system Of publicity for the
1915 sessions of the legislature had
a severe test in its Inauguration, per-
haps the hardest it will ever have.
The bills, journals, documents and
other legitimate publications requisi-
toned during the two sessions will
total not less than ten thousand
pages of the ordinary document form,
and this delivered within the sixty
days period covered by the two ses-
sions. is something remarkable, when
compared with the record of other SEES
siops.
T5o ron,oI,- .o. ,a.I,
in preparing the index for the two
volumes of acts, about fifteen hundred
pages in all, and their binding in per-
lament form. But for all purposes
the acts of the legislature are now
before the public in ample time for
thorough study before most OF them
become effective.
Clerk John Guy Prichard OF the
house of delegates, has given his IN
divided attention and the closest study
to the inauguration of the new sys-
tenn, which In the first instance has
certainly operated to the benefit of
the people Of the state. Active and
resourceful in the public arena in the
service OF the state he exhibited the
same characteristics, and but for fail
ure of the legislature in the last In
stance to meet the occasion in the
matter Of revenue enactments, the
session OF 1915 would easily eclipse
all previous sessions for the enact
ment of measures responsive to the
present progressive age.
Among those most closely %acquaint-
ed with this branch of legislative work
the splendid record made in the re-
cent sessions will prove a strong ar
gument In favor of the early creation
of a department having for it's pur-
pose the supervision of all legislative
printing and compilation. That such
a department would result in a saving
OF many thousands OF dollars to the
state and at the same time greatly
facilitate the legislative business has
been shown by the work just being
completed.