The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1920-09-30
ERROR IN SLEICHLAW
Word Such" Omitted From Law Sup
plement, is Responsible for
Much misunderstanding.
Attorney Generals Construction o
Law Relating to Wide Sleighs
Hereunder Quoted.

The Farmer, an agricultural jour-
nal published in st Paul, kindly calls
our attention to the omission of the
word "such" in quoting the law on
wide-guage sleighs, which changes the
meaning of the statute. This same
error was made by the Farmer in its
first quotation of the law, and 1T ex-
plains the matter thus:
"a misunderstanding Of the So
called new sled law, passed by the last
Minnesota legislature and effective
January /, 1921, is widespread
throughout the state, due to mis-
print of the law in it's first official
publication. At the close Of each ses-
sion of the legislature the secretary
of state is required to authorize the
publication of all bills passed in vari-
Gus qualified newspapers throughout
the state in the form Of a special
newspaper supplement" supple
ment to serve as the official copy until
the authorized bound volume can be
printed. 1t so happened that, in the
newspaper supplement of the laws
passed last year, one word was omit
ted from the quotation of the new
sled law, and the omission of that one
word has caused all the misunder-
standing. The law should read
with the word omitted from the sup
plement printed in caps) as follows:
Con and after the first day Of jan
uary, 1921, it shall be unlawful for
any person, firm or corporation in
this state to sell any new or frst-hand
draft sleigh to any person or persons
residing in the state, for use therein,
unless the runners of such sleigh shall
measure from center to center not
less than four feet six inches. And on
and after such date it shall be unlaw-
full for any person or persons to use
upon any of the public highways Of
this state any SUCH sleigh, after said
first day Of January, 1921, unless the
runners shall measure from center to
center four feet six inches.
ANY person, firm or corporation
violating any of the provisions of this
section shall be guilty Of misde-
meanor and upon conviction shall be
fined not less than five dollars nor
more than twenty five dollars"
"The Farmer had received number
of inquiries asking whether the law
applied only to new sleighs purchased
after January 1, 1921, or to old sleighs
as we'll, and requested Attorney Gen
eral c. L. Hilton to give our readers
his official Interpretation. The attor-
ney general kindly complied, constru-
ing the law as applying only to sleighs
purchased after January 1, 1921, and
not to sleighs purchased or used prior
to that date His full Interpretation
(based on proper reading of the law
was as follows:
'tThe act can be and is to be con-
strued as prohibiting, after January
I, 1921, the use upon public highways
of the state of newly purchased or
first hand sleighs, the runners of
which measure less than four feet six
inches from center to center; that af-
ter said first day Of January, 1921, the
owner of sleigh which was purchased
from dealer or manufacturer prior
to that date, or which has been used
prior to January l, 1921, so as to be
secondhand and not new frst-hand
sleigh, though the runners thereof are
less than four feet six inches from CEN
ter to center, may lawfully use the
same upon the public highways Of this
state, and may lawfully sell the same
to another, and such other may law
fully use the same upon the public
highways of the state, the purpose of
the act being to gradually eliminate
from use upon the highways Of sleighs
of a width less than four feet six
inches from center to center of the
runners"
Hence it will be readily seen that
the error, which was widespread
throughout the state, was due to the
omission Of the word "such" in the law
supplement, and that none of the pa
pers reproducing it are to blame. The
Union, however, is pleased to make
the correction and thanks The Farmer
for calling it's attention to the matter.
An Appreciation of DIR. Service.
The pastor and the teacher occupy a
unique position in the community.