Abilene weekly reflector., 1921-09-15
DEAD MATTER IN LAWS
Wholesale Rewriting And Repeating
Is Needed

Wholesale rewriting and repeal
ing of the Kansas laws will be nee
essary in order to clarity them. G. d.
Yetter and ID. s. Pipes, experts en-
plOyed by the commission appointed
by the supreme court to revise the
statues, agree that even a Philadei-
phia lawyer could not interpret some
OF the laws which have accumulated
since 1868, the date Of the first ana
only previous codlficatiOn.
BY wedding out the dead matter
and rearranging the typepage, sub
stituting for 10 point type and us
ing a double instead Of single col
umn to the page, the commission
hOpes to get the revised statutes In
volume no larger than the general
statutes of 1915. That volume con-
tains 2,71S pages, while the session
laws since then have brought the
total number Of pages up to 4,0o6.
A few Of the most glaring incon-
sistencies and conflicts which so far
have been discovered by the revisers
follow:
A 1917 law requires that all auto
mobiles using the public highways
between one half hour after sunset
and one-half hour before sunrise
must show two white head lights
and one red tail light. A 1921 law
res,lires that the number tag De
lighted from one hour after sunset
TO one hour before sunrise. Inc
conflict is obvious.
An 1891 law created board OF
public works, to consist or three
members appointed by the governor,
with the duty Of experimenting
erection Of all public buildings, IN
cluding the adoption of plans ana
Although this law has
never ben repealed, it Is said the last
board was appointed in 1903. Since
then, however, the state architect
also authorized by the act, has been
apOpinted each two years.
An old enactment provides line
of $50 for mistreating horse, OK or
other cattle. An 1889 law provides
n fine of not to excel $3.50, jail
sentence Of not to exceed one year,
or both, for cruelty to any animal
One of the earlier laws placed on
the statute books, but now entirely
obsolete, regulates steamboat navl-
cation on the rivers of the state,
providing penalties for taking on so
MANY passengers or such quantity
Of lading as to sink the boat, ana
for other negligencies of control.
Three laws are on the statute
books regarding the sale Of prison
mined coal by the state. A law OF
1891 permits the sale of such coal
IN open market, after the state IN
stitutions have been supplied. ms
IS prohibited by an 1889 law, but
s permtted again under 1o2l
aw. The latest law is assumed to
,e the guiding enactment although
he previous acts were not repealed.
The law providing for the gen
raj election ballot says that circle
$ to appear opposite the name OF
he candidate for president only,
making it necessary to vote for the
en- electors in body. A diagram
the law shows circle
opposite the name of each elcctor.
rhc supreme court held in test
,ase that the language of the law
governs.
The 1917 legislature enacted two
avs relating to the appropriation OF
ands by corporations, which are
practically alike. One is chapter
% and the other chapter 123 of the
cssions laws of that year. A siml-
ar duplication appears in the 1919
session laws, in chapters III and
~, both of which fix the terms OF
ourt In the twenty third judicial
district.
The 1917 compensation act Is
ambiguous in its wording. In one
ection it provides for payment of
to injured workmen In
ump sums and in another states
hat it is not to be paid in lump
ums except when the award has
cen delayed by the court in which
ase the injured would receive the
ack payments in a lump sum.
n RADNEC, CIDCIIG COMING