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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 2 October 1880, Page 2

What is the law? A few'days ago we commented upon the fact that considerable inconvenience arid annoyance is. occasioned from a want of publicity of the. coming into operation of new. laws. On that occasion" we referred to the amendment of the Municipal Corporations Act and the annoyance, delay and expense that had arisen through those most interested being ignorant of the fact that the law in relation to elections had been materially altered. Since .then another case of a somewhat similar nature has arisen, aud is recorded.by telegraph from Auckland as follows ;—".John Lamb, a wellrkuown miller, clfacgefl liqdep thp Bakers and Millers' Act 1871, at Helens-, ville Police Court, with selling bread under weight, also with adulteration of broad. The case attracted great public interest, Mr. Hesketh astounding the police by informing thp Court that the Act under which the information was . laid had not been in force since August 17. The case was quashed." Here, then, is another proof of the necessity for information being given of the repeal (if law aud the substitution of a new one, We haye seen ths?t on two occasions the Bench, the Bar, and the public have been ignorant of a change in the laWj and that in both cases annoyance have been the result. A very simple plan might be adopted forgiving information that would in future obviate such .unseemly scenes as a Bench, Bar, witnesses, and defendant' being called into Court to deal with a case brought undgran 3Ct that has been out of existence for seven weeks. At all times it is difficult to understand the law, but these late proceedings show that the difficulty of telling what the law is has been greatly increased in consequence of a want of oublicity upon a very essential matter. 'Were the Government, on the repeal of an Act ap4 the passing of a new one. to direct that the fapfc shquld be telegraphed to the various journals in the Colony the difficulty might be overcome, for we feel zurp that every newspaper would eladly publish the information,