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No. 20. Ngatitoa Trust Act.—This Act authorises the Public Trustee to pay the corpus of the therein-mentioned fund to the respective Native beneficiaries at present entitled to the income thereof. No. 21.. Poverty Bay Land and Deeds Eegistration District Act.—This Act constitutes a new land and deeds registration district, and defines its boundaries. No. 22. Law Practitioners and New Zealand Law Societies Acts Amendment Act.—This Act opens the legal profession to women, and amends the constitution of the council of the New Zealand Law Society. No. 23. Infant Life Protection Act.—This Act repeals the existing Act, passed in 1893, and re-enacts it with amendments for the purpote of making better provision for the protection of the lives of young children, and the checking of baby-farming. The keeper of an infants' home is required to keep a book containing full and accurate records relating to each child. No child may be removed from an infants' home without the warrant of the Inspector of Police. In case of death, notice must be given to the police within twelve hours thereafter, and the body may not be buried without the authority of the Coroner. The provisions relating to inspection are amplified, and the power of cancellation of licenses for infants' homes is increased. No. 24. Trade-union Act Amendment Act.—This Act reduces the minimum age of membership of a trade-union from sixteen to fourteen years. No. 25. Government Advances to Settlers Act Amendment Act.—This Act provides for the granting of fixed loans for any term not exceeding ten years, without sinking fund, but with the right to pay off the whole or any part (not less than £5 or a multiple of £5) at any time during the term. It also increases the maximum amount of a loan from £2,500 to £3,000, and increases the classes of landed security upon which advances may be made. No. 26. Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Act (No. 2).—This Act amends the principal Act as to the power of the Council to stop, widen, and divert streets. No. 27. Urewera District Native Eeserve Act.—This Act constitutes the Urewera district a Native reserve, and provides for the local government thereof by the Native owners. The Governor is to appoint Commissioners to divide the district into blocks (adopting hapu boundaries) and to investigate the Native ownership of each block and the relative share of each family. The owners of each block elect a local committee to deal with the internal affairs of the block, and each local committee elects one of its members to form a general committee. The general committee deals with the reserve as a whole, and with each portion of it in relation to other persons than the Native owners of such portion. The Act further provides that the Governor may lay out roads and landing-places, and take land (within limited areas) for accommodation-houses and camping-grounds. No. 28. Harbours Act Amendment Act.—This Act amends the constitution of the Napier Harbour Board by increasing the number of members from twelve to thirteen. No. 29. Sea-fisheries Act Amendment Act.—This Act extends to edible shell-fish, and also to sponges and sponge-beds, such of the provisions of the principal Act relating to oysters as the Governor specfies in that behalf. No. 30. Government Loans to Local Bodies Act Amendment Act.—This Act brings watersupply districts under the provisions of the principal Act, and fixes a limit of £3,000 as the .maximum loan to any such district in any one year. It also amends the principal Act by requiring a special rating district to be a continuous area, forbidding the grant of loans unless the Native or Crown lands rated for the loan are less than two-thirds of the total rateable property, and unless the number of ratepayers exceeds one. Provision is made for the repayment of the whole or any part of a loan at any time during its currency. Additional remedies are given in case of default in payment of interest. Special provisions are made for loans for construction of bridges, and the principal Act is otherwise amended in various technical points. No. 31. Factories Act Amendment Act.—This Act checks sweating by providing that where textile goods are made for a factory by any one outside a factory the work shall not be sublet; also that a factory employe shall not work outside the factory. It also checks the risk of disease by making it unlawful to work up goods or material in any place where any one suffering from any infectious or contagious disease resides. No. 32. Inspection of Machinery Act Amendment Act.—This Act widens the scope of the principal Act by bringing under it machinery worked by water or electricity. It also makes further provision respecting certificates, and otherwise amends and extends the existing law. No. 33. Shops and Shop-assistants Act Amendment Act.—This Act extends the definition of " shop-assistants," and brings hawkers and pedlars under the principal Act, which is also amended in several other technical points. No. 34. Mining Companies Act Amendment Act.—This Act brings all mining companies under the operation of the Companies Branch Eegisters Act. It also provides that for the purpose of the incorporation of companies under the principal Act paid-up shares are to be deemed to be shares subscribed for. It also extends the provisions of the Act of 1895 relating to the sale of a mining company, and provides that payment may be made in paid-up shares in the purchasing company. No. 35. Chattels Transfer Act Amendment Act. —This Act exempts mercantile securities from the operation of the defeasance clause of the principal Act, and amends the law relating to the execution and registration of instruments. No. 36. Land for Settlements Act Amendment Act. —This Act makes fuller provision as to the disposal of lands acquired under the principal Act; requires the lessee to purchase the buildings by instalments; empowers the Minister to carry on such operations on land as he thinks necessary in order to prepare it for settlement; restricts the power of the lessee to sell or encumber his lease ; provides for small advances to lessees of workmen's homes in aid of building, fencing, and planting; authorises the establishment of experimental farms ; and otherwise amends and extends the principal Act.

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