A.- 6b.

Friendly Societies. In section 13, (5), of the Act of 1882 payment without letters of administration up to £50 has been altered to £100, to give effect to section 4 of the Administration Act of 1885 (section 38,(2), of the Consolidation Act). The same alteration has been made in the Industrial and Provident Societies Act, and also in the Public Revenues Act. In section 15 of the Act of 1882 (Copy of resolution under seal _of the Registrar to have same effect as memorandum of association), " Registrar," as defined by the Act, means the Registrar of Friendly Societies. We think that in the section named it means the Registrar of Companies, but we have not felt justified in altering the provision (section 56 of the Consolidation Act). The Legislature should deal with it in connection with the Imperial Act. P Section 16, (8), has been made a separate section (section 62 of the Consolidation Act) in accordance with a judgment in re Otago Odd Fellows v. Registrar of Friendly Societies (17, N.Z. L.R., page 13). Speaking generally of the Friendly Societies Acts, we have found them very involved, and recommend that the Consolidation Act be recast. Gaming. Sections 36, 37, and 45 of the Act of 1881 are dropped as unnecessary, the Justices of the Peace Act making full provision and uniformity being thereby attained. Government Advances to Settlers. In section 18 of the Consolidation Act (Classes of land on which money may be advanced) we have included the tenures under " The Land Act, 1908," corresponding to those under the former Land Acts. Government Railways. Section 21 of " The Government Railways Superannuation Fund Act, 1902 " (section 87 of the Consolidation Act), provides that where a contributor returns to duty whilst in receipt of a retiring-allowance his allowance shall cease, and all his rights and liabilities under the Act shall revive. This appears to be defective, as the benefits he has already received are not taken into account (as they should be) when he subsequently becomes entitled. We are of opinion that on the true construction of section 41 of " The Public Service Superannuation Act, 1907," the Manawatu Railway officers who join the Government Railways Superannuation Fund contribute on the original scale, which is much lower than the new scale fixed by that Act. Accordingly section 96 of the Consolidation Act so provides ; but, as the point is not clear, we draw special attention to it. Harbours. Section 78 of the Act of 1878 provided for pilotage-exemption certificates. Under that section the applicant for the certificate must be master or mate of a colonial trading vessel, but apparently the certificate when issued was not limited to vessels of that description. That section is repealed by the Act of 1883, which by section 25 makes general provision for such certificates. In the latter part of the section, however, the words " colonial trading vessels" appear (apparently by mistake). The effect is to suggest that the certificates are limited to that class of vessel. This conflicts with the general scheme of the section, which puts the limitation on the tonnage of the ships—not on their class or character. The certificate is expressed to authorise the person named therein "to pilot any ship of the tonnage specified therein." So also section: 26 (Exchange of certificates)—which has been dropped as spent—provides that where a certificate under the Act of 1878 is exchanged for one under the Act of 1883, the latter is " for vessels of the tonnage specified " in the first certificate. We have accordingly adopted the same language and omitted the reference to colonial trading vessels, to effect what we take to be the true intention of the Legislature. The same words have been consequentially omitted from section 88.

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