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the reign of King James the Second) are entered as unrestricted, though the repealing Act is in terms limited to England; repeals of these Acts effected by Acts other than The Statute Law Revision Act, 1863, which repeals are in terms limited territorially, have been dealt with thus:
(1.) The territorial limitation of the repeal is noticed, in case the Act repealed had a more extensive operation territorially than the repeal.
(2.) In other cases the repeal is entered as unrestricted.
The foregoing explanations relative to the Chronological Table, as regards editions and classes of Acts, apply to the Index also.
In contemplation of such an improvement of the Index as is begun in this edition, the Statute Law Committee adopted a paper of instructions, prepared by Sir Henry Thring,[1] the nature and purport of which appear from the following extracts: ****** The general scheme of an index to the Statute Book is to group under comparatively few effective titles the whole of the Statute Law, and to refer by cross titles to the sub-divisions of that Statute Law as found under the proper effective titles. ****** When the subject-matter of an effective title is determined, the mode of expressing that title is to be considered. The object here is to use the most popular title which will designate the subject-matter referred to. Other things being equal, a title consisting of a noun or beginning with a noun substantive should be preferred. ******
The effective title will be followed by a list of the statutes, the enactments of which are indexed under that title. The statutes, as shown in the specimen index. Coroner, will be accompanied, wherever possible, by a slight indication of the distinctive characteristic of each statute.
The subject-matter of an effective title being thus settled, the next step is to arrange the contents of the several statutes constituting that subject-matter, and the consideration of the best mode of arrangement leads to an inquiry into the structure and component parts of Acts of Parliament.
In a complex subject such as that of Public Health, the enactments admit of successive siftings or classifications, which, if carried into effect with care and patience, reduce the matter to such a form as will greatly facilitate the selection of headings and sub-headings, and the distribution of the groups of references under their respective headings and sub-headings, a distribution on which the excellence of an index greatly depends.
The first operation is a very general one. It consists in setting aside by itself all matter extraneous to the main purport of the statute. This matter comprises, as a rule, temporary provisions, repeals, general savings, and particularly local or other exceptional provisions.
****** The main body of the enactments will remain to be disposed of. Begin by dividing them into two general classes:—(1.) Enactments declaring the law; (2.) Enactments providing for the administration of the law. ******
Two great groups, (1) the law, and (2) the administration of the law, will now have been arrived at. Let us take these groups, and see what further general rules can be applied.
A little examination will show that the enactments divide themselves into ordinary and supplemental provisions. The ordinary provisions are such enactments as are in all cases required to carry into effect the material objects of the Act. Supplemental provisions are- ↑ These instructions form part of a paper, headed Statute Law Committee, printed for each House of Parliment, Session 1877. H.L. 117., H.C. 288 (Price 3d.)
