measure. Under such a plan, the legislature could debate the proposal and expose any serious defects either in substance or in form. To summarize, there seem to be but two feasible suggestions looking to the improvement of initiated laws and amendments. The indirect system of initiating should be established requiring both laws and amendments to go to the legislature before submission to the voters; and any state officer or bureau now authorized to assist the legislature in drafting measures, should be required to extend its aid to those desiring to use the initiative. Beyond this no practical suggestion occurs to the writer; but as the drafting of the legislative measures is aided and safeguarded by the extension of the duties and powers of legislative drafting bureaus, the same aids and safeguards should be applied to measures proposed under the initiative. Respectfully submitted, Wм. A. SCHNADER. REPORT OF THE COMPARATIVE LAW BUREAU. To the American Bar Association: The Board of Managers of the Comparative Law Bureau beg to present the following annual report as to the work and finances of the Bureau to June 1, 1915: The Swiss Civil Code, translated into English by Robert P. Shick and annotated by the late Mr. Charles Wetherill of the Editorial Staff, has been published and is now being offered for sale by the Boston Book Company, the official publishers of the Bureau. The Translation of the Argentine Civil Code, by Mr. Frank L. Joaninni, of Washington, D. C., is in the hands of the printer, and it is expected that it will be published at an early date. The Civil Code of Peru is still in the hands of the Revision Committee, but it is hoped this will be published at an early date. Most of the matter which would, under the former system, have been published as The Annual Bulletin for 1915 appeared in the April number of the AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOUrnal. This has been sent to the several members of the American Bar Association, and members composing the State Bar Associations who are affiliated with the Bureau as members, and also to the various law libraries and other institutions having membership in the Bureau. Hereafter the contributions of the Bureau to the transactions of the American Bar Association will appear in the AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL. $77.78 Balance in hands of Treasurer June 1, 1915.. There is still a balance of $1500 due on account of the expenses of publication and distribution of the 1914 Bulletin which the appropriation made by the American Bar Association will liquidate, when it is paid to the Bureau by the Association. Respectfully submitted, June 28, 1915. SIMEON E. BALDWIN, Director, REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO REPORT ON REORGANIZATION To the American Bar Association: Your undersigned special committee, appointed at the Montreal meeting, in 1913, to report on reorganization and methods of business of the Association, have conducted considerable correspondence during the past year with the Vice-Presidents of the Association for the several states, and with the Presidents of State Bar Associations, in order to find out what views are entertained in these representative quarters as to the subject assigned to this committee. The views were sought by means of a questionnaire, a copy of which is subjoined. The replies received disclose a wide diversity of views on all these topics. It is obvious that the subject assigned to this committee has been a frequent matter for serious reflection to a great many members of. the Association. Your committee has exchanged views by correspondence during the year with its different members and has had two or three personal conferences. Thus far your committee has reached no conclusion, except as stated below. This was partly for the reason that the work of obtaining the views from representative members of the Association has proceeded very slowly; and your committee feels that it should in this respect not endeavor to bring its own views to an issue, until it has satisfied itself as to the support which various proposed measures might receive from the public opinion of the Association. For that purpose, moreover, your committee desires to elicit further reflection and expression of views from members of the Association generally, and, with that view, has compiled in some appendices a collection of materials which will stimulate reflection. After these materials have been published and circulated in the October (1915) number of the JOURNAL of the Association, it will be in order for this committee to endeavor to reach some final conclusion on the topics discussed. Your committee therefore reports progress, with the expectation that it will be able to submit a final report to the Executive Committee in ample season before the annual meeting of 1916. On a single matter your committee has already reached a conclusion, viz., that the time allowed for the various meetings that are now held in connection with the annual meeting is too short. It recommends that the Association revert to the old practice, which occasionally obtained up to about eighteen years ago, of allotting four entire days to the annual meeting, instead of three entire days, as at present. A glance at the programs of the 1914 and 1915 meetings shows that out of nine units of time (morning, afternoon and evening) represented by the three days, less than three units in all were allotted to the hearing and deliberation on the reports of sixteen standing committees and eight special committees, as well as miscellaneous business-an amount of time wholly inadequate. Moreover, of the four sections of the Association, only one unit of time is generally allotted to each, and all four are usually made to meet simultaneously. In these and other ways there is evidently a need for the enlargement of the total time from three days to at least four days. In view of the necessity of making arrangements for the meeting in 1916, your committee respectfully recommend that the Executive Committee elected in August, 1915, follow the above recommendation, in making plans for the annual meeting of 1916. Respectfully submitted, JOHN H. WIGMORE, Chairman. JACOB M. DICKINSON, STEPHEN S. GREGORY, WALTER GEORGE SMITH, FRANCIS RAWLE. QUESTIONNAIRE. A. EXTENSION OF MEMBERSHIP. (a) 1. Do you believe that the American Bar Association membership should be enlarged, and how far? (b) 1. Do you believe that the organization of the American Bar Association membership is inadequate, and if so, in what way? |