PROCEEDINGS

Portland, Maine,

Thursday, August 22, 1907, 10 A. M.

The Seventeenth Annual Conference of the Commissioners on Uniform State Laws convened in the State of Maine room in the Hotel Falmouth, in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, August 22, 1907, the President, Amasa M. Eaton, in the Chair.

The Secretary, Charles Thaddeus Terry, called the roll of states.

(See list of Commissioners and of others present at this Conference.)

The reading of the minutes of the previous meeting was dispensed with, as they had been printed and distributed among the members.

On motion of W. O. Hart, the Chair appointed the following committee of five members, to nominate officers for the ensuing year: William H. Staake, Talcott H. Russell, Frank M. Higgins, Louis C. Massey and John C. Richberg.

The President then delivered the annual address.

(The Address follows these Minutes.)

On motion of John C. Richberg, those portions of the President's annual address recommending consideration of specific matters were referred to the appropriate committees with the request that they make report thereon to the Conference before adjournment, this motion to include the subject of Family Desertion Laws and the extradition of parties charged with desertion, referred to in the President's annual address of 1905.

William H. Staake, on behalf of the Nominating Committee, submitted the following nominations for officers of the Conference for the year ensuing: For President, Amasa M. Eaton, of Providence, Rhode Island; for Vice-President, W. O. Hart, of New Orleans, Louisiana; for Treasurer, Talcott H. Russell, of

New Haven, Connecticut; for Secretary, Charles Thaddeus Terry, of New York, New York, and for Assistant Secretary, Francis A. Hoover, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Upon motion of John Garland Pollard, seconded by Charles F. Libby, the report of the committee was adopted and the Chairman was requested to cast the ballot of the Conference for the officers nominated. Unanimous consent being given, the Chairman cast the ballot of the Conference for the officers named, and they were declared duly elected.

Upon motion of William H. Staake, the hours for meeting were fixed as follows: from 10 A. M. to 12.30 P. M., and from 2.30 to 5.30 P. M.

Reports from committees were called for, in the order prescribed in the Constitution, Art. III, Sec. 2.

The report of the Executive Committee was submitted by the Chairman, William H. Staake. It was read, accepted and ordered placed on file.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

Talcott H. Russell presented his report as Treasurer. It was read, and on motion of Mr. Russell, was referred to an auditing committee for audit. The Chair appointed John Garland Pollard and Peter W. Meldrim as such committee.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

Upon motion of Talcott H. Russell, the Treasurer's report and the general subject of the finances of the Conference were referred to the Executive Committee for consideration and action.

The report of the Committee on Commercial Law was then submitted by the Chairman, Francis B. James. It was approved and ordered placed on file.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

Upon call for the report of the Committee on Wills, Descent and Distribution, W. O. Hart, Chairman, stated that nothing had been referred to it and therefore the committee has no report to make.

Upon motion of W. O. Hart, seconded by Talcott H. Russell, it was "Resolved, That the Committee on Congressional

Action be instructed to take such steps as may be necessary to secure the adoption of the Negotiable Instruments Law and such other laws as may be recommended by this Conference, in Alaska, the Indian Territory and the Insular Possessions of the United States, and to secure the appointment from those territories, districts and possessions, of Commissioners to this Conference." Charles F. Libby, Chairman of the Committee on Insurance, submitted the report of that committee. It was read, received and ordered to be placed on file.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

William H. Staake, Chairman of the Committee on Purity of Articles of Commerce, submitted the report of that committee. It was read, received and ordered to be placed on file.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

On motion of William H. Staake, seconded by W. O. Hart, it was "Resolved, That the Conference recommend that the Federal Pure Food and Drugs Act be considered practically as the type or model of an act to be adopted by the various states, with such changes as are necessary to adapt it to the conditions prevailing in each individual state."

Charles F. Libby stated that the Commissioners from Maine requested the pleasure of entertaining all the Commissioners of this Conference at a banquet at the Cumberland Club on Saturday evening, at 7 o'clock.

On motion of Talcott H. Russell, the invitation was accepted with thanks.

A recess was taken until 2.30 P. M.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

Thursday, August 22, 1907, 2.30 P. M.

The President in the Chair.

The call for reports from committees was resumed.

There was no report from the Committee on Uniform Incorporation Law.

W. O. Hart, Chairman of the Committee on the Torrens System and Registration of Titles to Land, submitted and read the report of that committee. It was ordered placed on file.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

On motion of W. O. Hart, seconded by Charles Thaddeus Terry, it was resolved that the report be received and that the Commissioners representing the various states be requested to address their legislatures on the subject, praying that they investigate the Torrens System on the lines laid down in the laws. passed in the states of Louisiana and New York.

There was no report from the Committee on Banking.

F. L. Siddons, Chairman, presented and read the report of the Committee on Vital and Penal Statistics. It was received and placed on file.

(The Report follows these Minutes.)

Upon motion of Talcott H. Russell, duly seconded, the recommendations of the committee were adopted, and the committee were requested to submit at some future time some form of a bill to carry out their recommendation.

Upon motion of Charles Thaddeus Terry, duly seconded, it was resolved that it is the sense of the Conference that there be extended to every gentleman present the courtesy of the floor and that any suggestion thus made will be received and welcomed with the gratitude of the Conference.

Thereupon A. J. McCrary, of New York, addressed the Conference upon the subject of Vital and Penal Statistics.

Upon motion of W. O. Hart, duly seconded, it was voted that a committee of three be appointed by the Chair, to prepare and submit to the Conference at the present session, suitable resolutions on the death of Ernest W. Huffcut, of New York, and Joseph P. Lamson, of Vermont. The Chair appointed Messrs. Hart, Russell and Terry.

The Committee on Commercial Law, through their Chairman, Francis B. James, submitted the 'following resolution, which was adopted:

Be it Resolved, By the Commissioners on Uniform State Laws at their Seventeenth Annual Conference, held this 22d day of August, 1907:

1. That Dean James Barr Ames be requested to prepare appropriate notes to each section of the draft of an act entitled "Draft of an Act to Make Uniform the Law of Partnership."

2. That said draft bill be recommitted to the Committee on Commercial law, to be dealt with, revised and amended, with the aid and assistance of Dean Ames, and that said bill be again submitted at the next Conference for discussion and action.

3. That the Committee on Commercial Law cause said draft and annotations to be printed, with appropriate preface, introduction and other matters that said committee may consider proper; that said committee shall distribute said printed draft bill and invite criticisms and suggestions from members of the Conference, business men, commercial organizations, lawyers, judges, law teachers and law writers.

4. That the Executive Committee make an appropriation for the use of said Committee on Commercial Law for said printing and publication and the distribution of said draft bill when printed.

5. That it shall be the special duty of the Assistant Secretary to distribute said draft.

The same committee also recommended for adoption the following resolution:

Be it Resolved, By the Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, at their Seventeenth Annual Conference, held this 22d day of August, 1907:

1. That the Committee on Commercial Law cause to be printed The Negotiable Instruments, Sales, and Warehouse Receipts Acts in separate volumes, with appropriate annotations, preface, introduction, lists of states which have passed each Act, and other matters that said Committee may consider proper.

2. "That the Executive Committee make an appropriation in its discretion for the use of said Committee for said printing and publication and the distribution of same when printed.

3. That it shall be the special duty of the Assistant Secretary to distribute said Acts."

The resolution was adopted.

Francis B. James, Chairman of the Committee on Commercial Law, submitted for that committee "The Second Tentative