Page:Chronological Table and Index of the Statutes.djvu/14

 framed with a view to supply vacancies in offices, defects in procedure, or to declare in detail the mode of carrying into effect legislative acts, the principles of which have been previously laid down.

The arrangement of the ordinary and supplemental provisions, where it is necessary to index them separately, should be as follows: The ordinary should precede the supplemental, but they should not be arranged in separate parts, as is usually done in Acts of Parliament, for it will be better in an index that the supplemental provisions applicable to a particular matter should immediately follow the ordinary provisions relating to the same matter.

A point has now been arrived at at which a pause may be made for the purpose of observing the effect of the preceding operations. The framework of the title has been settled to a considerable degree, the arrangement being as follows:—
 * (1.) Law;
 * (2.) Administration;
 * (3.) Exceptional provisions;
 * (4.) Temporary provisions, savings, and repeals.

The index-maker must now turn his attention to selecting the headings and sub-headings, and to grouping the references under those headings and sub-headings.

Looking, with a view to sub-division, at the large group of enactments that, in the Public Health Act, will range themselves under law and administration, it will be found that they are capable of division into simple enactments and complex enactments.

A simple enactment is one in which the principle is contained in one section. A complex enactment consists of two classes of enactments, principal enactments, and subordinate enactments, of which the principal enactments are occupied in enunciating the law, the subordinate enactments in declaring the procedure by which the law is to be carried into effect.

In indexing, the subordinate enactments will not usually require to be noticed separately, but, of course, where they are so noticed they will follow the principal enactment.

On the question of headings and sub-headings a very wide discretion must be left to the index-maker. As a general rule the headings should be but few, and should be very comprehensive, it being borne in mind that nothing is so likely to confuse an inquirer as to find a reference under a heading to which it does not belong, while even if the heading be too comprehensive the only result is that a little more trouble is given the inquirer in finding the reference which he seeks.

The same observations apply to the sub-headings, but with less force. The sub-headings, where used, should indicate the important divisions in the subject-matter of the heading under which they are found.

The references will in general consist of short notices of the various principal enactments, they will be arranged in the natural order of sequence where such order is apparent, and in other cases according to the order of time or of importance, or in such other method as the index-maker may think most appropriate.

These references will, in a complex subject, be grouped under separate headings and sub-headings, while in a simple subject such a division will frequently be unnecessary.

With respect to the number and particularity of the references no general rule can be laid down. The difficulty in framing references consists in finding generic expressions capable of including a sufficient number of enactments without being too vague. The index-maker must judge for himself how far he must guide the inquirer to a particular enactment by a special reference, having regard to the necessity of keeping his title within moderate compass, and in some degree to the question whether the subject-matter with which he is dealing is or is not of such general interest as to require a greater or less degree of minuteness in indexing.

A summary of the foregoing rules, with a few additional observations, may be given as follows:—


 * 1) Title.
 * (a.) An effective title must generally (subject to the rule of preferring the popular title) begin with a noun substantive; cross titles will begin with a noun substantive or not, according to circumstances.
 * 1) Enumeration of Statutes.
 * (b.) If the Statutes are numerous they will be arranged in a double column; see Coroner.