Page:Chronological Table and Index of the Statutes.djvu/15

 1. Enactments relating to Law.
 * (c) These enactments will be grouped, as a general rule, under headings and sub-headings. Principal enactments only, except in special cases, will be noticed separately, and several principal enactments, whenever the index-maker thinks it advisable, may be collected in one reference.
 * Ordinary enactments will precede supplemental enactments.
 * References will, as between themselves, 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.

2. Enactments relating to Administration of Law.
 * (d.) The directions in (c.) apply here also.
 * With respect to the interior arrangement, so to speak, of the group, the simpler or lower authority will precede the higher or more complex authority; in the Public Health Act, for example, Sanitary Authority will precede the Local Government Board; in legal proceedings, the Court of First Instance comes before the Court of Appeal, and so forth.

3. Local, special, or exceptional provisions.
 * (e.) The above expression, or some part of it, will usually form a heading in the index of a complex subject-matter. The references will be arranged according to (c.)

4. Temporary provisions; Repeals; Savings. With respect to the composition of the index, references should whenever practicable be expressed by substantives or participles used as substantives.
 * (f.) Usually the above-mentioned provisions will not require to be indexed: when they do so require, one or more of the above expressions will form the heading.

The above rules can only be considered as general instructions, admitting of many exceptions. It must, however, not be forgotten that uniformity in the framework of an index is of great importance, as it enables the inquirer to look at once for the proper heading under which he will probably find the information of which he is in search.

An Appendix is subjoined of rules which it has been thought better to group together in an Appendix, instead of embodying them in the instructions.

E. E. S. E. I. but E. is not to be put on Acts passed before the union of E. and S.
 * 1) The present Parts for Scotland and Ireland and Colonies are to be combined with the general Part.
 * 2) Where the subject comprises a separate series of enactments for S. or I. only, the entries are to be subjoined separately to the general entries or main part.
 * 3) Entries, when extending to E. and S. and I, are not to be marked U.K. (as they are in the House of Lords Index), but to be left without any distinguishing mark.
 * 4) Entries in the main part are to be marked according to the fact, thus—
 * 1) Where a series of enactments (as those relating to Reformatory and Industrial Schools) extend some to S. only, some to S. or I. only, some to E. and S. or I., the index-maker is to determine, according to circumstances, whether the entries of those extending to S. or I. only  are to be in the subjoined part for S. or I. only, or are to be in the main part.
 * 2) The beat way of dealing with such cases as Cinque Ports, Langbaurgh, and so forth, under, is to make a separate sub-head.  and  (see ), and group there all exceptional cases, with short explanatory entries.
 * 3) What is wanted is not an index of words, but an index of things; and, therefore, there is no need to give a reference to every enactment in which a particular officer (Sheriff, for instance) may happen to be mentioned, unless some function requiring to be indexed is attached to him
 * 4) When the same enactment occurs in several Statutes they should all be mentioned, and not only the most recent.
 * 5) When the information is contained in the Schedule to an Act, the reference should be to the Schedule, and also to the section which gives effect to the Schedule.