Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 47 Part 1.djvu/1148

 11 24 72d CONGRESS. S ESS. II. CH. 12 8. F EBRUA RY 27, 1933 . [CHA PTER 128 .1 February 77, To provide a new civil code for the Canal Zone ana to repeal the existing civil [H. R. 7s2z .] [Public, No . 376.] code. C ivil Code of Canal Zone. AN ACT Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States o f America in Congress assembled, That the seventy- seven chapters hereinafter set forth shall constitute the Civil Code of the Canal Zone. PRELIMINARY CHAPT ER 1 .-PRELIMINARY PR OV ISI ONS PROVISIONS. Title . SECT ION 1. TITLE Or THIS ACT .-This Act shall be kn own as the Civil Code of the Canal Zone. Effective date. SEC. 2. WHEN THIS CODE TAKES EFFECT .-This code shall take effect on the first day of October, nineteen hundred and thirty-three. Not retroactive. SEc. 3. NOT RETROACTIVE.-NO part of it is retroactive, unless expressly so declared. Rules of construe- SEc. 4. RULES OF coNsTRUCTION .-The rule of the common law, tion. that s tatutes in derog ation th ereof ar e to be s trictly construe d, has no application to this code. The code establishes the law of the Canal Zone respecting the subjects to which it relates, and its provisions are to be liberally construed with a view to effect its objects and to pro- mote justice. Construing proof- SEC. 5 . PROVISIONS SIMILAR TO EXISTING LAWS, HOW CONSTRUED .- lions aimitac toes sting facts. The pr ovisions of this code, s o far as they are sbstant ially th e same as exi sting st atutes, must be construe d as cont inuation s thereo f, and not as new enactments. Actions, etc., not SEC. 6 . ACTIONS, AND SO FORTH, NOT AFFEOTED.-No action or pro- affected. ceeding commenced before this code takes effect, and no right accrued, is affected by its provisions. Holidays. SEC. 7. LEGAL HOLIDAYS .-Except as otherwise provided in section 1 Executive order go. 12 of the Executive order of February 2, 1914, as amended, the fol- lowing are the legal holidays in the Canal Zone : Every Sunday, January 1, February 22, Good Friday, May 30, July 4, Labor Day, November 3, Thanksgiving Day , and December 25. If a legal holi- day other than Sunday falls on the first day of the week, the Monday followi ng will be observ ed as a legal ho liday. As far as pr act ica ble , all pub lic busi ness will be susp ended on these d ays. Business da ys. SEc. 8 . BUSINESS DAYS .-All other days than those mentioned in section 7 are to be deemed business days for all purposes. Computation of time. SEC. 9. COMPUTATION OF TIME .-The time in which any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded. Performances on hol- ,SEC. 10 . CERTAIN ACTS NOT TO BE DONE ON HO T .TnAys.-Whenever idays. any act of a secular nature, other than a work of necessity or mercy, is appointed by law or contract to be performed upon a particular day, which day falls upon a holiday, it may be performed upon the next business day, with the same effect as if it had been performed upon the day appointed. Words and phrases, SEC. 11. WORDS AND PHRASES, HOW CONSTRUED .-Words and phrases cons truct ion. are construed according to the context and the approved usage of the language ; but technical words and phrases, and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law, or are defined in sect ion 12, a re to be constru ed accor ding to such pec uliar and appropriate meaning or definition.