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The superfluous words "at the discretion of the Court" and on conviction thereof are eliminated.
The result of these changes so far as mere revision is concerned will be to reduce the bulk of the criminal laws of 1865, by at least one-third. But the more important result will be to let cach offence clearly appear, and to condense the penalty clauses as much as possible, leaving them to be governed by the general principles laid down by this Ordinance.
The schedule makes corresponding alterations in the other Criminal Ordinances, The changes effected in Part 11 are in Ordinances where the penalty is in this form—“ impri- sonment with hard labour for three years, or imprisonment with or without hard labour for not more than two years In these cases the "three years is not an absolute penalty because there is an alternative, and therefore the alteration is warranted.
Solitary confinement is a prison disciplinary measure and it is unusual for it to be put within the province of the Court to impose it as part of the original sentenee; it is therefore proposed to delete the words “with or with- out solitary confinement" wherever they occur. This has been done with the concurrence of the Police and Prison authorities.
The schedule carries the amendments down to the stage at which the Revision Mannscript has at present anived. In due course, as the Revision proceeds, legislation will be introduced adding other Ordinances to the different Parts of the schedule.
Three other clauses have been introduced, sections 10, 11 and 12, which deal with old, cumbersome, and out of date expressions, substituting therefor modern formulas,
It is not proposed that the Ordinance slenld come into forec until the Council has sanctioned the New Edition as the authoritative version of the Ordinances of the Colony,
F. T. PIGGOTT,
Chief Justice.
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