194 / 300
^omen's Status Act, 1957, deals with the Irish posi-
tlQ
n in regard to matrimonial property, and all remarks
made in regard to this subject will have to be con-
strued in relation to that Act. Mr. Gretney has written
a
useful book which will have to be used with care by
fee Irish practitioner.
Schmitthoff (Clive M.), editor—The Harmonisation of
European Company Law. 8vo; pp. xvi plus 243; Lon-
don, United Kingdom Comparative Law Series, 1973;
£5.00.
The papers appearing in this volume were presented
at
a colloquium organised by the publishers in Sept.
1972 in Leeds University. Each topic is presented by an
e
*pert, and the work is divided into two parts.
Part 1 deals with the
Harmonisation
of
Company
in Europe,
and comprises the following six papers:
(1) The Future of the European Community Law
Scene by Professor Schmitthoff.
(2) A Comparison of European and British Company
Taw by Professor Andre Tunc (Paris). (This lecture is
v
itall
y
important.)
. (3) The EEC Directives on Company Law Harmon-
cation by Dr. Hans Claudius Ficker of the Commission
the European Communities, Brussels.
(4) Structure and Progress of the European Company
"V Professor Pieter Sanders (Rotterdam).
(5) Co-Determination in European Company Law
"V Professor Fritz Fabricuis (Bochum).
(6) Company Laws of the European Community from
a
" American Viewpoint by Professor Alfred Connard
(Michigan).
Part 2 deals with the
Perspectives of
Harmonisation
a
"d comprises the following six papers :
(7) The Reform of Dutch Company Law by Professor
Zanders.
(8) A Theory of Co-Determination by Professor
'abricuis.
(9) Comment on a Theory of Co-Determination by
Mr. Maurice Kay, Lecturer, Manchester.
(10) Company Law in the Common Market from a
^vviss Viewpoint by Professor Alain Hirsch (Geneva).
(11) A European Company Law—The Australian
Wesson by Professor Robert Bovxt (Monash).
, (12) Canadian Perspectives on Company Law Reform
b
y Professor Bernard Davies, Windsor (Ontario).
It will be seen from this list that a considerable
ai
*iount of comparative Company Law has been cov-
e
red in this volume, which will be of invaluable assis-
tance to those who wish to specialise in the subject.
W •
reeir (Tony)—A Casebook on Tort. Third edition.
feto.Pr. xxiv, 576p. London, Sweet & Maxwell, 1974.
£4.50 (Paperback).
"Ehe fact that in a period of seven years three editions
j.' this work have been published speaks for itself. The
a
°t that citations of cases on negligence occupy 190
shows that there is little danger of this important
ac
tion decreasing in the future. The cases of Spartan
feel v. Martin & Co. (1973), in which an industrialist
feecessfully sued a highway contractor in respect of
bs
t profit, and of Dutton v. Bognor Regis U.D.C.
in which a purchaser of a house successfully
^ d the local authority for negligence by passing in-
j "equate foundations, are fully noted. Many extracts
r
°m other well known judgments are included; there
fe also many perspicacious remarks by the learned
u
t h o r ,
who is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge,
the end of each judgment. Many students confine
themselves to textbooks, and do not realise the im-
portance of studying the reasoning in the judgements
themselves. Those who persevere in reading this work
fully, and understanding it, will be rewarded to the
extent that they will have acquired a knowledge of all
important judicial dicta in tort.
Statute Law:— A Radical Simplification—being the
second Report appointed to propose solutions to the
deficiencies of the Statute Law System in the United
Kingdom—8vo. Pr. vi, 57p. London, Sweet & Maxwell
on behalf of the Statute Law Society, 1974. £1.00.
Practitioners who have endeavoured to construe dif-
ficult sections of a Finance or Income Tax Act will
appreciate how important it is to construe statutes as
simply a- possible. The purpose of this Report is pre-
cisely to achieve that object. Statutes should become
an integrated body of law to be if possible found in
one place, by providing one Act for each subject. There
should be an accelerated programme of consolidation,
which, as far as Ireland is concerned, is intended to
be achieved in the far distant future. "The Statute
Law of England" should be separated from "The
Statute Law of Scotland". As far as possible, existing
Principal Acts should be amended, and no new legis-
lation should be introduced. Titles of Acts should be
most carefully chosen. Any amending legislation should
be so named by reference to the Principal Act. The
referential method of amendment, is inefficient, in-
conclusive and the cause of much confusion; the text-
ual method of drafting should be substituted for it.
Eventually codes could easily be integrated into the
system. The staff should be increased by judicious em-
ployment of academic lawyers. A regime of "Plain
Words" should be introduced by and for legal drafts-
men, and facilities should be given for prior consul-
tation with interested parties. The use of computers
should be investigated, and adjustments should be
made in drafting to bring it into accord with Commun-
ity I..aw. These recommendations are all most praise-
worthy, but we will doubtless have to wait for the
Greek Calends before they are ever put into force here.
Woods (James V.)—Guide to the Intoxicating Liquor
Acts. 8vo., 26 cm. Pr. vii, 144p. (1974). £ 4 including
postage. (Obtainable only from Mr. Woods, "Summer-
ville", Bendemeer Park, Magazine Road, Cork.)
Mr. Woods is already well known for the most useful
'District Court Handbook', which he published in
1973. We are indebted once more to him for producing
a very practical volume on that difficult branch of
law, full of traps for the unwary called "Licensing
Law". As a District Court Clerk in Cork City, the learn-
ed author has acquired a vast amount of practical ex-
perience which he has freely placed at the disposal of
practitioners. The volume is divided into 14 parts as
follows: (1) Licensed Premises; (2) Music, Dancing
and Restaurant Certificates; (3) Hours of Trading;
(4) Exemptions and Occasional Licenses; (5) Pro-
hibited Hours; (6) Endorsement and Forfeiture of
Licenses; (7) Renewal of Retail Licenses; (8) Transfer
and Confirmation of Licences; (9) Wholesale Licenc-
es; (10) Wine Retailers' Licences; (11) Clubs; (12)
When New Retail Licence may be granted; (13) Court
Procedure in New Retail Licence;' and (14) Appeals
under Licensing Acts. Every part is carefully sub-
divided and up to date statute law and case law is
cited. This volume is invaluable and cannot be dis-
pensed with by any practitioner who has to deal with
the intricacies of licensing law.