PREFACE

The Consolidated Laws went into effect on February 17, 1909, except the Penal Law, which went into effect on March 12th, the Tenement House Law on March 20th and the Transportation Corporations Law on April 21st.

During the session of 1909 many sections of the Consolidated Laws were amended and these amendments went into effect at various times between February 17th and May 29th, 1909.

It is essential for many reasons that the exact language of an original statute should remain intact and be available throughout all time. The incorporation of the amendments of 1909 into any edition of the Consolidated Laws makes it impossible to ascertain in such edition the language of the statute amended as it existed between February 17th, when the Consolidated Laws were enacted, and the time when the various amendatory acts went into effect. The Consolidated Laws as prepared by the Board of Statutory Consolidation and passed by the legislature, are contained in the first five volumes of this edition with no amendments incorporated except those made by L. 1909, chap. 240. That act corrected typographical errors in and added certain sections to the Consolidated Laws but made no material change in the laws as prepared by the Board.

The object of the Cumulative Volume is to furnish all the amendments made to the Consolidated Laws from year to year in convenient form immediately after the adjournment of the legislature and thus bring this edition down to date each year.

Departure has been made from the usual manner of furnishing amendments to the statutes and the changes made are here indicated by the use of brackets and italics, that part included between the brackets to be omitted in reading as repealed, while all new matter inserted in lieu thereof and all added matter is shown by the use of italics. By this means the changes made are clearly shown and the necessity of comparing the old statute with the new is avoided.

Immediately after the adjournment of each session of the legislature all acts amending the Consolidated Laws will be furnished in a similar manner, each succeeding volume, however, will contain not only the amendments of that year but the amendments of each preceding year as previously furnished, and thus each volume will supplant that of the former year since it will contain all amendments to date. This plan will be followed as long as the cumulative volume remains of a suitable size for convenient

use; when necessary, by reason of its size, an additional cumulative volume will be furnished in which the amendments of the previous years will be omitted.

Chapter 240 of the Laws of 1909, known as the "omnibus amendatory act," although incorporated in the several sections which it amends, is included in this volume and printed in the same manner as the remaining amendatory acts and by its use the exact provisions of the various sections amended which were in force from February 17, 1909, to April 22, 1909, when the act went into effect, are readily ascertained.

The table of contents of this volume shows the various laws which have been amended, while the sections amended or added are ascertained by reference to the index in this volume. When a section has been added the subject of such section is given.

FREDERICK E. WADHAMS.

ALBANY, N. Y., August 5, 1909.