The Legal World or in substance, but is less radical than one might suppose from a superficial impression. One of the most wholesome pro posals adopted was that effecting a reorganization of the courts. Many lawyers throughout the state voted for it to express their approval of the principle of "one trial, one review." Chief Justice Winch of the Circuit Court voted for the amendment notwith standing his objections to the limita tion on the authority of the Supreme Court to declare statutes unconstitutinal. The result of the change will be to relieve congestion in the Supreme Court, by curtailing its appellate juris diction. The Circuit Courts have kept up with their business, and no reform in their case was necessary, but there have been delays in the trial courts which can now be remedied by legisla tion giving sufficient control of the trial of causes to the judges. A committee of the bench and bar is collaborating to frame a proposed practice act which will secure the objects sought by the amendment. Important reforms of procedure are recommended by a committee of the Missouri Bar Association, looking to greater dispatch and more freedom from harmful technicality. The San Fran cisco Bar Association also has committees at work on questions of procedure and practice. Uniform international regulations governing bills of lading may be con sidered by an international conference perhaps to be called soon under a vote adopted by the International Congress of Chambers of Commerce at Boston. The same body has expressed its approval of the Pomerene bill now pending in Congress, which bill also has the ap proval of the Uniform State Laws Con ference.
541
International Congress of Chambers of Commerce
The Fifth International Congress of Chambers of Commerce met in Boston Sept. 24-26, 828 delegates being present, representing forty countries. Dr. Max Apt of Berlin, in his advo cacy of a unification of the systems em ployed by various nations of the world in the use of checks, explained in great detail the methods employed by Ger man, French, English and American banks, bankers and business men and contrasted them. The difficulties at tending the unification of the check systems of the world's leading nations, he contended, are not insurmountable, and he urged its accomplishment. Count D'Almeida of Brazil warmly indorsed these recommendations. Charles Christophe of Ghent, Belgium, presented the views of the Cercle Com mercial et Industriel of Ghent, which opposed Dr. Apt's ideas. F. F. Begg, of the London Stock Exchange and London Chamber of Commerce, stood pat on the present English check system. The Congress then voted that it was desirable to have a uniformity of checks throughout the world. Dangers of loss to shippers through irregularity in bills of lading were dis cussed at length by Charles S. Haight of New York City. Mr. Haight quoted from the findings of Prof. Samuel Willisson, of the Harvard Law School, who made an exhaustive examination of the bills of lading law of foreign countries. Prof. Willison found "That the carrier is liable on a bill of lading issued where no goods have been received," and he adds that it may be safely asserted that this rule is the law prevailing out side the English-speaking nations." "It is therefore, in Great Britain and her colonies," Mr. Haight said, "and the United States alone, that legislation
