Scotsman Archive: Mass of modern regulations, 27 March, 1950

"IN THESE times when we are being overburdened by a great mass of legislation and delegated legislation, it is extremely important that the rising generation of lawyers in Scotland should be well-founded in the fundamental principles of our jurisprudence and should not allow their attention to be devoted solely to such questions as interpreting some of the food regulations".

These remarks were made by Mr TP McDonald KC, at the 120th annual dinner of the Scots Law Society in the North British Hotel Edinburgh. After referring to the amount of time taken up in the courts in the interpretation of statutes and statutory rules and orders "through which there is no principle running whatever", Mr McDonald said, "It would be a great disaster for the law of Scotland if the practising members of the Bench and Bar were to become overwhelmed with technicalities on the construction of rules and orders, which I hope, will be of an ephemeral character."

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