Continuance of Laws Act 1790

Continuance of Laws Act 1790

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to continue the several Laws therein mentioned, relating to encouraging the Manufacture of Leather by lowering the Duty payable upon the Importation of Oak Bark, when the Price of such Bark shall exceed a certain Rate; to the prohibiting the Exportation of Tools and Utensils made use of in the Iron and Steel Manufactures of this Kingdom; and to prevent the seducing of Artificers and Workmen employed in those Manufactures to go into Parts beyond the Seas; and to the ascertaining the Strength of Spirits by Clarke's Hydrometer.
Citation	30 Geo. 3. c. 18
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	28 April 1790
Commencement	21 January 1790 [a]
Repealed	21 August 1871
Other legislation
Amends	See § Continued enactments
Repealed by	Statute Law Revision Act 1871
Relates to	See Expiring laws continuance acts
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Continuance of Laws Act 1790 (30 Geo. 3. c. 18) was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain that continued various older acts.

Background

In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed. Many acts of parliament, however, contained time-limited sunset clauses, requiring legislation to revive enactments that had expired or to continue enactments that would otherwise expire. ^[1]

Provisions

Continued enactments

Section 1 of the act continued the Customs (No. 1) Act 1772 (12 Geo. 3. c. 50), as continued by the Continuance of Laws Act 1776 (17 Geo. 3. c. 44) and the Manufacture of Leather Act 1784 (24 Geo. 3. Sess. 2. c. 19), until the end of the next session of parliament after 5 years. ^[2]

Section 2 of the act continued the Exportation (No. 4) Act 1786 (26 Geo. 3. c. 89), as continued by the Continuance of Laws Act 1787 (27 Geo. 3. c. 36), the Continuance of Laws Act 1788 (28 Geo. 3. c. 23) and Continuance of Laws Act 1789 (29 Geo. 3. c. 55), until the end of the next session of parliament. ^[2]

Section 3 of the act continued the Exports Act 1787 (27 Geo. 3. c. 31) "as directs that all Spirits shall be deemed and taken to be of the Degree of Strength as Which the Hydrometer, commonly called Clarke's Hydrometer, shall, upon Trial of any Officer or Officers of Excise, denote any such Spirits to be", as continued by the Continuance of Laws Act 1788 (28 Geo. 3. c. 23) and the Continuance of Laws Act 1789 (29 Geo. 3. c. 55), until the end of the next session of parliament. ^[2]

Subsequent developments

The Select Committee on Temporary Laws, Expired or Expiring, appointed in 1796, inspected and considered all temporary laws, observing irregularities in the construction of expiring laws continuance acts, making recommendations and emphasising the importance of the Committee for Expired and Expiring Laws. ^[3]

The whole act was repealed by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 116).

Notes

1. Start of session.

References

1. Imprisonment in Medieval England. CUP Archive. p. 345.
2. Britain, Great (1794). The Statutes at Large: From Magna Carta, to the End of the Last Parliament, [1800]. Vol. 37. Mark Baskett, and by the assigns of Robert Baskett, and by Henry Woodfall and William Strahan. pp. 12–13.
3. Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1803). Reports from Committees of the House of Commons which Have Been Printed by Order of the House: And are Not Inserted in the Journals [1715-1801. Vol. 14. pp. 34–118.