⁷⁴P Spiller, The  Chapm an L ega l Fam ily, (VUP, Wellington, 1992, p 212.      ⁷⁵Law stories: Essays on the New Zealand Legal Profession 1969–2003, LexisNexis, Wellington, 2003, p 355. 54 produce such legislation as the long-standing Workers’ Compensation Act 1922.⁷⁴ As Sir Kenneth Keith has observed, [t]he period from 1 912  to 19 35 is notable primarily for law  reform  offshore as the S olicitor -Gen eral, Sir John  Salmond  KC , prep ared  the codes, still largely  in force, for the Cook Islands (1915) and W estern  Samoa  (1921);  and  for  the  consolidation  of  major  statutes  (such  as  the  Land,  Rating, Chattels  Tran sfe r,  M ining,  Coal  Mines,  Industrial  Conciliation  and  Arbitration,  Electoral,  and Magistrates’   Courts  Acts)  undertaken  in  the  mid-1920s  by  the  former  Justice  F  R  Chapman  as compiler of statutes under Salmond’s  Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920.⁷⁵ 108 Opening the third Session of the 20th Parliament of New Zealand, His Excellency the Governor-General (Viscount Jellicoe) made a speech to  the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives on 22 September 1921. The speech concluded as follows: Under  the  direction  o f  the  Co mpiler  of  Statutes  a  co mpilation  of  the   law  relating  to Companies has been drafted, and will be laid upon the tables of both H ouses. T he English Companies Act of 1908 was passed in the same year as the last compilation of the New Zealand  Comp anies  Acts,  and  it  has  been  found  desirable  to  incorporate  some  of  the provisions of the English Act which do not appear in the New Zealand Act. Care has been taken to preserve the New Zealand law relating to private companies in its present form. My Ministers propose that the Com panies Ac t should not be  proceeded  with beyond  its first stages during your present session in order that members of the public specially concerned may   have   full   opp ortunity   of   examining   its   details   and   suggesting   amendments   or alterations. Compilations  have  also  been  completed,  in  each  case  with  certain  amendments,  of  the Stamp   Acts,   the    Death   Duties   Ac ts,   and   the    Acts   relating   to   F actories,   Indus trial Conciliation and Arbitration, Shops and Offices, and Workers’  Compensation. My M inisters