⁷⁷RJ, “T  he Law Draftsman weighs every w ord”,  Weekly News, 13 June 1962.      ⁷⁸(1968) NZLJ 70. The Sup plem entary New Ze alan d G azette (1914) N o 46 (Ap ril 30) pp 1763, 1888 gives 1 March 1885 as the date of Redward’s fi rst appointment to the permanent staff of the public service or the Crown Law Office or both. Redward’s dat e of birth is given as 10 August 1869 by the Sup plem ent to the N ew Z ealand G azette  (1916) No 50 (April 27) pp 1221, 1255. 56 Originally, under Sir Francis Bell’ s Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920, provision was made for the establishment of two separate departments—  Law Drafting and  Law C omp ilation—  each with its own executive head. But the distinction has not been maintained, and today the compilation and prep aration of new statutes a re the responsibility of the Law D raftsman and  his staff.⁷⁷ 111 Between the 2 periods during which Christie was Compiler of Statutes, the office was held by Ernest Yevily Redward. Appointed on 1 June 1925, Redward died in office about  4 years later (on 15 June 1929). He earlier worked in the Crown Law Office, and retired from work there in 1925.⁷⁸ Redward was also for a number of years editor of the periodical Index to the Laws of New Zealand, General, Local, and Provincial (known as “ Curnin’s Index”). Estimates of appro priations for the Law Drafting Office for 1929–1930 (AJHR B.—7) rec ord the sum of £800 as a “Com passionate allowance to the widow of the late E.Y. Redward, Compiler of Statutes”. 112 In  a  paper  published  in  1932,  the  Attorney-General,  Hon  Sir  Thomas  Sidey, summarised  compilation  and  associated  revision  work  from  1920–1932  in  the following terms: On the question of Consolidation, it must be obvious to all who have frequent occa sion to use  the  Statute  Book  that  a  very  great  deal  has  been  done  since  1908  to  remedy  the inconvenience   caused   by   frequent   amendments,   however   necessary   they   may   be.