Denver Law Review Volume 39 Issue 1 Article 4 April 2021 The Torrens Title System in Colorado Richard W. Laugesen Jr. Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/dlr Recommended Citation Richard W. Laugesen, Jr., The Torrens Title System in Colorado, 39 Dicta 40 (1962). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Denver Law Review at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Denver Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. DICTA JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1962 THE TORRENS TITLE SYSTEM IN COLORADO By RICHARD W. LAUGESEN* The present day observer cannot but smile when he reads the preamble to the 1858 Real Property Act of South Australia.1 This statute was the first enactment into law of Sir Robert Torrens' theories on land tenure. The preamble reads: Whereas the inhabitants of the Province of South Aus- tralia are subjected to losses, heavy costs, and much per- plexity, by reason that the laws relating to the transfer and encumbrance of freehold and other interests in land are complex, cumbrous, and unsuited to the requirements of said inhabitants, it is therefore expedient to amend the laws. Torrens introduced his theories to the Legislative Council of South Australia in the form of a private member's bill. He was, at the time of its introduction, Collector of Customs at Port Ade- laide, and his duties gave him good opportunity to become familiar with the Merchant Shipping Act of South Australia.2 This act, with its provisions for the orderly transaction of sales of merchant ships, was conceded by Torrens to have formed the model for his land- registry system.