Mr. Lee Leepresented a Petition from Ilminster, in Somersetshire, for a law enabling retail tradesmen to reap the benefits of their industry, by giving them the means to recover small debts without incurring the difficulty and waste of money to which they were now subject by the tedious and expensive process of a trial at the county court, at a distance, frequently, of thirty or forty miles, at an expense of 10l. or 20l. to recover a debt of 50s. He said, that as credit was necessary to retail trade, it was most unjust there should not be the means of compelling payment of small debts in the country, whilst in large cities such was the case, but the system in them of a small-debt court had worked so well, that on the average of years 20,000l. were recovered by it at Bath, and twice that sum was paid through fear of that tribunal. If it were inconvenient or impracticable to establish such courts in small towns, it might be expedient to invest Magistrates with a similar power to adjudicate as to small debts at special Petty Sessions, subject to an appeal to the general Quarter Sessions. Such a power given to Magistrates would not exceed any they now possessed, as in issuing process for nonpayment of tithes, or for disputed wages between master and servant, and would be an improvement on the present plan, if only as a temporary measure, till some more effectual one could be devised. The petitioners stated, that they lost more by small debts than the total amount they annually paid to Government in taxation. The hon. member, therefore, hoped some remedy would be applied to this evil.
§ Petition to be printed.