§ MR. W. E. FORSTERsaid, he wished to ask the Vice President of the Board of Trade, Whether the Government intend to bring in a Bill during the present Session for establishing Tribunals of Commerce?
§ MR. STEPHEN CAVENo, Sir. The Government have no such intention. The Royal Commission appointed in September last to inquire into the various Courts of Law and Equity is directed to ascertain, among other things, what charges and improvements may be made "by assigning any matters or causes now within their respective cognizance to any other jurisdiction." It is clear, therefore, that Tribunals of Commerce are within the scope of the inquiry. A Committee of this House sat in 1858 on this subject, and took some valuable evidence which they merely reported to the House. The Mover 606 and Chairman of that Committee, the hon. and learned Member for the Tower Hamlets, is a member of the Royal Commission, and will no doubt have opportunities of stating the arguments in favour of these Tribunals. It would not therefore, I think, be expedient, pending the Report of the Commission, to introduce a measure for effecting so great a change in the law of England, with respect to which there is, among practical men, so great a divergence of opinion.