§ MR. WATKIN WILLIAMSasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether his attention has been called to the Petition of Mr. Barry, a late assistant messenger of the London Court of Bankrupty, praying the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to award compensation to him on account of his employment having been abolished by "The Bankruptcy Act, 1869;" whether it is not within the power of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to award compensation to Mr. Barry under section 131 of "The Bankruptcy Act, 1869," on account of his employment having been abolished by the operation of that Act; whether it is not the fact that a large fund exceeding £100,000 in amount was formed in the Court of Bankruptcy partly out of deductions from the sums charged to bankrupt's estates for the services of the assistant messengers, and that this fund has been paid over to the Consolidated Fund; whether he is prepared under the circumstances to recommend such compensation to be made; and, whether he has any objection to lay upon the Table of the House Copy of the Petition, Correspondence, and other Papers relating to the subject?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, in reply, that the attention of the Lords of the Treasury had been called to the Petition of Mr. Barry, a late assistant messenger of the London Court of Bankruptcy, praying for compensation on account of his employment having been abolished by the Bankruptcy Act of 1869. They had no power under the 131st section of that Act to award compensation to Mr. Barry. He had no doubt been a loser by the passing of the Act; now that estates were in the hands of creditors they employed their own agents to get in the assets, it not being necessary to employ the messengers of the Court; the office which Mr. Barry held was therefore much less remunerative than it would otherwise have been. The Commissioners were only able to make compensation when the office had been abolished; but in this case the office had not been abolished, and therefore they could not give compensation. 767 No good purpose would be served by printing the Petition and the answer to it. There was no further information regarding the case than his hon. Friend's Question and this explanation had already given.