§ MR. SERJEANT SIMONasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If his attention has been called to the great inconvenience now arising from the scarcity of small silver coin, especially of shillings and sixpences, and to the undue proportion of two shilling pieces now in circulation; and, whether he will direct inquiry into the subject with a view to a remedy?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER,in reply, said, he had heard complaints, and he believed they were not infrequent, as to the supposed dearth of small silver coins, especially sixpences. From inquiries he had made, however, he had ascertained that the 1684 dearth, if such there were, did not arise from any failure on the part of the Mint to provide a proper stock of coin. He was informed that at the present moment the stock in the Mint ready for issue was as follows:—Shillings, to the amount of £13,000; sixpences, £19,000; and threepences, £3,000. A much larger amount of shillings and sixpences, he believed, was in stock at the Bank of England, through which all silver coins except three pences were issued to the public, the latter coins being issued by the Mint. The demand for silver coin at the Bank was very small at present owing to the depression of trade, and no difficulty was experienced by the authorities in meeting it. The explanation of the scarcity referred to no doubt was that small coins gave considerable trouble to bankers, and that bankers consequently were apt to give their customers an undue proportion of heavy coins, though they could always obtain any quantities of silver coin they required at the Bank. Perhaps if the hon. and learned Member put a little pressure on his bankers, the inconvenience he complained of would disappear.