§ LORD ALGERNON PERCYasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to the case of William Loakes, a cab-driver, at the Southwark Police Court, as reported in the "Times" of Feb. 2, 1883, and to the state of the Law commented on by the magistrate which, while it allows cab- 203 drivers no opportunity of selecting their passengers, but compels them to take whoever hires them, without any voucher as to respectability or means, frequently precludes them from obtaining redress when defrauded of their fare; and, whether he will take any steps to remedy the evil?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTI am quite aware that hardship occasionally occurs from these cases. It is the result of the Summary Jurisdiction Act, which forbids a warrant to be issued for a civil debt. That is a recent Statute passed with humane objects; and the difficulty is that it is impossible to pick out one case, and say it shall be an exception to the rule, which is applicable to all other cases.