§ Lord Cottenhampresented three bills for the establishment of Local Courts. The noble Lord said, that in the course of the last Session of Parliament he had stated his reasons for abstaining from moving the second reading of three bills which he had laid before the 719 House upon the same subject, and he had then stated his intention of renewing those bills in the present Session. He was aware that there had been a public announcement, on the part of the Government, of an intention to introduce a bill, to a certain extent referring to the same subject, but he was anxious that the whole question should be discussed; and although it was not his intention to interfere with any step which the Government might think proper to adopt, he thought it his duty to redeem the pledge which he had given, and to lay the present Bills before the House. If the Government bills should meet his views upon the subject, he should be happy to abandon these bills, and he should abstain from proceeding any further with them until the House had had an opportunity of seeing the propositions of the Government. He would state the general nature of his bills. The first was a bill to establish courts of local jurisdiction in all the districts throughout the country, so that every town might have, at short intervals, a court of sufficient jurisdiction to decide questions of property to a certain amount, for which at present the remedy was insufficient. By a second bill, he proposed to take advantage of this jurisdiction for the purpose of the better administration of the Bankrupt and Insolvent Acts; and a third bill was intended to employ the same jurisdiction in executing those duties connected with the Court of Chancery now executed by special commissioners, and not well executed, at a great expense, Another object attempted to be carried out by one of the bills was to effect an amendment of the bankrupt law, recommended by the commissioners who had inquired into the subject.
The Lord Chancellorhad no objection to the course proposed by his noble and learned Friend. Undoubtedly it would be better that the measures of the noble Lord, and of the Government, should be brought on to be discussed at the same time. He hoped very soon to lay on the Table of the House the bills proposed to be introduced by the Government.
Three bills with the following titles were then successively read a first time:—"A Bill for the Amendment of the Laws relating to Bankrupts, and for the better advancement of justice in certain matters relating to Debtors and Creditors." "A Bill to enable the Lord Chancellor to direct that certain Proceedings from the Court of 720 Chancery, and matters in Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Lunacy, may be carried to the County Courts." "A Bill to improve the Practice, and extend the Jurisdiction, of County Courts."—Adjourned.