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ON COUNTY COURTS BILL
Mr.
William Villiers
Surtees.
23 March,
1825.
Mr. William Surtees, called in ; and Examined.
WHAT is the office you hold?-Clerk of the jurata in the court of Common Pleas.
From whence do the emoluments of that office arise?- From fees upon the records; upon examining the records.
You mean the records of nisi prius?-Yes.
Thenit depends upon the number of records at nisi prius?-It depends upon the number of the records.
Is there any any other fee?-There is a fee of four-pence a folio on every record of nisi prius.
Therefore the emolument of the office depends on the extent of those records?-It depends upon the business of the court.
Upon that branch of business of the court?-I imagine it does.
Can you inform us in what proportion of the emoluments will be diminished?-I understand about a fourth or fifth. The office is now very much diminished; it is not above 250l. a year; I have known it 400l. or 500l. it depends on the business of the court. When the present Chancellor was there, when I was first appointed, it was 400l. a year.
Do you remember how it was in Sir James Manfield's time?- I cannot say.
Are these fees whether the record comes to trial or not?-Yes.
If the case stops before it comes to the nisi prius record, there is no fee?- There is no fee.
What is your age?- About 44.
—
Mercurii, 27o die Aprilis, 1825.
LORD VISCOUNT ALTHORP, in the Chair.
—
John
Greathed Harris,
Esq.
27 April,
1825.
John Greathed Harris, Esquire, one of the Commissioners of the
Insolvent Debtors Court, called in ; and Examined.
HOW many commissioners are there at present of the Insolvent Debtors court?-Four.
How many should there be on the spot, to carry on the business of the court?-Two , or probably three.
Would it not be sufficient that there should be two generally sitting in London, with a third to decide questions of peculiar nicety?-Probably that would be sufficient.
How many commissioners go the circuit?- Three, at present.
What proportion of the year do the circuits occupy?-Each circuit seven weeks, or twenty-one weeks in the year.
Then three commissioners are now sufficient to do the country business, being now absent about five months?-Yes.
Would one additional commissioner, absent five months, be sufficient for Wales?-Yes; but if any commissioner on circuit is taken ill there would be no supply.
If the County court business was done by the Insolvent Debtors commissioners, what additional time to the five months would it require?-It would require two months additional, or seven months in the year.
Then having four commissioners absent seven months from town would be sufficient to do the Insolvent and County court business?-Eight months, I think, might do it; but it would interfere with quarter sessions and circuits.
Your opinion then is, that the County court business would be an addition of one-third to the business of the Insolvent Debtors court?- It is.
What proportion of a commissioner's time would it be reasonable he should spend on circuit ; would six months be too much?- It would, I think ; seven commissioners would, in my opinion, be the smallest number that would be competent to undertake the additional business proposed.
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Identifier: | JB/004/051/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 4.
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1825-05-04 |
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county courts bill / minutes of evidence / taken before the select committee on the / bill / for preventing delays and expenses in the proceedings of county courts, and for the more easy and speedy recovery of small debts, in england and wales |
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printed material |
36 |
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(6-35) |
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1972 |
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