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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 938, 31 October 1879, Page 2

The present session of Parliament will see, m all probability, imprisonment for debt abolished for once and for good. The following are the provisions of the Bill entitled An Act for the Total Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt, introduced by Mr. Hotchinson into the House : — l. The short title of this Act is the Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt Act, 1879. 2. The Act shall come into operation on and after January, 1880, from which date The Imprisonment for Debt Abolition Act Amendment Act, 1875, shall be repealed. 3. Henceforth no person shall be im-

prisoned for debt. 4. The following shall be deemed indictable offences, punishable by fine or imprisment, with hard labour, for any term not exceeding twelve months: — (1.) Any person who, with intent to defraud, shall by any advice or promise induce credit to be given. (2.) Any person who, by any false representations or by any concealment of property which might be taken m execution, shall have prevented or delay the execution of any distress warrant or writ of fieri facias issued by any Court of competent jurisdiction upon a judgment available against such person. (3.) Any person who shall have made default m payment of any sum of money received m a fiduciary or professional capacity, and which shall have been ordered to be paid by a Court of competent jurisdiction. There appears to bo no provision m this Bill for the punishment of those person who, while proved to be able to pay their debt, neverthless refuse to do so. It is this class of debtors that the judgment summons is intended to . reach, and- some such provision is absolutely neceaaary if trade is to be carried on at all.