BELIEF OF INDEBTED AGRICULTURISTS. 157 



Closely connected with the subject of conciliation is that of 

 Panchayats, or arbitration by non-official persons or bodies, such as 

 the Poona Arbitration Court, and of incorporating such arbitration, 

 with more or less assistance and control, into our judicial system. 

 The question is a difficult one in some aspects. All that I am now 

 able to say is that it is under careful consideration. 



Supposing that, notwithstanding- all the preceding pre- 

 cautions, the dispute unfortunately develops into litigation, the 

 Bill next endeavours to place the Courts of law within easier dis- 

 tance from the homes of the people, and to make them more absolute, 

 less technical, less dilatory and less expensive. I may here 

 mention that, out of 4,650 villages in our four districts, only 

 29 per cent, are now within ten miles of their Courts ; 35 per cent, 

 are from ten to twenty miles off ; 21 per cent, from twenty to 

 thirty miles ; and 12 per cent, between thirty and sixty miles-- 

 distances which, in the absence of railways, represent a consider- 

 able inconvenience and loss of time to those obliged to attend. 

 In pursuance of the objects just named, chapter V empowers the 

 Local Government to appoint any Patel of a village whom it deems 

 competent to be village-munsif for his own village, or, if desired, 

 for other villages also within & radius of two miles. The munsif's 

 jurisdiction will be limited to suits for money not exceeding ten 

 rupees, and will generally follow the model of the Madras village- 

 munsif s system, constituted under Madras Regulation 4 of 1816, 

 except that the munsif will not have, as there, a further jurisdic- 

 tion, by consent of parties, extending up to Ks. 100. The munsif's 

 decision will be final, except in case of corruption, gross partia- 

 lity or misconduct proved before the special Judge, to whom I will 

 presently refer. This Madras system is well worthy of attention. 

 It is a remarkable fact that these munsif s dispose of nearly one- 

 fourth of the whole civil litigation of the Presidency. In other 

 words, some 45,000 suits, for which the people in Bombay might be 

 dragged to our regular Courts, with all their attendant delay, cost 

 and harshness, are in Madras quietly disposed of at the people's 

 own homes without any one of these evils. Nearly the whole of these 

 suits are for sums not exceeding Rs. 20, and nearly half for Ks. 5 

 and under ; but the returns do not show how many of them are for 

 Us! 10 and under, and therefore tried without the consent of both 

 parties. It has been surmised that many of the dispute? here dignific4 



