CLERGYMEN MONEY-LENDERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1217, 7 March 1914, Page 4

CLERGYMEN MONEY-LENDERS.

The case in which a Bermondsey clergyman received from money-lenders and placed it in safe custody in order that the money-lenders would have to sue for it and thus expose the temptations to which clergymen and others are subjected came before Judge Grainger iu Southwark Court lately. The plaintiffs were Messrs Solomon Margolies, Montague Margolies, and Ivor Margolies, trading as J. Marsh, Ltd., moneylenders, of Leicester, and the defendant was the Rev Herbert Williams, Rector of Horsleydown, Bermondsey.

Mr K. G. Hemmerde, K.C., s d Mr G. W. Power represented i pi iuliffs, and Mr J- B. Matthews, K.C., and Mr Kenneth Henderson appeared for the defendant. Mr Hetnmerde said the defendant received an advertisement Tom the plaintiffs in July, and vrote asking them to “kindly quote terms in strict confidence tor a private cash advance of ,£[oo.” His address was given s the St. John’s Clergy House, Thayer street, Tooley-street, Other correspondence followed, and the plaintiffs sent the defendant in notes. Counsel traced the subsequent events, and said the defendant declined to return the money, saying it had been sent to him without his request.

Mr Matthews said he was satisfied that there was no answer in law, but in view of the peculiar circumstances of the case he asked that tue defendant should not be saddled with the plaintiffs’ costs. His client had acted with the highest possible motives. It had come to his (the defendant’s) knowledge, said counsel, “that these people were inducing clergy in wiiom he had had an interest to borrow money at rates which were exceedingly usurious, and the results were disastrous to the unhappy men who fell into their clutches.” '

There was s' certain class of people, counsel proceeded, who could not become bankrupt except under extreme pressure, and clergymen were included in that class. The consequence was that if a clergyman were once allured to borrow money at these rates of interest he would sell himself to slavery. This case had been started by his client as a test case to raise the question.

The judge said he entirely sympathised with the defendant in his objection to the methods of money-lenders in general, and he sympathised also with the fact that there was a tremendous temptation to a man when money was sent in this way. He thought it was asking too much of him to deprive the plaintiffs of costs because he sympathised with the defendant in his aim. He gave judgment accordingly, for the plaintiffs for with costs on tb.it scale.