Negotiable Instruments Act 1881

Table of Contents EVOLUTION OF TRADE AND COMMERCE LEADING TO THE INTRODUCTION OF NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS. The world as a whole has been the “cradle of commerce” because this exchange is not only between individuals but also between peoples and nations. This naturally implies the existence of: CERTAIN SURPLUS OF WEALTH CERTAIN PROVISION FOR COMMUNICATION Both of which are essential for growth of commerce. Unless there is a surplus of wealth and provision for communication, commerce cannot grow. EXAMPLE- In the primitive economic society when each tribe or family produced all that is needed and consumed all that it produced, need of commerce did not and could not arise. Only after the division of labour and consequent development of exchange, commerce began to grow. Once it started growing, it spread its invisible thread throughout the length and breadth of the world leading to its present day complex mechanism. These stages may be summarized as follows: TRADE IN THE FORM OF BARTER- In the second stage, wants of the family became more numerous and many families found themselves with certain goods and surplus and deficient in certain other goods. These families wanted to exchange their surplus goods for those goods which they did not possess. This gave rise to “exchange of goods for goods, i.e., Barter system. Thus this is the place from where commerce may be said to have begun. MONEY AS A MEDIUM OF TRADE AND TOWN AS THE CENTRE OF TRADE- Commerce reached into its third stage of growth when money was evolved as medium of exchange to remove the limitations of barter. Introduction of money began led to the extension of division of labour and specialization. People began to produce goods for certain local markets. Thus, division of labour was extended to a locality. Gradually a separate class of artisans and traders came into existence. They