The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-03 00:00:00

COAL MONOPOLY.

MEETING OF THE COFFEE AND EATING-

R 0 USE KEEPERS.

Yesterday evening a meeting of the London Coffee-house
and Eating-house Keepers was held at Eastey's Hotel,
Southampton-street, Strand, " for the purpose (in the terms
of the public advertisement by which it was called) of pe-
titioning both Houses of Parliament against the combination
of coal-owners and factors." There were present some of the
leading members of the trade.
Mr. HUMPHREYS was unanimously called to the chair. The
advertisement having been read, the Chairman said, it was
unnecessary for him to dwell upon the importance of the sub-
ject. He might truly say, it "came home to every man's
fireside."—( Hear, hear.) It was evident that great abuses
must somewhere exist under the present system, from the very
high price of coals during the last three or four years.—
( Hear, hear.) He believed the price of coals had been sta-
tionary, at a higher average, for the last three years than it
had been for many preceding years.—( Hear, hear.) Of all
the classes which this grievance affected none felt it more than
themselves ; and they would be wanting to their own interests
and to the interests of the community at large, if they did not
come forward and evince to the Legislature their anxiety for
the removal of the heavy tax which this monopoly inflicted
upon them more than any other class.—( Hear.) An instance
had come to his own knowledge within the last three weeks,
which he would mention—a contract had been entered into
with an individual for the supply of Coals to a Charitable So-
ciety, at the regular market prices, is. 9d. a bushel. In the
course of the following week, it was found that he had been in
the habit of robbing the poor of 141 b. in every hundred weight.
The parties were, of course, desirous to prosecute this dishonest
person to the utmost extremity of the law. But upon applying
to a Magistrate, they were told that there was no Clause in the
present Coal Act under which he could take cognizance of
the case. And it appeared this was the fact; that Act was
totally inefficient to meet the numerous cases of fraud which
every day occured.—( Hear, hear.) So that a man might
defraud his customers, of 7,8, cr 10Ib. in the cwt.—and there
was no remedy ; the Magistrates could not take cognizance of
it ; tale inspectors of weights said it did not come within their
province, for pound weights might be all right enough—and
the fraud was committed by not putting in enough ; and as to
taking the matter into the Queen's Bench, or applying to the
Quarter Sessions, the expence effectually precluded a poor
man, who was most likely to suffer by these frauds, from pur-
-1 suing such a course.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr.' FORBES (Secretary to the Association) said the first
resolution wag—
" That the combination of coal owners and factors to limit
the supply of coals, and to keep up the price of that important
article, is a most serious oppression and unjust burden upon
the whole community, and more especially upon the Coffee
and -Eating -house- Keepers of the metropolis."
An able article had lately appeared in The Sun, which
clearly showed that nearly one-half of the whole amount
raised upon coals in London for one year, was distributed
amongst the coal factors—about 500,0001. a year. Now what
exorbitant profits must be raised on the article, to afford such
an enormous amount merely for the sellit,g of it !—( Hear.) The
coals paid 10 shillings per ton at the pit, and 103. for freight
to London, with 7d. for dues, amounting to 11. Os. 7d. Now
coals were selling in London at 21. es. per ton, showing a
pretty decent profit of more than 245. per ton, about 120
per cent.—( Hear, hear.) It was plain that this could only
arise from a combination among the coal owners and coal fac-
tors. Now all such combinations were alike unjust and inju-
rious to the community at large.—( Hear. )
Mr. DEACON seconded the resolution, which was carried
unanimously.
Mr. MARSHALL moved the second resolution—
" That a petition be presented from the Calico and Eating-
house keepers, as a ho ly, to the House of Commons, and
that the same be stned by the meeting, on behalf of the
Chairman, and the Secretary, and that other petitions be
prepared to be signed by the public at large, and left at the
various houses of the trade for signature."
The burden of this monopoly pressed particularly upon
themselves, for their business was carried on principally by
means of this article.—( Hoar, hear.) It should be remem
bered that the present system was as injurious to the crews
ernp'oyed in the trade, as to the consumers, for the vessels
being kept so much longer in the pool, the sailors were all
that time idle —( Hear, hoer.) He (Me. M.) was pleased
to find that the Coffee-house and Eating-house keepers were
the first to come Erwar.l as a body for the removal or this
crying grief once.—( Hear. )
The SECRETABY said, the draft of a petition had been
drawn up in the following terms
' 'To the lion. the Commons of the United Kingdom of

Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament azssemided.

" humble petition of the C,Sfee aral Eating-house
Keepers of London agreed to at a public meeting, held at
EAstcy's Hotel, March 2.
Sbeweth,
"That your petitioners are, from the nature of their busi-
ness, gr:at consumers of coal, and that the high price at which
that article is sold in London, is to them a grievous and op-
pressive burden. That your petitioners attribute the exorbitant
price of coal to the existing, combination between the great
coal proprietors and the coal factors in the metropolis, for the
purpose of limiting the supply. That your petitioners sub-
mit that a combination, for the purpose of raisin; or keeping
up the price of one of the first necessaries of life, is as unjust in
principle, as it is oppressive in its operation, and imposes a
heavy and grievous burden upon the great body of the commu-
nity for the benefit of a few.
" That your petitioners respectfully submit that many deaths
have recently been occasioned in this metropolis by cold an I
starvation, and that a vast and dreadful proportion of the
diicases which have existed, and do exist, among the poorer
classes, ale occasioned by the want of sufficient warmth am!
shelter. That your Hon. House, by having changed the s)s-
tern of the sale of coals from measure to weight, in order to

protect the public from frauds and impositions, have thereby
already recognized the principle and propriety of interference
in tha supply and vend of this important article ; but your peti-
tioners submit the Act which your Hon. House passed for

that purpose contains no protection for the poor, as there are
no weighers, or meters, or other checks, or penalties to protect
them from frauds. Your petitioners, therefore, humbly pray
they may be heard in Committee, or otherwise, by their
agents, and witnesses to prove these allegations, and that your
Hon. House will take this great public grievance into your
immediate consideration, and adopt such measures as in your
wisdom you may deem proper, fur redeeming the community
om this intolerable burden.

~.. .............____
" And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever

_
pray, &c."
The SECRETARY stated that the Coal Committee, now sit-
ting at the House of Commons, was appointed to consider
upon the propriety of renewing a temporary Act which had
been passed for changing the system of sale in coals from
measure to weight. That Act contained no provisions for pre-
venting fraud ; and if the House granted the prayer of
this petition, it would be the object of the petitioners to press the
necessity of inserting some such provisions in the renewed Act.
The CHAIRMAN remarked, that as a member of a Charitable
Committee for distributing Coals, &c., in the late severe wea-
ther, he had visited about one hundred families, and found one-
half without any fuel. And the medical officers of his parish
assured him, that of 400 cases two-thirds were destitute of
fuel.—( Hear, hear. )
The resolution and petition were agreed to unanimously.
It was resolved, thirdly—That an agent be appointed to
prepare and conduct the case of the Coffee and Eating-house
Keepers, and to take charge of the several petitions which
may be signed at their houses.
Mr. BROWN moved the fourth resolution :—" That the
thanks of the Coffee and Eating-house Keepers be given to
the Editor of The Sun, for having for a long period exclu-
sively, and until this moment, perseveringly and earnestly,
advocated the repeal of the coal monopoly." He had great
pleasure in moving this resolution. The Sun was the only
Paper which had taken up this subject.
Mr. HAKE seconded the resolution. He might observe that
the Durham Railway Bill had been thrown out in the House
of Lords, because it was known that, if the Bill passed, the
people of London would be able to obtain their coals
much cheaper than they now obtained there.—( Cries of
" Hear, hear.") So much for Hereditary Legislators.
He thought a Morning Paper established on the same princi-
ples as The Sun Evening Paper would do well. All the
Morning Papers now in existence were merely the organs of
parties, instead of consulting the public good.—( Hear, hear. )
The CHAIRMAN, in putting the resolution, said it was very
creditable to the Editor of The Sun, for the pains he had
taken to bring this abuse before the public.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
It was then resolved—
" That these resolutions be advertised in The Sun,
Morning Chronicle, Times, Advertiser, and Weekly Dis-
patch."

A Parliamentary agent was appointed ; thanks were voted to
the Chairman, and the meeting adjourned at ten o'clock.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sta—My attention has been called to the leading article
in your widely circulated Journal of the 26th inst., wherein
you state, under the head of " Coal Monopoly in the Port of
London," that about 19 or 20 factors divide amongst them an-
nually upwards of 400,0001. Now, Sir, as I imagine the
value of your Paper must entirely depend on the veracity of
its statements, I am sure you will have no objection to hear,
and at the same time publish to the world, the extent of the
imposition
which has been practised on you; for I will not for
a moment suppose, that you would willingly injure a class cf
persons of whom you can know nothing but by report ; and
believing, as I do, that integrity of purpose is one of the grand
motives of your Journal, I have no hesitation in coming to the
conclusion that you will at your earliest convenience, give pub-
licity to the following facts :—You have stated that the factors
divide amongst them annually the sum of 400,0001., which, of
course you mean as commission for their services. Now, Sir, it
is notorious that the factor's commission for selling is Is. 3d.
per ton, and as there were 2,626,997 tons imported during the
last year, they could receive only 32,8371. 9s. instead of the
400,000/. which you have been bountiful enough to award
them for their annual services; and, on the average of the
last six years, the commission amounted to 98,934/. only. I
therefore must beg to remind you that your informant has led
you into the trifling error of 371,366/. You are quite correct
in stating that there are not more than 19 or 20 houses, but
they are composed of about 36 persons, all of whom devote
the whole of their time to business and have large capitals em-
barked. I beg also to inform yon that they receive only A- per
cent. for guarantee, instead of 2
or 3 per cent., the chargeusual in other commission business. I shall not attempt to
follow you through your various assertions on the other parts
of the tr. Ale, which it would he as easy for me to confute, as to
point out, as I have done, the trifling error of 371,7661. in the
factor's commission; suffice it to say, there is too much com-