The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-22 00:00:00

THE COAL TRADE.

The Committee on the Coal Trade met yesterday at half-
past Twelve—Mr. LABOUNIERE in the Chair.
The first witness examined was Mr. Scott (we believe of the
Cbaimberlsin's-office.) The greater portion of his evidence
ball reference to his examination before the Committee of last
year. He stated that the total charge made by the Corpo-
ration of London upon coals was Is. Id. per ton. Of this
charge Bd. was a duty levied for the repayment of monies ad-
vanced for the building of London Bridge approaches, and
4d. was a market duty formerly charged upon the chaidron.
The-change to a tonnage duty had not benefitted the Corpo-
ration,-inamuch as formerly they received the entire amount '
without any deduction ; but now they were charged with
about 13,0001. per annum as compensation for offices abolished.
The total amount of duties received by the City was 137,0001.
per annum. The charge of tid. per ton would probably be dis-
continued in about 14 years, as the claims were lapsed. If
the 4d. per ton duty was abolished, the old charge of 4d.
per chaldron and sundry payments to the Lord Mayor, under
the Statute of Anne, would be revived. The amount of duties
was yearly en the increase, and the charges of collection,
&c., lessening.
Lord GRENVILLE SO3IER3ET observed that the real question
the Committee bad to ccnsider was, not the saving of a half-
penny or a penny, per ton which would never find its way into
the pocket of the consumer; but what the regulations were by
which the market was supplied.
Mr. Tyrrell, the City Remembrancer, examined.—He
was not aware of the regulations of the factors relative to the
supply of the London Coal Market. The Act Ist and 2d,
William IV. empowered the Corporation to make regulations
relative to the Coal Market; but he believed they had never
made any.
Mr. James Firth, of the Town-clerks' office, stated that
the Corporation had never made the regulations they were em-
powered to make by the Act of Parliament. A petition had
been presented by a Mr. Bradford to the Court of Aldermen
relative to the supply of coal in the London Market. In con-
sequence of that petition witnesses had been examined,
and the examination had continued from time to time
up to Saturday last. A report of the proceedings had
found its way into the public papers, and was, he believed
substantitly correct. The witness was asked several ques-
tions relative the report which appeared in The Sun of Mon-
day last,. _

-Mr. Clarke, a coal factor, examined—He had been carry-
ing on business at the Coal Exchange since 1803. An altera-
tion had been made in the scale of regulations by the Factor,
Society since the 2d February, 1837 ; in January, 1535, the
regulation of the Factors was, that when the price was 201.
per ton, the number of cargoes offered for sale each market
day, should be forty. When the price was 21s. 3d. to 21s. 6d.
the number of cargoes should be fifty ; when the price was
225., the number of cargoes sixty; and when the price was
225. 3d., the number of cargoes should be seventy. The
alteration made in February, 1837, was, that when the price
was 235. 6d. per ton, the number of cargoes should be forty ;
fifty cargoes when the price was 235. 9d. to 245. ; sixty cargoes
when the price was 245. 3d. to 245. 6d. ; and seventy cargoes
when the price was 245. 9d. On the first of April, the scale
was reduced about Is. per ton, and so continued till the 30th
Sept., when it was again raised. Ships of less than 130 tons
burden, and gas ships, were exempted from the regulation. I
saw the statement of Capt. Young of the Eliza, having violated
the regulations of the Coal Factors, by delivering out of turn,
and I believe it to be the case. The consequence was, that
he was repot ted to the Coal-owners in the North, and ought
not to have got a cargo. I believe ho has not got a cargo
since ; the reason I say he ought not, is because he signed a
statement that he would not allow his coals to be delivered out
of the regular course. Every Captain signs that regulation,
ead it is not possible to obtain a cargo in the North, without
having done so. In one river in the North there is a Turn
Act which regulates the loading of vessels; in the other there
is not, and great complaints have been made in consequence.
I think a Turn Act would be advantageous to the trade.
There was no perfe-ence of vessels in the port of London. I
think in the long run the Factors regulations are beneficial to
the lower classes. The object of the regulations is to keep the coals
at a particular price. During the recent frost, if it bad not
been for these regulations, there would have beers little or no
coals in the market. Large consumers and opulent persons
might supply themselves when coals were at a low price, but
the poor would be always compelled to buy from day to day.
When the producers of the article have the regulation of the
price, the effect of course is to keep the price equally high.
At the end of the late frost there were several hundred vessels
in the river waiting to deliver their cargoes, and they have not
all discharged yet. They could not discharge their cargoes
on account of the frost. Ido not know whether cr not it
would be better for the consumer to have tho coals in his cel-
lar than in these vessels, but in the long run he buys as well
as ever he d'd. The effect of the regulations was to raise the
price of coal*, and in that they had succeeded. When the
trade was open it ruined many ship and coal-owners. It was
necessary to adopt these regulation., in order to protect the
coal-factors. An advance of from 235. to 40s. per ton would
not, except in very few cases, benefit the coal-owner in the
north, because they sell generally at a fixed price. The price
of the best coals in the north is I Is. 6d. per ton. The price
of coals in the London market is that by which the supply is
regulated. If the trade had been open, there would have
been very few vessels in the river at the beginning of the frost.
During the war in 1514 coals were, I believe, 90s. and 105 s.
per ton on board sh p. The advantages of a depot in London,
where 500,000 tons of coals might be deposited in the fine sea-
son are very doubtful.
Mr. Thompson-_I am the owner of the ship Eliza. She
carries about 300 tons of coals. For several years we have
een much harassed and annoyed by the coal-factors' re-
gulations. I was amongst the first to depart from the
coal-factors' regulations. I found its disadvantages as a
ship-ownsr—my object being to get backward and for-
ward with as little delay as possible, which these regu-
lations prevented. I have often disposed of my cargo
initnediate'y upon my arrival in the river, and on applying
for a mete: or weigher I have been refused, and told that I
must lay by for my turn of delivery. In consequence of
having been refused on two or three occasions, I have been
compelled to procure weights and stales, and a responsible
person, to have them weighed myself. I have since then ap-
plied in the north for cargoes, but although the money was
tendered they refused to load us upon any terms. Had it not
been for chance, I should have been driven into another
trade. The Messrs. Goding, on hearing the reasons why I
had been refused a meter, took the coals from me, weighed
by my own man. Others afterwards did the same, I being
responsible to the buyer for their weight, and this continued
until they refused to supply me in the north, because I had re-
fused to comply with the factors' regulations. I don't think
thcsa regulations are voluntary, and I have reason to know
that a great many ship owners object to them. In one in-
stance a check book belonging to a coal meter lately de-
ceased was purchased by one of my people from the widow,
and used. Since then we have had checks of our own printed
of the same form, but I don't think the words " official
weigher" are at the bottom. I shall bring a check for the
inspection of the Committee on Friday. I should not resort
to using an official meter's check book again. It was done
before I was made aware of it. Being delayed in the river is
a great disadvantage—it is an expence to a vessel of the ton-
nage of the Eliza of 41. or .5/. per day, as the kettle must boil
every day on board ship. Supposing we were allowed to
come into the market and sell without any delay, we should
be able to make one-third more voyages in the year. Whe-
ther the trips would be so profitable or not is the consideration
to begin with, hut I think it would soon find its level. In
such a case the whole system must be blown up and the
consumer benefited. If the price fixed by the coal owners
was lowered, it would benefit both the ship owners and the
public. I am not acquainted with the fact that labourers
an the north are paid much higher wages now than some years
ego, nor that iron is double the price it was, but
I believe timber has advanced. Besides making one-
third more trips in the year, vessels would be
able to bring coals at a smaller freight—the voyages being
fewer, and the delay greater, now obliges them to charge a
higher freight. Some years ago the price of coals was much
lower at the other side, but since the regulations the coal-
owners have raised the price more than once. That was the
natural effect of the coal-factors' regulations. If these regu-
lations had not been in force during the late severe weather,
it is likely that coals would have been cheaper. If there had
been an unrestricted sale, vessels would have unloaded more
speedily. I understood that last week there were 70 vessels
waiting for meters to unload. An additional number of
meters would not remedy the inconvenience, as only a certain
number of ships are allowed to discharge each day. There is
no doubt that the regulations tend to raise the price of coals
and keep them at a high price. I should say the increase was
2a. per ton at the other end, and to the consumer not less than
33. or 4g., I may say 4s. Vessels are often detained for want
of meters at an expense of from 41. to 5/. per day. If the
trade was thrown open, I do not know whether all the vessels
at present employed in the coal trade would obtain constant
employment : probably a smaller number would be sufficient.
I consider the regulations a great benefit to the coal-owners.
The Committee then adjourned.

RIMALDI, THE LATE CELEBRATED CLOWN.
—.Tbs Life of this eccentric son of Momus, edited by " Boz,"
will be published in the course of the present week. In private
no less than. in public, Grimaldi's career was unexampled for
esigulartty of incidents, and droll adventure. The biography
of such a man cannot, therefore, fail to be more than ordi-
narily attractive to the lovers of fun, and to those who extract
information from investigating the strong caprices of human
nature. In tracing the history of the renowned " Joe," a
Belies of curious anecdotes connected with his dramatic con-
temporaries arc brought to light. The work is illustrated by
numerous characteristic designs of Grimaldi's friend, the un-
rivalled George Cruickshank.
'We have the gratification to announce that the
Licensed Victuallers' Asylum, situate in the Old Kent-road,
has had a liberal legacy left it within the last few weeks.
The benevolent individual who has shown so great a desire to
further the object which the Institution is designed to effect,
and who died a short time since, leaving to the Institution
the sum of 1,3001, in the Three per Cent Consols, was Mr.
John Bayley, of No. 9, Court-street, Whiteehapel, and who
was originally a member of the
fleece,
Victuallers'
Asylum, and formerly kept the Fleece, in Leadenbalt.
market, but had for some years retired from business. The
executors are Mr. John Skinner, the proprietor of the
Half-moon, Upper Holloway, and Mr. Jahn Davis, jun.,
Of N. 5, Grove-place, Mile-end-road, ile-end-road, who is unconnected
with the trade; and those gentlemen have fully carried the
intention of the testator into effect, by transferring to the ac-
count of the Institution at the Bank of
.England,
.at the
earliest possible moment the fund in question. It is to be
Noped &VA so good an etamplo will be followed by others.—
Morning Adver,iser,

Arrived. Duo,
1 Lisbon
0 Malta
0 Mexico 1
0 Ostend
0 Sweden 0
2 Waterford...— 1

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