The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-27 00:00:00

IMPORTANT MEETING OF BIR

MINGIIAM MANUFACTURERS.
(LAST NIGHT).
(BY EXPRESS.)
Yesterday evening a highly important and numerous nate-
iag of merchants and manufacturers took place in the Court-
room of the Public-office, called by Richard Spooner and
James James, Esqrs., to consider the best means of sapport-
ing the Bill introduced by Mr. Hawkes, Member for Dudley,
for the protection of British manufactures from tie frauds
which are practised to a great extent by foreigners in forging
the names of English masters, and which threatens seriously
to diminish the export trade of this country, and particularly
in the town and neighbourhood of Birmingham.
At half-past six there being a large number of gentlemen
in attendance (amongst whom we observed Thos. Hawkes,
Eeq., M.P., and Joshua Scholefield, Esq., M.P.)
RICHARD SPOONER, Esq., was called to the Chair.
JAMES JAMES, Esq., then came forward, and having read
the advertisement by which the meeting was called together,
said that most of the gentlemen present were aware of eaten-
sise frauds having been practiced by foreign manufac-
turers, in marking their goods with the names of British
makers, and selling them as the manufactures of this
country. Several facts connected with these frauds
having having come under the notice of himself and
Mr. Spooner, they thought it their dutc to convene a preli-
minary meeting, fur the purpose of ascertaining the opinion of
the inhabitants as to the best course to be pursued with re-
spect to the Bill introduced into Parliament by Mr. Hawkes
in reference to the subject. The first question that presented
itself to them was, whether they would consider the present
a preliminary cr a general meeting? As Mr. Hawkes was
present, be would perhaps have the goodness to state to them
few of the facts which had induced him to introduce the Bill
to which he had alluled.
The CHAIRMAN said, for the reasons assigned by the
last speaker, he had joined Mr. James in calling the meet-
ing, and he had no doubt as the object was one interesting
to the manufacturers of the country generally, that it would
meet with their approbation. He bad received letters from
Mr. Price, Mr. Chance, and other gentlemen interested in
this question, respecting their approval cf the objects of the
oo
ff.
meeting, and retire tin; their inability to attosid.
teiTnll;°:lhko sulHel A.nwoti(hEag; intrudedl Phimtsheel fn tlcoesree talinadt said,eten evening e had
he
theirnot t
obwenen
orequestedder ttio, a tdo
he
eo by
mightmany
g ofe the manufacturers
explanation
the subject which had called them toeether. his attention
had been first called to the subject in his own neighbourhood,
and he found that locks, screws, files, and various other articles,
bad been manufactured on the Continent with the names of
the aeoet eminent British manufacturers marked upon them.
The Sheffield manufacturers also suffered to a great extent
from these frauds ; they bad counterfeited the names of their
beet makers, sent the goods to England, bad them bonded,
and then sent them out in British ships to the Colonies as
British manufeeturcs.—( Hear, hear.) They not only robbed
the British manufseturere of their trade, but they destroyed
their reputation, which at great expense and labour they had
raised to great and deserved eminence. He would ask was
this a state of things which ought to exist in the pre-
sent dei,ressed state of trade ? lie considered it his duty
to sift this ma ter to the bottom, and with this view
he went, accompanied by several wholesale iron-merchants in
London, to the agents who exported the articles of British
manu'acture, and he found that they were made is Belgium
and other parts of the continent.—( Hear, hear.) He found
especially that an immense exportation of niatchets was carried
on, these articles having the name of " Gilpin and Co." upon
them. They were inferior in quality, being made, not of the
British iron, but of the iron of Leige, and considerably under
the price at which the British manufacturer could afford to
sell them.--( Hear, hea-.) He had called the attention of
the manufacturers of Sheffield to the subject, and he got per-
raissioa from the Board of Trade in London to examine a num-
ber of packages in the Custom-house, and they found various
articles of cutlery bearing the names of English manufeetu.
rers ; and he also ascertained that in the course of two months
not less than 4,950 dozen of " matchets" had been ex-
ported to the West Indies, which ought to have
been distributed amongst the the manufaturers of England.—
( Hear, hear.) As he observed before, he had attended that
evening at the request of many Gentlemen, and he should be
happy if he could contribute in any way towards pro:noting
the interests of the working-classes, and of the trade and
manufactures ef Birmingham.—(Cheers.) The Bill he had
introduced had been read a second time. He did not know
what a'teratione the President of the Board of Trade would
make,the nor
trade
did
andlie care,com so lone
ofas
theite k ecpotu
country.—( in
t.
Applause.he interests)
view
of
He believed that trade was never worse than at the present
mt the
u.Ntfaecntlubreirnsg ofin t thee res
tit-117[1e
ear,
Ch
coamrs(l)enasr, o
moment, and he certainly considered that it was the impera-
tive
he held the situation he there occupied
andat itvtee n dsdoutetiy]
otnhogef
he trusted lie should always uphold that interest.—(Cheers.)
The Hon. Gentleman then read aletter from a highly respec-
table house in London, urging him to attend the present meet-
ing, and assuring him if measures were not taken to prevent
t':e frauds committed by foreign manufacturers, the destruction
of grea=ta rNtoi osn
stated, ot tl r
in tradeinevitable.corrwcbasorat
in of
o
what had been
stated by the Hon. Gentleman, that many years ago they
guns Were fret imported into
were in the habit of making on the Continent an immense
quantity of guns, with the names of the best Birmingham
e
makers upon them. These
The
exported as British manufacture. ro
wEansgnl aontd ,a andt ow
nt eogland more interested in the subject
i n
than Birmingham.
Mr. EDMUND lIEELEY considered the present meeting suffi-
ciently numerous, and perfectly competent to entertain the
sul ject to which their attention had been called by the Hon.
Nleniher for Dudley, awl proposed that Mr. James and the
Chairtean should lay before the meeting whatever of
plan
operation they had decided upon.
Mr. .I,tmEs then read the following resolution, which was
unanimously agreed to
That the practice of marking articles of foreign manu-
facture with the names and marks of British manufacturers,
and by these and other means characterising them as articles
of British manufacture, being fearfully on the increase, and
tending materially to diminish the sale of British manufac-
tures and injure the reputation of British manufacturers, this
meeting is of opinion that the British manufacturers and the
consumers of British manufactures ought to be protected from
on the following il
such impositions, and that Mr. Hewke's Bill being calculated
to prevent these frauds, this meeting is determined to support
theyporuinndceipdleupoofnthtabteßailblobvey every legalmeans
nowittsogpo.pweet
petition
n
was agreed to ;-e-,
" The humble petition of the undersigned manufacturers
and others of the town of
Birmingham,
•
and neighbourhood
thereof,

" Humbly sheweth,—That lour petitioners have discovered