The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-02 00:00:00

THE COAL TRADE.

The Committee met yesterday at the usual hour.
Mr. James Bently was called and examined. He stated
that he had been in the coal trade about thirty years; is a
member of the Joint Committee ; was examined before the
two former Commitces which sat on this subject last Session ;
when a cargo of coal sells at 235. 6d. a ton, it shows a balance
of 1611. 163. '2d., being 9s. 51-d. per ton, or 342 tons for
freight ; and after deducting half-metage I:W. and delivery of
cargo 9d., it leaves Bs. 7d. per ton to pay port duty, lights,
ballast, pilotage, navigation, victualling, insurance, wear and
tear, &c. ; delivered in to the Committee the partigulars of
the charges on one ton of coals sold in London at 235. 6d. to
show what constituted that price ; they were as follow :
d. s. d.
.0 1 1

City Dues

Nelage .. 1
Less paid by the Buyer 1 0 1 1 Di
ALLOWANCES ro BUYERS.
Tret 1 per cent.
Discount 2 per cent. on 2s 31., and scorage ls. per
score 0 41 0

Factorage - 0 0
Del Credre. Commission at 10s. per cent. 0 14 0 41
Bill and Receipt Stamps and incidental Expenses

2 3}

Cost of Coals on. Board in the North ll 6
Insurance at 30s. per cent. and Policy Duty 0 2i
Loss of Weight and City Dues thereon
Balance to pay Freight, Delivery, Scc E9 4

495. 4d.
Deduct for Delivery

£1 3 6

Remaining Freight
Ballast, Pilotage, Navigation, Victualling, Insurance of Ship,
Wear, and Tear, &c. &c.
The average price of best Coals on the first Sales in each month,
at Wallsend, in the year 1836 was 225. 10d. per ton.
Ditto, in the year 1837, 235. 9id.
Average Freight from the Tyne, in 1833, \stasis. 111 d. per ton.
Ditto, 1836, S. 73d. ditto.
Ditto, 1837, 9s. 2d. ditto.
The average Freight from the Tees has been about Is. 3d. per
ton higher than from the Tyne.
Average i❑ the Tync higher in 1836 than 1835—Sd.
Ditto in 1837 than 1836-7 d.
Showing an advance of la. 3d. per ton between the years in
1833 and 1837.
The Average price of all sorts of Coals sold on
four consecutive market days in December,
1837 was
In April, 1836, the average of four da)s was I9s. 3d.
Average price higher in 1837 than 1836 2s. 2s. lid,
The average freight in December, 1837 was
The average freight in April, 18:36
Average freight higher
Insurance and charges higher in Dec., 1837 ... Os. lid.
Showing the advance to be on all sorts of coals to
the coal owner only

ls. 971 d.

2s old.
2s. lAd.
The average ccnsumrtion cf coals in London per day, taking
the average on the whole year, is 6,929 tons. The average
was obtained from the quantity imported. Coal vessels were
tiot the only vessels detained in the river—v,-ssels laden with

grain have Often been-detained as long as a month. It was a
regulation of the trale that factors should be allowed three
Moodays' markets for the sale of the cargo. The cause of
the detention, both of the colliers and corn vessels, was the
same, namely, want of consumption. The effect of the regu-
lations generally, is decidedly beneficial to the public, for
when there were no regulations the price of coals was con-
stantly fluctuating, and they f.-equently rose to a higher price
than they have ever attained since. Prepared a statement
of the prices of coals on the 31 and 24th January, 1814, and
the corresponding prices at the same dates. in 1838. The
result showed that while in the year 1814, without regula-
tions, the price of coals rose, between the 3d and the
24th of the same month, from ten to twenty shillings
per chaldron. They had only advanced in the present year
half-a-crown.
To Sir JAMES DUKE.—Is of opinion that if there were no
regulations the effect would be that coals would at one time
be sold at so low a rate as to cause distress amongst the sup-
pliers and ship. owners ; the trade would then be thrown into
the hinds of a few opulent individuals, who would raise the
prices to an extravagant rate, and thus the public would in the
end be the sufferers.

By Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET —The regulatien3 were
framed by the factors, who, after agr, eing upon them among

themselves, submitted them to the-suppliers and ship-owners
for their a proval.
By Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSFT. —There is nothing I be-
lieve to prevent the factors under these regulations from
saying to what extent the metropolis shall be supplied, or what
price shall be fixed on coals?
Witness.—Nothing, certainly, but the approval of their
cerreapondents, without which they would hardly proceed.
Lord BANVILT.V. SOMERSET—Then under these regulations
the parties who are interested as buyers have no power of
remonstrance ?
Witeess—None whatever.
Lord GRANVILLE SC)IIFASET. it difficult for the buyers
to obtain coals which arc out of the regulation?
Witnees---Not further than that the supply is very small, as
there are only three or four collieries nut of the regulation.
Pey the CIIAIMAN—There is nothing to prevent ;large capi-
tslist from goisg down to the collieri s, and purchasing and
sell coals independent of the regulations.
Exaraieation resumed—ls not prepared to say that the
change in the regulation of selling by weight instead of
measure has giten satisfaction to the public; but is decidedly of
opinion that they are much better and more honestly set ved
by it than under the former system ; is aware that
there is a Isrge surplus lying in the Ceti( Meters' Office ahore
the expenditure. Lis intended, as soon as it reaches about
430/. more, to reduce the rnetage, which it is in fact the in-
terest of the fscto:s to do. The average sum obtained by the
weighers in 1537 was 121/ 3i. 11,1. Does rot think it would
be any advantage to the public if the metage was made a
public establishment instead of leaving it in its present bands;
quite the reverse. Tee only reason tiro he could assign for
continuing the coal meters permamently in their offiees, was
that which a merchant would glve for continuing his clerk.
namely, that it was a situation of tru't, and required a know-
ledge of recounts. The coal meters were appointed by the
Joint Committee.
Mr. Richard Beard. from whom the following retition had
been-received and referred by the fleuse to the Committee,
was next called :
To the Honourable the Commons of the United King-
dom of Great Brit iii and Ireland, in Parliament as-
sembled, the bumble Petition of Richard Beard, of
Partleet Wharf, Earl-strer t, Blackfiiars, and of Wee-
- t,rn Wherf, Folward-stre( t, Regent's-park Basin, in
the county of Middlesex, coal-merchant,
Shea eth—That by the 45th sectien of an Act of PerPa-
meat, passed in the first and se;eol years of the reign cf his
Late Majesty King sa *tiller!' the Fourth, entitled, " An Art
for the regulating the vend and delivery of coals in the cities
of Lonflen and Westminster, and its certein parts of the coun-
ties of Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buck-
inglismshire, and Berkshire," it is enacted, " that if any seller
or sellei a of, or dealer or dealers in coals, shall knowingly sell
ore sort of coals for and as a sort which they really know arc
not within the said Fort of London, or at any place within the
cities of London or Westminster, or within the distance of
twrnty-five miles from the Post-office aforesaid, every such
seller or sellers of, or dealer or dealers in coals, shall forfeit
and pay for every such offence the sum of ten pounds per ton,
for every ton of coals sold and, so in proportion for any smaller
quartity."
That your petitioner humbly submits to your Honourable
, House, that the above-mentioned enactment is insufficient for
the protection of the public against fraud in the purchase of
coals, inasmuch as the market is supplied with about two hun-
dred different sorts of coals, varying greatly in quality and
price, and very few persons, except those fully acquainted
with the nature and different qualities, and continually em-
ployed in the buying and selling of coals, areoble to distin-
guish between those of the best and many of inferior descrip-
tion, known in the trade as a second quality coal.
That your petitioner has every reason to believe that the
above-mentioned enactment is continually evaded, and that
fraud and imposition to a considerable extent is practised on
the consumers by various persons employed and concerned in
the sale of coals, principally by the mixing of coals of an in-
ferior with these of a superior or the best quality, and by sub-
stituting coals of a different sort and description to those which
may have been ordered by the buyer.
That your petitioner conforms to the above-mentioned en-
actment, his trade being exclusively confined to the sale of
coals, known by the description of " the best Wall's End coals.'
That Your petitioner has suffered, and still continues to suffer
great loss and detriment in his trade, by reason of the evasion
of such enactment, inasmuch as the other dealers in, and
vendors of coals, are enabled to enter into an unfair competi-
tion with your petitioner, through the means of such fraud,
in mixing and substituting' as aforesaid, by professing to sell
coals of the same description, or of the same purity as those
of your petitioner, at a lower price than it is possible to tell
them at, to afford a just profit to the fair dealer.
That although a penalty of ten pounds perton is imposed by the
above mentioned enactment for every such offence, it is almost impos-
sible to enforce such penalty in the case alluded to by your petitioner,
by the great difficulty of establishing tne proof of such fraud and impo-
sition having been practised.
Your petitioner, therefore, most humbly prays that in the revision
of any Act or Acts by your Honourable House for the further and bet-
ter regulation of the coal trade, such enactments may be made as will
provide for the prevention of fraud and imposition on the part of the
dealers in, and sellers of, coats of an inferior, with those of a superior or
the best quality, and by substituting coals of a different sort and de-
scription, which may have been ordered by the purchasers thereof, and
that such penalties may be affixed to the committal of every such of
fence, and such means provided for the enforcing such penalties as to
your Honourable House shall seem meet.
And your Petitioner shall ever pray.
The witness stated that he believed that the law, as it at
present • stood, was insufficient for the protection of the public
against the frauds committed by coal-merchants, by the substi-
tution and mixture of inferior coal. On being asked if he
could adduce any proofs that coal-merchants were in the
habit of committing much fraud, he said that the Committee
must necessarily be aware how very difficult it would be
for him to establish a legal proof of this description,
and that the inefficiency of the law in this particular he com-
plained of in his petition ; but that he was prepared with pre-
sumptive evidence, which he thought could not fail to con-
vince the Committee that the practice ho alluded to was
general.
Is reply to a question from the Chairman whether a coal-
merchant, adopting this practice would not be defeating him-
selfi by the injury his trade would sustain, Mr. Beard said,
that supposing a coal-merchant to supply his customers with
a very inferior article in the place of best, it would of course be
apparent, but it was a fact well-known in the trade, that many