The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-11 00:00:00

CITY OF LONDON CORPORATE

REFORM ASSOCIATION.

THE COAL TRADE.

This Association met on Friday evening, at the Guildhall
Coffee-house ; JAMES HANNEN, Esq., in the Chair.
The CHAIRMAN, after congratulating the members on
the rapid growth of the Association, proceeded to advert to
the state of the Coal Trade, and to the sums of money ob-
tained by the Corporation in consequence of the impost
levied upon coals coming into the port of London, which
amounted to 15 per cent. upon 2,500,000 tons•of coals.
The Corporation had no right to levy such an impost.—
(Hear, hear.) If the Corporation had kept, as it ought
to have done, a reserved fund, it would not have been
obliged to levy any such oppressive impost.—(Hear.) It
was an unholy tax, for it pressed heavily on the pockets of
the poor.—(Hear, hear.) The Chairman next adverted
to the City of London having succeeded in inserting
clauses in Railway Bills, preventing coals being conveyed
by them within sixteen miles of the City.--(Hear, hear.)
This power was denounced by Lord Granville Somer-
set and Mr. Joseph Hume, to whom he (the Chairman)
thought a statue of gold ought to be raised, for he consi-
dered Mr. Hume as a most invaluable public man.—(Hear,
hear.) This showed the length to which the Corporation
would go to enforce rights which it ought not to have.—
( Hear, hear.) If any one could find him out a redeeming
quality in the Corporation he would give up all hostility to
it.—(Hear, hear.) He begged that. Mr. Bradfield, who
had done so much to arouse the citizens of Loudon in re-
spect to the abuses in the coal trade, should be allowed to
make a statement to the Association on that subject.
Mr. Saul, Mr. Harrison, and Mr. Alcock thought that
the Association ought to proceed at once to the order of
the day, namely, to consider the scheme of Corporate Re-
form now before the Association.

After some discussion, it was agreed to allow Mr. BRAD-
FIELD to make his statement. He did so by adverting to
the report of the Coal and Corn Committee, presented that
day to the Common Council. He deprecated the report,
declaring it to be founded in falsehood. He made some
severe observations on parties connected with the Corpora-
tion, for having, as be said, played tricks in respect to
himself, in more than one instance. He contended that
the Corporation had, in consequence of the conduct which
it pursued in respect to the coal trade, forfeited its charier.
After some farther observations to the same effect, Mr.
Bradfield said that he would be ready, on some fUture
evening, to enter more at large upon the subject of the
coal trade, which was so interesting to all persons residing
in the City, and in the metropolis generally.—(Hear.)
Mr. Bradfield having retired,
Mr. SAUL moved the following resolution :—" That an
uniform right of voting should be established for the election
of the Mayor, Sheriffs, Aldermen, Chamberlain, or Trea-
surer, Common Councilmen, and Auditors of the city."
Mr. RICHARDS seconded the resolution.

Mr. PRITCHARD, in support of the resolution, adverted
to the old system of voting in the City, and to the infringe-
ment which had been made in that system by the companies,
who succeeded in usurping to themselves the power of giv-
ing to parties the right to vote for the higher offices of the
Corporation, such as the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs, the
Chamberlain, and Auditors. No inhabitant, however, could
vote for a Common Councillor, unless he was a freeman
householder, so that, in fact, there were three different
classes of voters in the City.—( Hear.) He thought that
the great object which they ought to have in view should
be to simplify the principle of voting, and that could only
be effected by making the right of voting uniform, as pro-
posed by the resolution.
Mr. ELLIOTT said that the Association would, if it
agreed to this resolution, bind itself to a principle which
was now exploded. The new principle that had been
instituted gave to the constituency the power to elect
tbc Council, and to the Council the power to elect the Al-
dermen.--( Hear.)
Mr. RICHARDS—We are not looking for a new power,
but for the restitution of an old right.—(Hear.)
Mr. ALCOCK would certainly object to the Common
Council having the power to elect the Aldermen.—( Hear.)
The resolution was then put from the chair, and agreed to.
Mr. PRITCHARD then moved the third resolution, which
was as follows :—" That such right of voting should be en-
joyed by all persons who shall have been for a period of six
months occupiers of houses, lands, tenements, or premises,
within the City, of the annual value of not less than (01.,
and who by virtue of such occupancy, and during the con-
tinuance of the same, shall be deemed to be free of the City;
and that all fines and fees now payable on admission to free-
dom, and all exclusive rights of trading, ought to be abo-
lished." And in support of it he alluded to the way in
which the wealthy and influential men were disfranchised
in the City, while the burden of offices was thrown upon
the middle class of tradesmen. He next adverted to the
effect of the present system of granting the franchise, by
alluding to the fact of a box-maker in the City being
obliged to take a shop outside London, to enable him to
employ good workmen, for he was obliged to employ only
freemen in the City, no matter how bad they might be as
workmen.—(Hear.)
Mr. CROFTS seconded the resolution.

Mr. HARmsoN—supported the-;;;lution, observing
that the Romans were anxious cn all occasions to in-
crease the number of their citizens, while the Corpora-
tion of the City of London seemed anxious to decrease
them.—( Hear.)
Mr. PRITCHARD moved the fourth resolution—" That
the boundaries of the several wards should be altered, so
as to make them as nearly equal with respect to the
number of electors in each ward, as may be practicable"
—and said that it was proposed to limit the number of
wards to twelve, giving to each ward one Alderman and
eight Common Councilmen. If the right of voting were
extended, as under the Reform Act, the probable number
of electors would be 18,000. This would give to each
ward 1,500 electors ; and would make the number of
Common Counei!men 96, which he considered a sufficient
number for all useful purposes.
Two or three gentlemen suggested that the number of
Common Councilmen for each ward ought to be nine.
It was then resolved to report progress, and discuss the
subject on the next night of meeting.
The Association then adjourned,