The Sun.
London, England, 1851-06-04 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN. _..
Ywividy 4 via, hdd dispatch cf bu-
s

FALSE W. IGHTS AND MEASULFEL
gAlderman' agselffireseeted aneuel ieturn el' Mr.
tt and M.. li•cirvard, I.•,p,ctors weights aut,
..surer fir the city or Letolou. 1-1- eie to 0 -
nuretion fends mull not be in any remp-.4,, wore I y
eXpeeded then in the sppow Kit u: h ,! ~;
thecae inspectors.- H ti e re; r!.. a7,,.eeiljd the p
se ions.held foradjudiee,i 6 up 4i e:at plaintit -mate:
tiny, and 'the extent to which rorite ries were comwitte
ire the irtrigeut else. se s ()four feltoweditizeris could tia,
e 114ured_ the.Courtiebe---imaginetieby, those who were
Rot peewit during the investigations. - At-tbese in ve:s i •
guions ihe practices el unprincipled:tradesmen in wine,
abort weights, by which persons who were not, able to
Parchase more taste wiew Jariceseot- tea,
.a querter. 0.1 a
Paired 'of butter, or a.mutton chop, were lin--.4-cruelly an-
Poqql upon; were tullycheveluoun, de_ alladen more par i-
,°,414r1y to the tricks ee gructr who not oalydistiuguiihed
'oemselveo by the uee ut shout weights end 1110altirtS, but
1,1 the mesefoul adulteration. It appeared to be nut et all
d iubtful ;bat a tradeeman in cousiderabie buisinese wield
ti more benefited by payitig penalty utter penalty than:,
altering the base cot .ditiens of his trading iuuve meats.
•Tbere had been one case befare him in which he bad
fined a tradesman time otter time till the penalty
amounted to 51.; and --then, in - order- to bring •about a
change, he was obliged to tell the unprincipled customer
al the petty sessions that, if another c,eepleiet etiuuld be
established against hitn, the City bulicttor should be
directed to level a battery of indictments against him as
a common cheat.—(Hear, beer.) Tne unaptctors bad
during the last year paid great attention to the delivery
„of coals, and had obiateed 179 convictions of various
Rinds. In their statement the wards had been classified,
Ithd each alderman would • see who the publicans were
who in his ward had disgraced their avocations by using
Short measures, and what other tradesmen cheated their
P)or neighbours by.using false. weights.—(llear, hear.)
unfortunately these convictions did not Ire.quently meet
the public eye. He regretted that tact the more, as from
his experience be well knew that notbiug was SO much
Calculated to check frauds upon the poor as the. put lica-.
lion of ihe names of the trading impostors from time to
time. Alderman Wit Son cot:ciuded by moving that the.
return be printed, andeopies be sent to the aldermen.
Alderman COPELAND, in seconding the motion, said
that no act of his 'pholie life gave him higher gratifica-
tion than that of having been mainly instrumental to the
appointment of the two officers whose exertions had ac-
complished so mueh good to the poor inhabitants of,the
City of London.—(Bear, hear.) The Court would be
pleased at hearing. that merely in consequence of the vi-
gllance.of the inspector of weights and measures a great
..ttumber of tradesmen's shops in which cheating used' to
De extensively carried on against the labouring classes
bad beea closed altogether. • He was delighted to fled,
that although the aims required unwearied exertion,
those who filled them performed all the duties with. the
Utmost zeal, energy, and talent.—(Hesr, hear.)
-Alderman HOOPER also eulogized the appointment,
and by the unanimous vote of the Court gratuities were
then granted to the inspectors.
Alderman WILSON took that occasion to express. his
hope that. Alderman Copeland, who had done so much
good 'by causing the appointment •of inspectors of
weights and measures, would try what further good be
could effect. to society by appointing inspectors of om-
nibuses and cabs, which constituted in some respect the
greatest nuisances which could spring up in a large
trading metropolis.—(Hear, hear.)
SirX. LAURIE said the use of the word " nuisances"
brought to his mind a new nuisance of a very remark-
ableekind indeed, about which as he walked along Cheap-
side he had been spoken to by several tradesmen. He
meant the prodigious, machine which. bad been dragged
by hdrses to the western end of Cneapside, and lett
there-for the convenience of some people and the scandal
of others.—(Laughter.) It looked like a travelling om-
nibus, was distinguished by a variety of gaudy colours,
and addressed itself in several languages to the nectsei-
ties of the travelling public.—(Laughter.), He wished to
unow whether the Lard Mayor bad given permission to
any person to bring in such a visitation upon the labs..
bitauts.
:The LORD MAYOR said he knew nothing at all about
the vehicle of welch Sr P. Laurie spoke.
Alderman HUIRPREERY said the condemnation of the
experiment was preuiwure. In all probability the ma-
chine would have the effect of abating to a very great
extent innumerable nuisances uaturally presented
themselves in a large population.—(Hear, hear.)
Alderman COPELAND hoped the machine would be re-
moved, but it was because it was calculated to obstruct
the transit of carts and• carriages; for things were so
contrived in the City that when one great thoroughfare
Was disturbed in its pavement all the rest appeared to be
undier the necessity of immediately following tbe example.
*—(Laughter.) As such happened to be exactly the case
et 'present, it would be advisable to prevent any new '
mode of impediment.
Alderman WILS. N said he believed that although the
Vehicle described might be deemed a nuisance, - it would,
in all 'probability, abate, or perhaps entirely remove,
nuisances of long standing and much mere intolerable.
Alderman EDNPRERY—It may with- advantage be
Placed in the "nook" in which the Smithfield•market •
model was deposited for exhibition.
Alderman. SALOMONS—Why not piece it in Smithfield-
market?
That appears to me to be just the place for
Nudes thing.—(4. laugh.)
The conversation on the subject ended without being
embodied in a resolution, the Court seeming to be of
Opinion that the power of interfering lay with another
department of the Corporation.
Adjourned.