Star.
London, England, 1824-02-12 00:00:00

DUTY ON COALS.

—ems—
Yesterday a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the City of
London took place at the City of Landon Tavern, for
the purpose of petitioning Parliament to take off 6%1
Duty on Coals—Sir CHARLES PRICE in the Chair.
The CII A I RM AN stated to the Meeting, that the Com-
mittee had communicated upon former occasions with
the Minister upon the subject of the repeat of the exist-
ing oppressive Tax upon Coal and Cultn, and had re-
ceived admissions that the City of London, in particu-
lar, had great cause to complain; but the condition of
the country, in consequence of the long war, furnished
an excuse for continuing an impost which every one
was ready tc condemn. Is could no longer be con-
tended that the count y requited that a partial Tax
should be taken from the pockets of the people, as the
Revenue was in a most prosperous state. The abolition
of the Tax was most important to the Agricultural and
Manufactto hog Interests; and the City of London paid,
besides 6s. a chaldron coast duty, an exclusive duty of
3-. 4d. a chaldron, originally levied for the building of
Churches. The London Committee had corresponded
and united with the Committees of all the other parts of
the country in which the Tax operated, and the success
of an application to Parliament was looked forward to
with the utmost confidence.
Mr. SM I m said, that the reason the tax had not yet
been repealed was, perhaps, because the House of Com-
mons wished pi eviously to ascertain the general oeinion
of the people on the subject. He then represented the
unfairness, as well as impolicy, of taxing one part of a
great population to the exclusion of the rest ; and he
read the Resolutions passed last year, as a foundaticn
for the Petition he contemplated. The tax was, he
said, a direct tax upon industry. The Scotch had per-
suaded Parliament to relieve them [tom the Coast
Duty, and to impose a general duty upon the country ;
but .so injut ions, and unnecessary was this tax, that lie
hoped and believed it would be abolished, without leav-
ing behind it a substitute—( Hear, hear. There was,
in fact, nothing that could more effectually increase the
general revenue of the country than the repeal of the
Coal. Duties. He then moved Resolutions declaratory
of the unfairness of the tax, &c. &c. and that it was
hoped that Parliament would abolish the dares, without
a commutation for any other' tax.
Alderman BRIDGES seconded the motion.
Mr. HUNT asked whether the additional tax of 3s. 41
upon the City had not been levied for the support of one
of King Charles's. bastards ; and for the maintenance of
the Orphans' Fund ?—(.I laugh).
Alderman BRIDGES said, it had reference to no such
thing as either of those pnrposes.
Mr. PARKINS said the 3s. 4d. had been originally un-
posed for the building of churches, in the reign ofQueen
Anne; and the Port of London had thus paid 10 or 12
millions more than they ought to have paid ; notwith-
standing the.fact that the coal ships which entered this
port were compelled, by its regulations, to have two ap-
prentices each, so that 1200 lads were annually em-
ployed ; and for this great service the inhabitants were
taxed so exorbitantly.
. Mr. &arrest:tau said, the inconvenience of bringing
the coals a long voyage was severely felt, as well .is the
great sluts. There was another desperate inconvenience
which bad been overlooked. As it now happened, they
were obliged to look CO a coatisied district for a supply.
He believed the City was supplied from a few collieries,.
and the consequence was, there was every month a
Meeting of the Owners, to arrange what quantity of
coals should be sent to London—(tieer, hear). The
price was thus mos;. improperly kept up, and surely a
remedy was necessary.
The CHAIRMAN said, that subject bad nothiag to do
with the object of the Meeting.
Mr. HUNT.•--1I has—it is must important.
Mr. Baatvena ins said, it ought to be ascertained
what quantity of coals should be expected annually, in
case of the repeal of this tax.
Mc. Swim then teed die Petition to Parliament,l
praying for the repeal.
MI. HUNT thought the Petition did not go far enough,
and contended that the pressure of the tax on the poor
had, not been dwelt upon sufficiently, although its effect
upon the purses of the manufacturers and the aristo-
cracy had been sufficiently stated. The people were en-
titled to more relief than they received. Last year the.
Chancellor of the Exchequertook off halt the window tax,
but doubled the house tax. He regretted the sturdiness
of the Meeting., when tire interests bf the poor were to
be discussed, and wished for an explanation of that'
circumstance, On such an important L• ••t had
SU ',ILL ss
there not been Common Halls and Wardniotes held—
every means.taken to express the general feeling on the
subject? Perhaps the worthy Alderman near him (Al-
derman Wood) could inform them why the Meeting was
not more generally advertised? Perhaps it might hap-
pen that were the subject more rigidly inquired into, it
would be found that the chief coal-meter, the brother-
in-law of the present Lord Mayor—(s 'J
44))4C1—Shame.
He would speak out ; he was not to be deter red from
proceeding. He was still the same man he was when
they last saw him—whoa he was thrca erred with as-
sassination if he proceeded. Perhaps one of the Gen-
tlemen who cried I, Shame," and who he had then in
his eye, expected to be rewarded for 1 • its opposition to
him (Hunt) in a similar manner to the person who
threatened him with assassination—that is, by being
sent as a Consul to South America-1 '- Tire'
Orator then proceeded to state his own grievance,
being a .consumer of from 100 to 150 chaltiroiis of coals
annually; and complained that on account of the in-
sufficiency of the number of coal-meters to du the duty,
much disappointment was experienced by the citizens.
Mr. A,lderman Wools said, the Chairman lord already
stated wy the Meeting wits so small, and ao.ured the
Gentleman (Hunt), that at all the Wardarotes petitions
against the coal-dealers had been resolved upon. Tire
worthy Alderman then defended Mr. Reeves, the prin-
cipal coal-meter, against the insinuatinfts of the Orator.
He also said, that although his own motion in the
Common Council for increasing the number coal
meters bad been rejected, yet that it was now deter-
mined the number should be increased. Pith respect
to the duty of 3s. 4d. it was originally imposed io the
year 1710, to defray the expense of building the fifty
Churches, of which only eleven were .ouiit ; and he
would now say, as he did in the presence of Lord Li-
verpool and the Chancellor of the -Exchequer, that in
continuing that tax` the citizens of London had been:
robbed of more , than X:10,000,000-
NT. HUNT here acknowledges) that be had been in
error with respect to the coal meters, but pressed the
cause of the loweloorders,---The Petition was agreed
to Unanimously ; and thanks having been voted to tire
Chairman, the Meeting separated.