Star.
London, England, 1801-12-03 00:00:00

1111 AD.

The Wide theu refulved itfclf iato a Committee
upon the Bread bill,
Mr. Alciem.in CvltTli then moved more gene.
rAI Lain/lions to the Committee •for recessing
Chuticv.—Agreed to.
M.. A1.1..1 man Cyclic then moved the Mac
Lc ic.c.t i.. forc pmpofeci, which was alto agreed to.
M.. Al.lamma Cuarss then propofed a Clas.fe,
c 1.,. caing Arn4...nt of thc Salts and Prices to 6c
tct ..1 th.. Mantlnn-houfc ever 7 Miatacy be.
tOt..- tire k.—Agreed to.
lit 'lca inured a Claufr., dirtaing that daft
Rcitaiis tdere (Ally to relete to Meal made of
1\.:o:;tt, mi,l not of other graio.—Agreed to.
Ile tl.en mewed a Claule for prevent.ng 6ac es.
if the Average Pisces.

Ahkr,,,au C 0"... 1: then propofid a Clank,
ittt.g to the Allowance to be made in Bakers :
i.c tlat y the at:co. 11. an alloss.sace
n: t.lc to rs of tin a quarter upon Whe4t,
;ice' ir COI UrDfil Paler. {hat r 64

eonfiderable difference had taken place, and there
had been a great increafe in the price of fuel and -
in /AEI, if the Allowance was not increafed, the
Baker could not make an honeft livelihood by his
trade. He was Worry to 6nd that an idea had gone
abroad, that the Magiftrates would not take care
of the intereas of the Bakers; they were a molt
refpeftable fet of men, and undoubtedly entitled
to every proteftion that the Law and the Ma-
giltrate could give them. The Allowance he
profed, was 14s. and sd. for falt, per quarter,
on Wheat • and I is. Bd. with 4d. for fak, per
rack. on Flour,
Mr. Ross Paid, that a part of the Claufe pro-
pofed br the worthy Alderman was unneceffary,
becaufe when the Duty was impofed upon Salt,
there was a Claufe impowering the Magiftrates to
add the Price of the Salt to the Mize of Bread.
He conferred he did not think it a very wife thing
to recur to the Aft of Geo. 11. the inconveniences
of which had led to the Afts now going to be re-
pealed. The inefficiency of the Aft of Geo. 11.
was fo ftrongly felt throughout the Country, that
an Hon. Gentleman had given notice of propofing,
after the recefs, to appoint a Committee for the
purpae of determining whether it ihould 'tot be re-
ed t At fuck a period, therefore, be did not
think it wife to throw the Metropolis blck upon
fuck a Statute. Befidls the Confumers of Bread
would be as much at the mercy of the Flour Dea-
ers after this-repeal as they are now. Fora long
time paft the price of Flour has been out-of all
proportion higher than the price of Wheat. The
Price of a faclt of Flour was greater than that of
a Quarter of Wheat, though the latter contained
eight bullets, and the former only fir. He did
not, however, mean to make any objeftion to this
Bill if the City of London approved of it, but
he thought it a pity, under all the circumflances,
that recurrence amulet be had to the Ad of Geo.
11. •

Mr. Alderman Cuarts Paid, he agreed with
the Hon. Gentleman that the aCt of Geo. 11. was
far from perfeCt, but it was much fuperior to the
aCts they were going to repeal. One of the great
evils of the late aCE was, that thiMayor did not
fix the Affize of Bread till two weeks after the tale
of the wheat: fo that, to uninformed people it
might appear, as was the cafe yellerday, that the
Magifirate was railing the price of bread, while
that of grain was falling, and this certainly did
caufe fo;ne diffatisfasEtion among the people. He
admitted, however, that this Bill was not perfea,
and he was very much afraid no bill could be per-
feet upon this fubjett. Nothing but competition
could remove the evil : nothing would do until
they could get the Bakers ma of the hands of the
Millers; for he believed at prefent. that out of a
little more than ;coo Bakers, :sop were dependent
upon the Millers. He therefore only confidered
this Bill as a prelude,till Come more effectual mea-
lure was adopted. The Legillature thought in
fome degree to
.remedy the evil, and granted a
Charter to a Company of People, which had done
a great deal of mifchief inftead of good. They
were exadly now in the fituation they were when
they began, and did not grind above Igo quar-
ters a week, inftead of aOOO. He hoped, however,
to fee in time all there fyllems abolilhed, and a
fair and open competition efiablifhtd.
Mr. Ross raid, he ibould not fay a word about li
the Albion Mill Company, as it had nothing to do
with this butinefs. He principally rofe to fay, that
this claufe rcfpetling the allowance for fah was
unneceffary, becaufe it was provided for in a for-
mer Bill. It was undoubtedly true that the Affize
was not fir,cd for two weeks after the tales took
place; but Rill it ebuld not be queltioned that the
price of flour was much dearer than it ought to
be, compared with the price of wheat.
The CHANCELLOR of the Excitatku ea faid, that
having troubled the Houle lad night, he fhould
not now trelpats upon their attention many mo-
ments. Upon reading the bill alluded to by an
Hon. Member (Mr. Role) it appeared that the
latter pan of the chute propofed by the worthy
Alderman was utuweefrary. He certainly concur.
1 red with the Hon. Gentleman who (poke lali, that
the price of flour was not fo low as it ought to be,
and the objea of the bill was to reduce it to its
I proper level. By the law as it tow Rood. the
Baker had no Wucetnent whatever to attempt to
lower the price; nay. there were cafes in which
he might will; to have it raifed. ?le agreed alto
with what the Hon. Gentleman had laid about the
lait of Gorge 11. Undoubtedly we had only a
choice of evas, and this mutt necelTarily be the
cafe in every regulation that could be made until
the Legal had recourfe to that wife principle
1 of eftabiding a competition, and of laying this
butii.efs fairly opt,. in the common courfe of buy.
ing and felling.. Moth t r the prekin circumftances
were calculated for fuch a change, or whether the
minds of the people were prepared for it, he could
not fay, but it was in bis opinion the only way
by which the price of bread could reach its pro-
per level.
Mr. Dear (aid, he was afraid this bill would not
anfwer the purpofe for which it was intended. be.
caufe it would not enable the 13,keti. to come in
competition with the Millers, who had created
fuch large capitals during the late fcarcity. This
Bill only related to the lbletropitiis, where there
were but few poor; but the great diit.-efs was
felt in didant parts of the Country, .and N.:ore
he wised that whatever reittlatiot. was adopted
it might be general. He repeated again, that
he thought the Bill would be ofelefs if it only re-
commended competition to the Bak,n, withom
enabling them to erercite it. He then alluded to
what he had fern in one of the Morning Papas,
that a Mealman had gone into the market and
bought up all the fine (moles of Wheat for the
purpofe of railing the market; and if this perfoti
'kaki happen to be ;Country Banker, it would,
he was lure, lLew the neceny of adoiniag tome
meafure upon this moll important fulsjet.. He con-
cluded with laying, that in a future Itage I.! this
Bill he fhould Rate Lis fent imcnts more at length.
Alderman CURTI/ reminded the
_Hon. Coale.
man, that the Bills wbi;h it was pmpofed to re-
peal only related to the ileirritiolis and it. Envi-
Mks, and confequently this Bill could gu no Mr-
ski, WA 114'4 to igiarif, lee AGara Lc g 14.1

to extend relief as far as poffible,
Croat's Honfe.
The Sr seltEa Paid, that the difference b::.:
the price of Grain and of Flour arofe from tk ,
circuit by which the corn was carried. : •
be recollected that the flour was not brou,. ;
market—it was brought in grain, and the,:
fometimes as far as 3o miles from to ;;
ground : fo that when it came back
tt had been carried Go miles. The etr:,•;
upon the price of flour :null be obvious. f:
appeared to him, that if mills could be caaC,..
in London to grind the corn, it would be pro.:
tive of the greateft benefit. Indeed it wa'.. the' .•,
cient policy of this country to eftablith i4r7
towns, and the advantage had always bee:Wlt..-
It was moll obvious, that if the corn tar
vied fo far to be ground, the price of the sour c.,..!,
not be Co great, loecaufe the whole cspe!,ei. of ;!..
carriage would be fired. He merely
this to Phew that the difference of pike *as no 4.
folute proof of fraud ; but he fhould rejoi.: :it
meafure that led to the efiablifhment pf pl, •••
mills, which be was confident would have the Mk.,
beneficial effed.
• Mr. Ross raid, that corn was fent not only 3-
but even 10 or 8o miles to be grolnd, but tika
almoft always went by water, fo that the can
could not make the difference of eight or ten
kings a lack, and, therefore, St was worth the in
fenous contideration of that Honfe, to fee if finn,:
tiling could not be done upon the fubjed. He di
not mean to impute fraud to any perfon; but, .t.,
doubtedly, men with large capitals might atfc.
the Market in an improper manner.
Mr. Tit Ittlev Paid, that fending the eons it,
to be ground, Mutt certainly make a very e.
derable difference between the price of the gia:u
and of the flour. There was one circuniaanc.
the prefent difeuffion which had given him much
pleafure, and that was, the general diipmai,:a
which had been nianifefled to get rid of the afize,
and to leave this trade completely open, Alston
other. But it was Paid, that in the prefent itate
the market, fuch an attempt might be attended
with danger; perhaps the bell time to do it a
when no body expcded it, becaufe if they
till the market was very low, it would be raid Nye
are very well as we arc, do not try any expel.
ments. For his own part he law no rcafon
ciente fhould not be introduced in the prefent
that-when the price of wheat fell to a certain to:;
the Affize fhould be done away altogether.
Mr. Bluing s fait!, that this being a Bill of
peal, the provilion the Hon. Gentleman alid:l
to, could not be inferted in it. He then preri...l
an amendment to the claufe of Mr. Alderws
Curtis, which was agreed to.
Mr. Alderman CURTIS propofed a elaufe, that
this Bill might be altered or repealed in It.: Ft,
fent Seflion—Agreed to.
The Houle was thee refurned, and the Revrt
was ordered to be taken into further confidrratiee
on Monday.--The Bill was ordered to he printed.
I Adjourned at As o'clock till to-morrow.