The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-07-18 00:00:00

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T1.1F7.47115V,177
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`other persons, openly and:undisguised!, maintaising
the propriety of it.
j. The absence of provident 'regulations whereby
'Misters of the art of CloCk and watch-making may,
be legally known, and'elreir reptitation as artists pro.
tected, and theme!, es 'prominently brought within
'the kuots ledge of the Kent ti in times, for the more
certain prevention or punishment of abuses and frauds
:•so committed.
4. The use of hasegold and silver in the making of
waitettes, and other appendages of the trade, and
the i iency of the regulations now obtaining in
'regard to touching, assaying, and marking those ar-
ticles.
5. The reaction of an anneal duty of 41. 12s. from
Clock anti Watch-makers under the denomination of
a Plate Licence duty, although Clock and Watch-
maker. neither make nor sell plate, and notwith-
standieg the tpeclfic Licence Doty on persons snak-
ing and dealing in clocks and watches bas been re-
pealed near 20 years. This exaction has proved par-
-Ocularly Sesatiuue, and the operation has.been most
unjust and grievously oppressive. The payment has,
lit seem, been demanded, end often accompanied the
match several fold; and in many instances of this
operation, absolutely absorbed the aggregate annual
profits derived from the sale of many watches by per-
"tines in a confined line of business. It appears in
evidence, that this Plate Licence Duty has been de
-
• mended and paid five several times over, in the pro-
, gress of manufacturing one and the same watch, even
before it could be offered or was ready for sale ; so
that the sale pricevaay bare been absorbed before it
'Could be at market. •
6. The exportation of clocks and watches, clan-
destinely avoiding entry at the Custom-house, con-
' ceiling various frauds until the articles became im-
posed to sale abroad, to the great disgrace of the na-
tional reputation for superior skilland workmanship,
and loss of the Public Revenue.
7. The clandestine introduction of an immense
number of foreign-made clocks and watches endtheir
appendages, and musical pieces operating by clock
and.eatch-work ; also of watches made to resemble
English watches, and bearing forged names of Eng-
lish makers, and forged marks of the English Gold-
- smiths'-hall on the cum, expressly for the purpose
. of being re-exported as English watches to those
markers principally supplied by the English menu-
!Wore; also of Unfinished end incomplete clocks
• and watches without their cases, repeating watch
movements, and parts of watches; and to se•greit
":en extent has the tatter, practice been carried, that
• the major part of the repeating watches maitqfactured
within the last 20 years, ere in great part firreign, to
the great prejudice of the manufacture of repeating
watches in these realms. •
8. The obstructions which of late years have been
• thrown in the way of the Company of Clock-milkers,
incorporated by Charter in the ?lb year of the reign
' of King Charles 1., confirmed, amongst other Char-
' ties of the City of London, by the 2d of William
-*ad Mary, Seas. Ist, cap. 8, sec. 3 and 14, for the
“I.emppression of hands, abuses, end wal.practices in
"eel Manufactere, exportation, and importation of
"decks, watches, and other productions of this art
and Trade; by reason of which obstrietioes, that in.
.40fporateS Company has been prevented emoting
the duties assigned to it for the public welfare, al-
though it has contributed great benefit, and appears
ilsy its Charter well calculated to render considerable
'service to the Public, and by registering makers, and
'also by marking foreign-made clocks and watches im-
ported, when impediments shall be removed, and re.
gulaiions e,tablished under the authority of the Le-
gislature, for the suppression of unlawful practices in
this branch of manufacture and trade.
9. The want of more ample enactments for the int.
provement of the existing Acts, Laws, sod Regula-
tions, respecting this manufacture and trade, for the
more effectually attaining the objects and purposes in-
tended by the original enactments.
10. The smallness of the penalties heretofore es.
signed for offences of this nature, and the difficulty
,of prosecuting offenders to conviction, owing to the
-'-want of more summary process.
With an earnest and Billions view to the relief pe-
titioned for, the Petitioners have generally declared,
that they are, individually, ready and willing to
snake great and exemplary sacrifices of private lute-
Tett to public benefit, end, collectively, as a frater-
• unity, to adopt principle for practical advantage: first,
for the pre_ervation of the art becoming the scientific
reputation and dignified support of the State; and,
secondly, for the healthy iedependent maintenance of
the laudably industrious artisan, from whose profes-
Sienal skill and long experience the art itself must
ever court succour and depend for its own existence,
as your Committee, judging front the character, de-
portment, and spirit of the witnesses who have given
their deliberate testimonies, most confidently depend.
• Governed by these impressions, and the characteris-
tic liberality of the House on all similar subjects, by!
no means of superior merit, but in every respect of
very, very far inferior distress, to which the Clock
and Watch-makers have been seduced by the opera.
• lion of the causes before-mentioned ; your Commit
tee are of opinion, that the House will find this Most
useful, interesting, and important subject of the art
• and science of Clock and Watch-making, in all its
various branches, of which astronomy and navigation,
the arts and sciences, are subscribing handmaids, most
worthy of that protection and relief, for which the
whole of this meritorious fraternity are their humble
Petitioners.
Your Committe considering it as a part of their
duty to torn their attention to the practicability of
applying remedies adequate to the correction of the
various inconveuiences obtaining, are of opinion,
that adequate remedies uneasily be administered by
Legislative enactments, .for the future government of
the art and trade of Clock and Watch-making, and
the several mechanical branches connected therewith,
that by such means they may be gradually restored
to a state of prosperity, and be again rendered belie-
• icierl both to the individuals engaged in them, and to
the nation at large, as a most valuable and important
• branch of:Revenue to the State.
After maturely considering all the information ob-
tained by your Committee on this very important sub.
ject, in which they bate not spared their own labours,
while they have courted and obtained information
from the scientific fraternity, which does great
booster to their minds, and, exemplifies the great
li-
berality et theiz !starts and dispositions towards "very