The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-30
WANTS TO STOPRIGHT
TO SELL INTOXICANTS

OF which the famous Dick whiting
ton. Lord Mayor OF London, was at one
time the chief. or course. General
Sir Robert BadenP Powell has never
served an apprenticeship in the mer-
GERS. that Is to say. the drygoods trade.
and his connection with the MERGERS
Guild is due to the fact that these So
called liveries of the city OF London
elect leading statesmen of the day,
famous soldiers and naval command.
ers. great explorers and eminent
judges to membership.
Thus, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener.
in recognition of his victory over the
De'vishes at Omdurman In 1875. was
elected TO membership of the Guilds
OF Fishmongers, MERGERS and Cold
smiths. Joseph Chamberlain is a
member of the Grocers' Company.
The Duke of Portland belongs TO the
Guild of Needle Makers. Lord Rose
berry is "a member of the Diapers
Livery: while the late Sir William Har-
court. the great Liberal leader. belong
ed to the Guild OF Butchers. Lord
Alverstone. who holds the office of
Lord Chief Justice. is Il member of the
Goldsmiths' Company.
The liveries are constantly on the
! influence in one form or another in
their behalf. and. as a general rule.
hasten to convert them into cham
pions of their interests by admitting
them to membership. In this manner,
every effort to start reforms in con
necticn with the city of London COM
paHies has been frustrated: Conser-
natives and Liberals alike agreeing to
leave the guilds to manage their own
erty. without Legislative or state con-
troll. as some of them have been do
ing for The last thousand years
Membership is no empty honor, for
1t carries with it II considerable finan-
cial interest in the estate OF the guild
concerned. Roughly speaking, the
guilds of the city of London own
about St00,o0o,0oO worth of property.
the income OF which is at the lowest
estimate S5.0o0,90n year, and of this
amount not more than S1,000,OOO Is
spent in charity.
Some of the prerogatives of these
companies are even more extensive
than those Of the winners, above emu
merated. Thus, the Goldsmiths' Com
pany. by virtue of charter granted
by James l., enjoys not only the right
of marking all gold and silver placed
upon the market with the mark of it's
hall. but likewise OF searching for and
confscatinG all gold and silver goods
which have been fradulcntly marked.
In fact, the Goldsmlths Company is
virtually intrusted by the state with
the duty of protecting the public from
fraud. by bringing 10 book all those
dealers in gold and silverware who
either make use OF forged hallmarks
or else dispense with hallmark al
together.
In the same way, the Gunmakers'
Company has the right of having all
gun barrels manufactured in England
proved and stamped, either at its proof
house in Church Lane, London, or else
by its officials. The F'ishmongers'
Company has the right to search for
and confiscate all unwholesome fish.
while the Butchers Company. one OF
the most ancient of the civic fratcrni-
ties, has similar authority to seize
and destroy meat that Is unfit for
human food.
Great Britain owes much to these
city of London companies. For it was
the Guild of Pepperers Grocers.
dating from the twelfth century,
which originated the movement that
eliminated in the addition OF India
to the colonial empire OF the English
crown. IT is Il matter OF record that,
owing to the Dutch having raised the
price of pepper from rs cents to 81
pound the Guild of PeppererS called
n meeting at the end of the sixteenth
century and then and there organized
the old East India Company. which, by
virtue OF royal charter. dated De-
cember 81, 1900, and signed by Queen
Elizabeth received the monopoly of
trading with the East Indies. and the
right OF conhscating all ships and
cargo OF interlopers not licensed by
the company. That was the founda-
ton OF the British empire of India.
Copyright. 1918. by the Brentwood
Company