14S MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE djl". " What was the result?— A tnan of the name of Russell instituted a suit, which Isaac Stewart, was argued in the court of King's Bench, before a full court, for three days; upon L J which occasion the court made several orders, one of them was to restrain the court {• 22 May.) 0f conscience from issuing a warrant for the recovery of a debt that had been contracted for the sixpence a ton, payable to the guild of merchants; there were two or three other orders respecting the issue intended to have been tried in a court of law. , Was it so tried ?— No, it was not; Russell failed in circumstances, and in the mean time it never was tried ; the guild, of merchants formerly insisted on measur- ing coals going out of yards, and standing by while they were measured, and charging sixpence a ton on them; but this has been successfully resisted by the yard keepers, a short time since; I believe there has been a decision against coal- meters by a court of law, and it is now settled that they had no right to go into a yard ; they have also demanded and exercised the power of going on board ships where coals are delivering, the property of individuals, imported for their own use, . and of standing by to see them measured, or rather, in order to make the charge of sixpence a ton. What duties are performed in return for those charges made by the guild of . merchants?— There is sometimes a coal measurer on board the ship, and sometimes not; I have frequently taken notice of it; I have had several cargoes myself, and my business leads me very often to go down the quay when I am shipping corn; and since I commenced the inquiry into the local taxation, I particularly noticed two colliers, which were working in the morning in the absence of the measurer; I asked where the coal measurer was, and the people on board said he was gone to his ; breakfast; I went again on board in the evening the same ship, and finding the ship still at work, in the absence of the measurer, I asked where the coal measurer . was, and they told me he was in the cabin with the captain. Are the Committee to understand that those measurers are officers under the . guild of merchants, claiming an exclusive right of measuring all the coals in the port of Dublin ?— Yes. Are the Committee to understand, that for the exercise of this right, they claim a fee which has been several times raised on their own authority?— Certainly. Can you inform the Committee, whether any inconvenience would be felt by the trade or by the public, if all importers were allowed to sell their coals free, from all such interference ?— I think there would be no inconvenience whatever, and that there would be verv great advantage derived to the public; I conceive if the mer- chants had liberty, and the public in general, to take out coals as they thought proper, either by weight or by measure, that it would create a saving of about 12,000/. a year to the citizens of Dublin, and be the means of affording very con- siderable advantage to all consumers. From what circumstances do you conceive that such a saving would be a con- sequence of the alteration of system which you propose?— Because I consider ( measuring a bad method of ascertaining the quantity of an article so bulky as coal, and it is attended with an expense of nearly 14*/. per ton, whilst if coals were weighed, the cost would not be more than 2 d. and this difference would be a saving to the inhabitants of Dublin, of from 12,000/. to 13,000/. annually, exclusive of the frauds so frequently and so easily practised at present, but which would so • easily be checked if coals were sold by weight. Then does your observation solely refer to the alteration of selling by weight rin place of by measure?— No. , What other circumstances then do you rely on, in order to produce this proposed saving?— I rely on the imperfect manner in which the measure is now made; coals , are broken in order to make them measure lighter, besides the breaking of the coals injures the quality; I further beg to notice, that the trade employ artful . fillers, a description of men, who are very clever at such work, tilling the tubs with a great deal of art, so that the quantity that is supposed to be in the measure, is really not in it; in explanation, I beg to mention an instance ; Whitehaven coals ought to pay according to a trial made by the custom house, 208 lbs. more than , a, ton;. I made an experiment upon a ton of coals, and it produced only 77lbs. thus showing there is duty paid to the crown upon 131 lbs. of coals, more than is really delivered to the consumer, of course he pays for so much more than he . receives, and is defrauded the difference. Have you ever heard any complaints made, as to the mode in which this power . . of