14S MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE djl". Mr. Richard Oulton. < ^ j ( 26 May.) Coal- meters wages on the admeasurement of 250,136 tons, 7£ barrels of coals discharged from £. s. d. ships in the year 1819, in the port of Dublin - 6,253 8 6 Coal- meters wages, on 36 Yards, for the admea- surement of 2,240 tons 4 barrels of coals for the year 1819 - - 56- 3 Out of which coal- meters pay the following sums ; viz. Inspector on 1,874 bookings, at 25. 2 d. per - 203 - 4 Book- keeper for the same - - - - 203- 4 Ditto for the messenger, about - - - 36 - - There are eighty coal- meters ; the average of the above sum to each meter ---- - - - - - Coal- meters wages on the admeasurement of 257,328 tons 5 barrels of coals, discharged from ships in the year 1820 - 6,433 4 3 Coal- meters wages on six Yards, for the admeasure- ment of 541 tons of coals for the year 1820 - 13 10 6 Out of which, coal- meters pay the following sums; viz. Inspector on 1,826 bookings, at 2 s. 1 d. per - 197 16 4 Book- keeper for the same - - - - 197164 Ditto for messenger, about - - - 36 - — The average of this sum to each coal- meter Coal- meters wages, on the admeasurement of 236,494 tons 6 barrels of coals, discharged from ships in the year 1821 Out of which coal- meters pay the following sums; viz. Inspector on 1776 bookings, at 2s. id. per - 192 8 - Book- keeper for the same - - - - 192 8 - Ditto for messenger - - - - 36 - - The average of this sum to each meter £. s. d. 6,309 8 9 442 - 8 5,867 8 1 73 6 10 £ 6,446 14 9 431 12 8 6,015 2 1 75 3 9 i 5> 912 7 4 i 420 16 - 5,49i 11 4 4 68 12 10' The coal- meter usually gets a bag of coals as a gratuity from the captain of the ship, on the cargo being discharged. Observations.— The officers of this establishment have no salary; they are remu- nerated for their constant services and attendance by the fees hereinbefore stated, out of which they have to provide an office, coals and candles, stationery, & c. By order of His Majesty's Commissioners of Customs returns from the office of this establishment of the quantity of coals discharged from each ship on its being cleared out have been made to the Customs for nearly ten years, which has saved to His Majesty's revenue the necessity and expense of providing so many ship officers ; and it will be seen by reference to the books of entry at the Custom House, that since the regulation commenced by which the coal- meters became a check for the revenue as to the number of tons of coal discharged from each ship, and by the certificates from the proper officers of His Majesty's Customs and of the Board of Wide- streets in Dublin, that the revenue and the Wide- streets duty on coals have been increased above 12,000/. per annum, and for the performance of which duty no remuneration whatever is made to this office, either by the revenue, or the Commissioners of Wide- streets. The