ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN. 193 DOES NOT THE CONSUMER SAVE AN ADVANCE OF PRICE BY DEALING DIRECTLY WITH THE SHIP ?— I HAVE NOT A DOUBT OF IT. IF THE COAL- TRADE OF DUBLIN SHOULD BE THROWN ENTIRELY INTO THE HANDS OF FACTORS OR DEALERS, WOULD IT NOT ENCOURAGE A NUMBER OF FRAUDULENT DEALERS TO SET UP IN THE TRADE, WHO WOULD BE ENABLED BY THEIR FRAUDS TO UNDERSELL THE FAIR TRADERS ?— MOST ASSUREDLY. STATE YOUR REASONS?— IF THEY GOT THE TRADE ENTIRELY INTO THEIR HANDS THEY WOULD YARD THE BEST KINDS OF COAL, AND THEY WOULD SELL THEM OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS THEY DO AT PRESENT, FOR THE WORST PRICE, WHEN THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. TOWARDS THE LATTER END OF THE YEAR THEY GENERALLY YARD A QUANTITY OF COALS, ABOUT TEN OR FIFTEEN THOUSAND TONS, AND THEN THEY HOLD OVER TILL AN INCREASED PRICE COMES FROM SCARCITY OF SHIPS. THEY GENERALLY MORE THAN DOUBLE THEIR PROFIT ON THE YARDING OF COAL. 1 HAVE KNOWN COALS TO BE YARDED AT 20 s. ( id. AND SOLD OUT FOR 2/. 10 s. IN BUYING COALS DIRECT FROM THE SHIP, WOULD NOT THE CONSUMER DERIVE THE ADVAN- TAGE OF A FALL IN THE PRICE MUCH SOONER FROM THE SHIP THAN IF HE WAS OBLIGED TO BUY FROM THE COAL- YARDS?— I AM CERTAIN THAT THE PURCHASER WOULD HAVE THE ADVANTAGE MUCH SOONER FROM THE SHIP; A SUDDEN CHANGE OF THE WIND WILL AFFECT THE PRICE, FROM THE EXPECTATION THAT COAL- VESSELS MAY ARRIVE THE NEXT TIDE AFTER. IN THE MANNER IN WHICH COALS ARE BROUGHT TO MARKET AT PRESENT, CANNOT THE CON- SUMER PURCHASE DIRECT FROM THE SHIP ANY QUANTITY, FROM HALF A BARREL UPWARDS, AND HAVE THEM MEASURED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF THE COAL- METERS?— HE CAN. DO NOT THE CONSUMERS, WHEN THEY GO ON BOARD TO PURCHASE COALS, ASK FOR A COAL- METER ?— THEY DO IN GENERAL, AND THERE ARE VERY FEW WHO GO ON BOARD THAT DO NOT ASK FOR THEM IMMEDIATELY. IN YOUR OPINION, IS A FRAUD IN THE SALE OF COALS EASIER TO BE DETECTED IN MEASURE THAN IN WEIGHT?— IT IS MUCH EASIER BY MEASURE, FOR ALL THAT IS TO BE ATTENDED TO IN THE MEASUREMENT IS THE FILLING THE TUB; IF THEY WERE WEIGHED, THEY COULD NOT JUDGE WHETHER THE WEIGHTS WERE CORRECT, OR ANY THING ABOUT IT. WHY COULD NOT THEY ASCERTAIN WHETHER THE WEIGHTS WERE CORRECT?— IF THE WEIGHTS WERE LIGHT, HOW COULD A BUYER TELL WHETHER THEY WERE SO OR NOT. WHY COULD NOT THEY HAVE THE WEIGHTS CORRECT AS WELL AS THE MEASURES CORRECT ?— EVERY COAL- METER IS ORDERED BY THE COAL COMMITTEE, WHEN CALLED UPON BY THE BUYER, TO MEASURE THE TUBS IF THE BUYER DOUBTS THAT THE TUBS ARE CORRECT, HE WOULD NOT HAVE THAT POWER WITH THE WEIGHTS. BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT IT IS MADE IMPERATIVE TO MEASURE COALS ; THERE IS NO OPTION ; THEY MUST INVARIABLY MEASURE THE COALS. HOW MANY BAGS ARE THERE TO A TON OF COAL?— SIXTEEN. DO NOT YOU THINK, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR AN ILLITERATE SERVANT TO SUPERINTEND THE BUYING OF COALS BY WEIGHT?— NO DOUBT. MUCH MORE THAN BY MEASURE?— THEY WOULD HAVE NO MEANS OF KNOWING WHETHER THE WEIGHT, OR THE AMOUNT, WERE CORRECT OR NOT; WHEREAS IN BAGS BY MEASURE THEY KNOW THE NUMBER, AND HAVE A VERY GOOD IDEA WHETHER THE COALS ARE MEASURE OR NOT, BY THE SIZE OF THE BAGS. ARE YOU AWARE HOW COALS ARE SOLD IN LONDON ?— BY THE CHALDRON. IS NOT THE CHALDRON A QUANTITY BY MEASURE, AND NOT BY WEIGHT?— BY MEASURE. IN A CITY LIKE LONDON, WHERE COALS ARE AT ALL TIMES MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PRICE OF COALS IN DUBLIN, AND WHERE THERE IS SIX TIMES THE QUANTITY USED, DO YOU NOT THINK THAT THE HOUSEKEEPERS OF LONDON WOULD LONG SINCE HAVE SOUGHT TO HAVE COALS VENDED BY WEIGHT INSTEAD OF MEASURE, IF THEY COULD OBTAIN ANY ADVANTAGE FROM IT ?— I AM PERFECTLY SATISFIED OF IT; AND 1 HAVE HAD CONVERSATION WITH SEVERAL OF THEM, AND THEY HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST ANY THING LIKE WEIGHING COALS; AND THE OFFICERS OVER THE COAL- METERS, WITH WHOM I HAD CONVERSATION, WERE OF THE SAME OPINION ALSO ; AND THAT ALL THE RESPECTABLE COAL- DEALERS ARE MOST ANXIOUS TO HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF COAL- METERS OVER THEIR WHARFS, TO PREVENT THE INJURY THAT WOULD OTHERWISE ARISE TO THEM FROM FRAUDULENT DEALERS. HAS IT NOT COME WITHIN YOUR OBSERVATION THAT IT IS A CONVENIENCE TO THE POORER DESCRIPTION OF PERSONS, PARTICULARLY IN THE OUTLETS OF DUBLIN, TO BUY COALS FROM WHAT ARE CALLED BELL- CARS ?— IT HAS. IF COALS WERE TO BE SOLD BY WEIGHT, HOW COULD THEY ASCERTAIN THE CORRECTNESS OF THE WEIGHT, OR GUARD AGAINST THEIR BUYING THEM WETTED ?— THEY WOULD NOT HAVE ANY OPPORTUNITY OF KNOWING THE CORRECTNESS OF THE WEIGHTS AT ALL; THEY FORM A " TOLERABLE GOOD OPINION AS TO THE MEASURE, BY THE SIZE OF THE BAGS. HAVE NOT THE COAL- METERS BEEN FREQUENTLY ASSAULTED IN CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR EXER- TIONS IN DETECTING THE FRAUDS AND PRACTICES IN THE SALE OF COALS ?— FREQUENTLY; 1 HAVE BEEN UNDER THE NECESSITY OF CALLING UPON THE POLICE TO PROTECT THEM. 549- 3 C Is Mr. Richard Oulton. < 26 May.) m w