ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN. 197 DO YOU THINK SELLING COALS BY WEIGHT WOULD AFFORD ANY ADVANTAGE TO MONOPOLISTS IN THE ARTICLE OF COAL ?— IT WOULD DRIVE THE CONSUMER FROM THE SHIP, FROM THE DELAY AND GREAT DIFFICULTY OF WEIGHING COALS ON BOARD, AND CONSEQUENTLY HE WOULD HAVE TO BUY OUT OF COAL- YARDS, WHICH WOULD GIVE THE FACTORS OR DEALERS IN THAT ARTICLE A MONO- POLY, AND IT IS WHAT MANY OF THEM, I BELIEVE, ARE SEEKING FOR. DO YOU THINK THAT PURCHASERS WOULD BE MORE LIABLE TO FRAUD IN THE QUALITY OF THE COAL ?— THEY MUST, WHEN STORED IN COAL- YARDS, BE MORE LIABLE TO be MIXED AND SOLD UNDER FALSE DENOMINATIONS, AND OF COURSE, EVEN WITHOUT THE INTENTION OF FRAUD, be EXPOSED TO RAIN; BUT WHICH WOULD ALWAYS FURNISH AN EXCUSE TO THE SELLER WHEN THE PURCHASER COMPLAINED OF THEIR BEING WET. THAT IS, INFERIOR COAL SOLD INSTEAD OF GOOD COAL ?— YES, TO THE INJURY OF THE FAIR TRADER AS WELL AS THE CONSUMER. THEN AS LONG AS YOU WERE IN OFFICE AS SECRETARY TO THE LORD MAYOR, YOU NEVER HEARD AN INSTANCE OF A SINGLE DETECTION OF DEFICIENT MEASURE IN THE COALS BOUGHT IN THE SHIPS R— NEVER. DOES ALL THE HAY AND STRAW THAT COMES INTO SMITHFIELD PAY FOR BEING WEIGHED P — YES. EVERY LOAD THAT COMES INTO THE MARKET PAYS ?— IT DOES. WHAT DOES IT PAY ?— I NEVER ASKED THE PRICE, THE SELLER PAYS FOR WEIGHING. IT IS FIXED?— THERE ARE REGULAR TABLES OF PRICES FOR WEIGHING HAY. DO YOU CONCEIVE THAT THE PURCHASER OF COALS MIGHT NOT GET HIS FAIR WEIGHT IF COALS WERE SOLD BY WEIGHT, AS IN THE CASE OF HAY ?— A PURCHASER MAY BE DEFRAUDED IN THE SAME WAY IN COALS, AS IN HAY ( WHICH IS SOLD BY WEIGHT); FOR IF COALS GET WET, EITHER THROUGH ACCIDENT, OR WERE DEFICIENT IN WEIGHT, IT WOULD OPERATE AGAINST THE PUR- CHASER OF THE ONE ARTICLE, AS WELL AS THE OTHER. IN HAY YOU CANNOT WELL BE DECEIVED AS TO ITS QUALITY, IN COAL YOU CERTAINLY CAN ; BUT MUCH LESS SO ON BOARD SHIP THAN IN STORE- YARDS. YOU HAVE STATED THAT THE PETITION OF SAINT PETER'S WAS NOT SIGNED BY THE CHURCH- WARDENS?—- YES, THEY BOTH OBJECTED, ON THE GROUND THAT IT DID NOT AGREE WITH THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE MEETING. DO YOU MEAN TO STATE THAT THERE WERE NO GROUNDS OF COMPLAINT IN THE PARISH ?— THERE CERTAINLY WERE GROUNDS OF COMPLAINT IN THE PARISH, BUT THEY WERE STATED IN THE RESOLUTIONS WHICH PASSED AT THE MEETING, TO WHICH I HAVE ALLUDED, BUT NONE ON THE SUBJECT OF COALS. THE GENERAL COMPLAINT AMONG HOUSEKEEPERS ABOUT COALS, IS THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH SLACK MIXED WITH THEM; AND SLACK IS AN ARTICLE WHICH, IN MY OPINION, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO ARTFULLY MEASURE. Martis, 27' die Maii, 1823. THOMAS SPRING RICE, ESQUIRE, IN THE CHAIR. Mr. Richard Oulton AGAIN CALLED IN ; AND EXAMINED. YOU STATED THAT THERE WERE 80 COAL METERS ?— YES, THERE ARE 80 ON ACTUAL DUTY. ARE THERE NOT SOME ADDITIONAL ONES?— NO; THERE ARE SOME SUPERANNUATED ONES, WHO ARE OLD OR DEBILITATED, I THINK ABOUT 19 IN NUMBER; AND 19 OUT OF THE 80 METERS, WHO ARE THE JUNIORS OR LATEST ELECTED, DO THE DUTY FOR THOSE 19 SUPERANNUATED ONES, WHICH ONLY MAKES 80 MEN IN ALL ON ACTUAL DUTY; AND THE 19 JUNIOR METERS PAY HALF OF THE METAGE MONEY OF THE SHIPS ON WHICH THEY ARE PUT ON DUTY, TO THE SUPER ANNUATED MEN ; AND WHEN ANY ONE OF THE SUPERANNUATED METERS DIES, THE SENIOR OF THE PRESENT 19 JUNIOR METERS WILL BE APPOINTED TO FULL METAGE, WHICH IS A PROMOTION THAT ENCOURAGES PROPER CONDUCT IN THE METERS. IS THERE NOT 6 d. OUT OF THE STORES ON THE SAME COAL?— I STATED, THAT THE METAGE IS 6D. PER TON FROM THE SHIPS; THE STORAGE OF COALS IS NOT MORE THAN FROM 10,000 TO 15,000 TONS A YEAR. LATTERLY THE COAL FACTORS HAVE SHUT UP THEIR YARDS, AND SENT OUT THEIR COALS, WHEN THE COAL METER WAS NOT PRESENT; BUT FORMERLY WHAT QUANTITY USED TO BE STORED IN THEIR YARDS, THEY PAID 6 d. PER TON METAGE ON THE DELIVERY TO PURCHASERS; BUT FOR TWO YEARS AND UPWARDS THE COALS SO STORED HAVE PAID NO METAGE MONEY, NOR HAS THE CONSUMER HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF THE COAL METER'S SUPERINTENDENCE. You know nothing of the trial of Russell versus Mac Dermot?— I attended in the 549. 3 D court Mr. George Nugent. ( a 6 May.) Mr. Richard Oulton. ( 27 May.) I u HI lljj i I! 1