• ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN, 319 Mercurii, 28° die Maii, 1823. RICHARD WOGAN TALBOT, ESQUIRE, IN THE CHAIR. J/ R. Alexander Tulloch, CALLED IN ; AND EXAMINED. - I AM ONE DO YOU HOLD ANY SITUATION IN THE CITY OF LONDON OR WESTMINSTER OF THE PRINCIPAL COAL METERS IN THE CITY AND LIBERTY OF WESTMINSTER. FROM THAT SITUATION YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITIES OF BEING ACQUAINTED WITH THE DETAILS OF THE COAL TRADE IN LONDON ?— I THINK I HAVE. CAN YOU INFORM THE COMMITTEE THE RATE OF METAGE THAT IS CHARGED UPON COALS BROUGHT INTO THE PORT OF LONDON?— I CANNOT INFORM THE COMMITTEE OF THAT, IT RESTS ENTIRELY WITH THE CITY OF LONDON ; THE RATE OF METAGE WITHIN THE PORT OF LONDON RESTS WITH THE CORPORATION OF LONDON. DO YOU HAPPEN, FROM YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE, TO KNOW ANY THING ABOUT IT ?— NO ; THE AMOUNT OF IT DEPENDS UPON THE QUANTITY IMPORTED. WHAT IS THE RATE PER CHALDRON ?— THE COAL METAGE OF THE CITY OF LONDON IS 8</. PER CHALDRON IN THE POOL, AND THE AVERAGE IMPORTATION IS ABOUT 1,200,000 CHALDRONS. ARE THE COALS MEASURED BEFORE THEY ARE LANDED, OR ON LANDING FROM THE VESSEL ? — THEY ARE MEASURED FROM THE SHIP INTO THE BARGES THAT ARE BROUGHT UP AT THE DIFFERENT WHARFS ON EACH SIDE THE RIVER, AND THEN MEASURED OUT BY LAND METAGE BY THE BUSHEL; THE MEASURE USED IN THE POOL AND ON BOARD THE SHIP IS THE VAT. THEN THEY PAY 8 D. PER CHALDRON IN THE POOL ?— YES. WHAT DO THEY PAY THE LAND METERS ?— SIXPENCE PER CHALDRON. THAT IS THE CASE EQUALLY IN LONDON AND WESTMINSTER ?— IN ANY PART OF THE RIVER. TO WHOM ARE THOSE FEES PAYABLE ?— AT THE METERS OFFICE ; THERE IS AN OFFICE IN THE CITY OF LONDON, THERE IS AN OFFICE IN THE CITY AND LIBERTY OF WESTMINSTER, THERE IS ONE ALSO IN SURREY, AND ANOTHER IN MIDDLESEX, AT ALL THOSE THEY PAY SIXPENCE PER CHAL- DRON TO THE METERS. IS THERE ANY OTHER MEASURING THAT TAKES PLACE, EXCEPT THOSE TWO?— NO ONE. THEN IN POINT OF FACT, EVERY CHALDRON OF COALS THAT COMES INTO THE PORT OF LON- DON, PAYS FOURTEEN- PENCE METER'S FEES ?— YES. EVERY CHALDRON PAYS EIGHTPENCE IN THE POOL, AND SIXPENCE LAND METAGE?— YES. DOES THE WHOLE OF THAT OR ANY PORTION OF IT GO TO THE COAL METERS THEMSELVES ?— IN THE CITY OF LONDON THE EIGHTPENCE PER CHALDRON IS DUE TO THE GOVERNMENT, IT IS THE REVENUE OF THE LORD MAYOR; BUT THE LAND METAGE OF SIXPENCE PER CHALDRON GOES TO PAY THE WAGES OF THE METERS; THE EIGHTPENCE PER CHALDRON IN THE POOL, IS A DIS TINCT FUND ALTOGETHER. THEN IN POINT OF FACT, OF THE 14^. EIGHTPENCE IS THE PROFIT OF THE CITY OF LONDON, AND SIXPENCE IS THE REMUNERATION OF THE COAL METERS ?— YES. HOW ARE COALS MEASURED TO THE CONSUMERS IN THE CITY OF LONDON AND WESTMIN- STER ?— BY THE CHALDRON OR BY THE SCORE. IS IT BY WEIGHT OR CAPACITY ?— BY MEASURE, THERE IS A CERTAIN DESCRIPTION OF COALS WHICH ARE WEIGHED ; BUT THERE IS A VERY LARGE SORT OF COAL COMES TO MARKET HERE, IT IS GENERALLY BURNED IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS, THERE ARE PERHAPS NOT MORE THAN FROM TWENTY TO THIRTY TONS DELIVERED IN MY DISTRICT. THERE IS NO SLATE IN THAT?— VERY LITTLE. CAN YOU FORM AN OPINION AS TO WHICH MODE OF DELIVERING COALS YOU WOULD GIVE THE PREFERENCE TO, BY WEIGHT OR BY MEASURE ?— IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DELIVER THE NEW- CASTLE COALS AND THE SEA COALS BY WEIGHT, IT WOULD OCCUPY SO MUCH TIME. INDEPENDENTLY OF THE WASTE OF TIME, WHICH MODE WOULD AFFORD THE GREATEST FACILITY FOR FRAUD ?— I SHOULD THINK MEASUREMENT SECURES THE PROPERTY TO THE CONSUMER IN EVERY RESPECT; AND THE MODE THAT WE HAVE NOW ADOPTED, NOT ONLY SECURES THE QUANTITY, BUT THE QUALITY LIKEWISE, THERE IS A DIVERSITY OF QUALITY ; THERE ARE, PERHAPS, ABOUT FROM SIXTY TO SEVENTY OR A HUNDRED DIFFERENT SORTS ; WE HAVE TICKETS AT THE RIVER THAT DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENT SORTS ; THERE ARE NINE SORTS OF COALS THAT ARE ALLOWED TO BE MIXED, THERE IS A QUANTITY OF INFERIOR COALS THAT WOULD BE ATTEMPTED TO BE MIXED IF WE DID NOT USE THIS PRECAUTION. YOU THINK IT PART OF YOUR DUTY AS COAL METER, TO SEE THAT THE COALS ARE OF THAT DESCRIPTION OF COALS THAT THEY PURPORT T Mr. Alexander Tulloch. (• 23 May.) i m J : • I 549- 3 G DO