183 1 .] Coal Duty, and Coal Trickery. 267 



Here then, we see, the charges upon coals, up to their arrival in Lon- 

 don, amount to about twenty-five shillings; and the charges, in the port 

 of London, and till they reach the hands of the consumer, to another 

 twenty-five shillings. The first portion consists of the coal-owner's 

 demands, which we have already glanced at sufficiently for our purpose, 

 and of the ship-owners' expences, including freight, &c. which we have 

 no intention at present to discuss. Apparently these charges cannot be 

 materially reduced the trade is open, and competition, seemingly, brings 

 them to their lowest point. The cost of coast lights might perhaps be 

 diminished, especially if any of them be family properties, like Mr. Coke's, 

 at Dungeness ! We turn, therefore, to the other batch of charges, and 

 at the head of them stand the \ te municipal dues ;' that is. charges made 

 upon coals by the corporation of London, or sanctioned by that body. 

 These, ten in number, amount, to avoid fractions, to four shillings and 

 sixpence the chaldron ; among them is what is pharisaically called the 

 Orphan's Duty-- a charge of tenpence the chaldron. This same duty 

 has been a grand job and juggle from the very beginning. It was 

 imposed by .statute in 1694, by Whig influence of course, to enable 

 the city to discharge a debt, which it had itself voluntarily incurred to 

 the Orphan charity. The sums raised by this duty extinguished 

 the said debt so far back as 1782 ; but it is still levied to 

 this very day. The corporation has had influence enough to get 

 one charge after another, on one pretence or another, fastened upon 

 this miserable orphan duty to this day, and at present the whole proceeds 

 are appropriated to the payment of the money borrowed for completing 

 the approaches to the New London Bridge. 



The metage, again, deserves a v/ord or two. It is wholly the fruit 

 of the measuring laws, and is, besides, three or four times in amount 

 more than it need be, to compensate the labour. There are two sets of 

 meters, both appointed by the city one to superintend the delivery of 

 coals from the ship, and upon their returns the duties are all levied, 

 The abolition of these duties would supersede the office ; but the 

 removal of the government duty alone will not. In one way or other, 

 these metres are paid 5|d per chaldron, or twenty-two farthings for 

 precisely the same duty as is done in the north for two. The other set 

 land-meters appointed still by the city have 6d. a chaldron ; and it 

 appears, conclusively, from the evidence given to the Committee of the 

 House of Commons, that three-fourths of the coals are, after all, never 

 measured at all. Even if they were all actually measured, and any 

 security accompanied the measurement, the duty might be performed 

 for two-pence but it is City patronage ! 



Among the municipal dues also figure the coal-whippers, at the cost 

 of no less than one shilling and seven-pence a chaldron. What is the 

 business of these coal-whippers ? To transfer coals from the ship to 

 the barge or lighter no more. Well, but could this labour be done 

 for less ? Certainly it could. At Newcastle a chaldron of coals is 

 thrown into a waggon for three-halfpence ; and double that sum would, 

 without doubt, be a liberal allowance for transferring them from the ship 

 to the lighter, though it may be somewhat harder work. But, observe, 

 in all the outports, this labour is performed entirely by the ships' crews 

 themselves, and no extra charge whatever made for it and why not in 

 the Thames? Because the City make a job of it, and employ none but 



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