MISCELLANIES. 
on such widely different prin- 
ciples, the magistrates may fix the 
price of bread; but as the value 
of the allowance in the one is so 
much larger than in the other, 
the price of bread by the one 
could not fail to be greater than 
by the other, if the charges for 
converting wheat into flour bore 
the same proportion to the price 
of a quarter of wheat, which for 
_many centuries they continued to 
do in this country; and on this 
part of the subject, your Com- 
mittee could not help observing 
with surprise, that the price of 
bread, as actually set by the flour 
table, was nearly as high, and 
sometimes actually higher than 
it would have been, if set by the 
wheat table, 
With a view to ascertain the 
cause of thisunexpected operation 
of the law, your Committee pro- 
ceeded to examine the mode in 
which the returns of flour and of 
wheat are now obtained : and with 
regard to the first, they found, 
that instead of the mode which 
has been before pointed out, the 
bakers are now directed to make 
weekly returns upon oath, to the 
Cocket-office, of all flour and 
meal which shall have respectively 
been bought by them during the, 
week preceding; and the price 
of bread depends entirely on the 
average of these returns, as they 
must be acted on as true without 
they can be proved to be false, 
whenever the price of bread is set 
by the flour table. 
The prices of wheat on the 
other hand are returned by the 
sellers of it; all corn factors and 
dealers being directed to return 
to the mealweighers of the City 
569 
of London an account of all corn 
sold by them; and your Commit- 
tee on examination were led to 
conclude that these last returns 
are correctly made. 
It appears respecting flour, that 
a small portion only of what is 
included in the baker’s returns 1s 
bough: and sold in public market, 
and that the full-priced bakers 
are very little in the habit of at- 
tending the flour market, or of 
endeavouring to purchase flour 
at the lowest price ; that they are 
for the most part persons in needy 
circumstances, largely indebted to 
the millers and flour factors with 
whom they deal, and in conse- 
quence are under the necessity of 
receiving flour from them at the 
price they think fit to put upon 
it, provided only that the flour is 
of the best quality, and the price 
not higher than that which is re- 
turned as the general price of the 
week to the Lord Mayor ; though 
it appears by the evidence, that it 
can at all times be purchased for 
ready money or on short credit, 
for a less price than the bakers 
are content to take it at. 
That your Committee, insearch- 
ing for the causes of this unusual 
state of the flour trade, could not 
fail to observe, that the peculiar 
operation of the assize makes the 
price of bread exactly to depend 
upon and to vary with the return- 
ed prices of flour, and by so 
doing prevents the bakers (taking 
them as a trade collectively ) from 
having any direct interest in the 
price at which they purchase 
flour; whatever price they give 
for it per sack, that price is to be 
returned to them for eighty guar- 
tern loaves: if the price of flour 
