“MISCELLANIES. 
turned at a higher price than that 
at which it was purchased. 
3dly. That much low-priced 
flour is omitted in the returns al- 
together. 
That your Committee, for the 
foregoing reasons, being led to 
believe that the assize price of 
bread in London is higher than 
if no‘assize had ever existed, were 
further confirmed in that opi-- 
nion by information which they 
procured from Manchester, Bir- 
mingham, Newcastle, Bath, and 
Lewes, in which places they were 
informed no assize was set; and 
they found in all of them the 
prices both of flourand bread have 
been lower than in London, 
though it does not appear that 
wheat has been cheaper. 
Your Committee then thought 
it their duty to consider how far 
it might be possible to frame an 
Assize Law, the operation of which 
should be free from the foregoing 
objections; and with regard to 
the first and main objection, 
namely ; That under an assize it 
is of no importance to the bakers 
whether the price of flour is low 
or high; your Committee are of 
opinion that this evil is inherent 
in the nature of an assize, and 
must exist in any statute which 
could be devised: but with re- 
gard to the others, as the Com- 
mittee found the returned prices 
of wheat were correct, they in- 
quired into the expediency of set- 
ting the assize of bread by them, 
and they found on the part of the 
bakers a settled repugnance to 
any such arrangement; and it 
was alsorepresentedto your Com- 
mittee, that the quality of wheat 
and consequently the quantity of 
571 
bread which can be obtained from 
it, varies so materially from year 
to year, and from place to place, 
that no average quality could be 
fixed on by which to forma table 
which would not in favourable 
seasons leave to the baker far too 
large a profit in surplus bread, 
and in others (such as the pre- 
sent) might even compel him to 
sell more bread for the price ofa 
quarter of wheat than could pos- 
sibly be made fromit; whilst at 
all times it could not fail to give 
the bakers an inducement to buy 
none but the finest and most pro- 
ductive wheats, and materially to 
discourage the sale of those of 
lower quality; and it was further 
represented, that the wheat re- 
turns are subject to frequent and 
sudden variations, from the dee 
mand at one market happening 
to be for the best, and at another 
solely for inferior wheats. For 
which reasons your Committee are 
led to conclude, that no benefit is 
likely to result from any mode 
which could be resorted toin Lon- 
don, of fixing the assize of bread 
by the price of wheat. 
Your Committee next inquired 
how far it might be possible to 
obtain true returns of the price 
of flour; and they found by in- 
cluding the whole of the sales 
now made in open market, and 
by compelling the sellers of flour 
to make the return and not the 
bakers, that some improvement 
might be made; but as the greater 
part of the flour consumed in 
London is disposed of to the ba- 
kers onlong credit, in the way 
beforedescribed, your Committee 
are of opinion no returns of those 
purchases, whether made by buyer 
