572 
or seller, could very materially 
differ from the imperfect returns 
at present obtained; and with re- 
gard to the frauds which your 
Committee were assured are now 
practised in making the returns 
of the prices of flour, the induce- 
ment to have recourse to them 
under any regulations of .assize 
niust be so strong, and the diffi- 
culty of detection so great, that 
your Committee are of opinion 
that no enactment could avail en- 
tirely to prevent them: and gene- 
rally, with regard to fixing the 
assize of bread by the price of 
flour, your Committee beg leave 
to point out, that no benefit can 
be expected to result from it, be- 
yond that of fixing arate upon 
the labour and profits of the ba- 
kers, whilst the miller and meal- 
men must be left wholly without 
any control; and your Committee 
are distinctly of opinion, that more 
benefit is likely to result from the 
effects of a free competition in 
their trade than can be expected 
to result from any regulations or 
restrictions under which they 
could possibly be placed. 
Your Committee being thus 
led to conclude, that any remedy 
to the evils arising from the 
assize could hardly be brought 
about by an alteration in the law, 
beg leave also to point out, that 
the competition which has arisen 
-even under the discouragement 
of an assize, has already removed 
a part of the evil ; and your Com- 
mittee are of opinion, that if the 
trade was thrown open by the 
repeal of the Assize Laws, it 
would have the effect of gradually 
drawing persons with capital into 
it, of diminishing the waste of 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
labour and unnecessary subdi+ 
vision of profits, which appear 
by the evidence at present to 
exist. 
That your Committee have 
found an opinion to be extreme- 
ly prevalent, that Assize Laws 
operate beneficially as measures 
of police, and by removing 
from the bakers to the ma- 
gistrates all responsibility for 
the price of bread, ensure when 
that price is high the tranquillity 
of the metropolis. But your Com- 
mittee could not find that any 
disturbances had arisen, or were 
at all apprehended, from the sus 
pension of the assize in the po- 
pulous towns of Birmingham, 
Manchester, and Newcastle; and 
are of opinion, thatthe value of the 
Assize Laws in this point of view 
is so secondary, as not to coun- 
terbalance the evils apparently 
resulting from them. 
That your Committee thought 
it their duty to examine the act 
of the 53d of Geo. TUL. ; and they 
observe generally, with regard to 
that statute, that it has been so 
short a time in operation as not 
at this moment to be duly judged 
of, though it cannot fail to be 
liable to the general objections 
which your Committee have point- 
ed out as applicable to all Assize 
Laws. 
Finally, your Committee came 
to the following resolution : 
Resolved, That it is the opinion 
of this Committee, that it Is ex- 
pedient that the Bread ‘Assize 
Laws for the City of London, 
and within ten miles of the Royal 
Exchange, should be forthwith 
repealed. 
6th June, 1815. 
