End of the Coaching Era 331 



That the taxation pressed heavily on a declining business 

 was beyond all possibility of doubt. 



A petition drawn up in 1830 by proprietors of stage- 

 coaches employed on the turnpike roads between Liverpool 

 and various Lancashire towns showed that the taxes they 

 paid to the Government worked out for the year as follows : 



i . d. 



Duty on 33 coaches. . . . 8,455 J 6 8 



Assessed taxes for coach servants . 261 o o 



Mileage duty 5779 3 4 



Total 14,496 o o 



In addition to this they had to pay 8005 135. 4d. a year 

 for turnpike tolls, while their general expenses, including 

 horses (renewed every three years), harness, hostlers, rent of 

 stables, hay, corn and straw, etc., but allowing for value of 

 manure, came to 64,602 133. 4d., their total annual expendi- 

 ture thus being as follows : 



i s. d. 



Government duty and taxes . . 14,496 o o 

 Turnpike tolls .... 8,005 X 3 4 

 Expenses 64,602 13 4 



Total 87,104 6 8 



W. C. Wimberley, a coach proprietor of Doncaster, who 

 gave evidence before the Select Committee of 1837, said 

 that the Government taxation on a single coach, the " Welling- 

 ton," running between London and Newcastle, for a period of 

 364 days, was as follows : 



Duty for four passengers inside and s. d. 

 eleven out, sixpence per double mile, 



that is up and down 278 miles . . 2529 16 o 



Stamps for receipts on payment of ditto 112 6 



Four licenses (four coaches being used 



successively up and down) . . 20 o o 



Assessed taxes on coachmen and guards 17 10 o 



2568 i 8 6 



