The Bounty System. 73 



that all bounty bills be put on the same footing for payment as 

 contract bills; thirdly, that in war all ships should have a con- 

 voy and the sailors be exempt from impressment during such 

 voyage out and home." 



If these provisions were made, they hoped to be able to sup- 

 ply stores at the following rates, exclusive of the bounty : tar, 

 at i6 shillings per barrel; pitch, at lo shillings per cwt.; tur- 

 pentine, at 14 shillings, 6 pence per cwt.; rosin, at 18 shillings 

 per cwt. ; masts, according to prices in the navy contract. To 

 strengthen their case they enclosed several certificates from 

 ship-builders, testifying to the good quality of American 

 masts ;^ and they further proposed that the governors of the col- 

 onies be instructed to cause every manufacturer to brand his 

 name into each barrel of tar, pitch or turpentine. Jeremiah 

 Dummer advised the granting of a bounty of 20 shillings per 

 ton on all timber, in addition to the removal of the duty, in order 

 to render importation more certain and to procure larger sup- 

 plies. The bounty on pitch and tar had reduced prices nearly 

 one-half, and he was confident that timber would fall in the same 

 way, so that the nation would be the gainer, rather than the 

 loser, by the bounty.- The agents of Carolina and merchants 

 trading there, to whom the Board also applied for information, 

 reported an export of more than 20,000 barrels of the pitch and 

 tar of that province, which was pronounced by rope-makers 

 little inferior to Stockholm products. Carolina produced tim- 

 ber of various sorts, but the freight and duty made exportation 

 unprofitable. They recommended that hemp be made duty 

 free, since the bounty had not been sufficient to encourage pro- 

 duction. Several further memorials were presented to the 

 Board, all recommending the removal of duties on timber. 



The Navy, when asked their opinion about the advisability of 

 taking of¥ the duty on stores, reported in their usual non-com- 

 mittal manner that they were not able to judge in the matter ; 



^Memorial from New England merchants, and certificates of qual- 

 ity of New England masts, B. T. New Eng. V: 99, 100. 



2Mr. Dummer to the Board of Trade, February 25, 1716. B. T. 

 New Eng., V: 124. 



