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 of London an account of all corn sold by them; and your Committee 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 bakers returns is bought and sold in public market, and that the full-priced bakers are very little in the habit of attending the flour market, or of endeavouring to purchase flour at the lowest price; that they are for the most part, persons in needy circum, stances, largely indebted to the millers and flour factors with whom they deal, and in consequence 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 returned, 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, in searching 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 returned 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 quartern loaves; if the price of flour is reduced, a simultaneous and exactly corresponding decrease in the price of bread, prevents the bakers from deriving the smallest advantage by it; but if it is raised, then a similar increase on the price of bread prevents them from being exposed to the smallest loss; equally whether the price is low or high they obtain 145, 1d. per sack for their expenses in baking, and if 80 quartern loaves was the precise quantity of bread they could at all times make from a sack of flour, they would have no interest whatever in its general price, either one way or another; but the surplus bread, whatever may be its amount, which they can make above, that quantity (and it is stated by various persons to average from two to four loaves,) is to them a profit in kind, the value of which must necessarily increase with the price of bread; and as the high price of flour which occasions this, increase, is in no other respect disadvantageous to the bakers, they have as far as it goes an obvious interest in the high price of flour; and it is to the operation, of this principle which your Committee attribute the indifference about the price as well as the anxiety about the quality of flour, for the best flour will always make more bread, as well as whiter bread; and where the price by the assize, is uniform, the seller has no mode of seeking for better custom but by offering a whiter loaf than his neighbour.

With regard to the sellers of flour, your Committee find that they are eager to dispose of it at the high prices returned to the Lord Mayor; but that in order to do so, it seems they must be content to sell on long and doubtful credit, and many of them have recourse to becoming proprietors of bakehouses, and carrying on the baking trade, on their own account by means of journeymen, to obtaining leases of bakers houses, encouraging journeymen to set up for themselves, and to giving large sums for the good-will of bakers houses. The frequency of these, practices, has in some measure, divided the trade, as those who incur the risks attendant thereon, expect and obtain the high price which they agree amongst one another to charge for flour, whilst others who sell for money in a regular way, are contented with a lower price, and latterly it has led to the establishment of numerous shops in which bread is sold below the assize price; and your Committee are informed, that these shops are enabled to go on chiefly by the low price at which, flour is to be bought by persons with capital, though some of them appear to derive advantage from selling for ready money only.

And your Committee, beg leave to point out, That the high prices which are returned to the Cocket-office, are further influenced by the following circumstances: 1st. That it is the practice of some bakers to return their purchases of flour að a full credit price, though they subsequently obtain, an allowance, for, prompt payment in the shape of discount.

2dly. That much flour is returned at a higher price than that at which it was pur➜ chased.

3dly. That much low-priced flour is omitted in the returns altogether. 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 opinion by information which they procured from Manchester, Birmingham, 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 flour and 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 regard to the others, as the Committee found the returned prices of wheat were correct, they inquired into the expediency of setting 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 also represented to your Committee, that the quality of wheat, and consequently the quantity of 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 form a 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 present) might even compel him to sell more bread for the price of a quarter of wheat than could possibly be made from it; whilst at all times it could not fail to give the bakers an inducement to buy none but the finest and most productive wheats, and materially to discourage the sale of those of lower quality; and it was further represented, that the wheat returns are subject to frequent and sudden variations, from the demand 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 to in London, 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 including 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 bakers on long credit, in the way before described, your Committee are of opinion, no returns of those purchases, whether made by buyer or seller, could very materially differ from the imperfect returns at present obtained and with regard to the frauds which your Committee were assured are now practised in making the returns of the prices of flour, the inducement to have recourse to them under any regulatious of assize must be so strong, and the difficulty of detection so great, that your Committee are of opinion, that no enactment could avail entirely to prevent them and generally, 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, beyond that of fixing a rate upon the labour and profits of the bakers, whilst the miller and mealmen 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 Committee 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 labour and unnecessary subdivision of profits, which appear by the evidence at present to exist.

That your Committee have found an opinion to be extremely prevalent, that Assize Laws operate beneficially as measures of police, and, by removing from the bakers to the magistrate all responsibility for the price of bread, ensure when that price is high

the tranquillity of the Metropolis. But your Committee could not find that any dis-
turbances had arisen, or were at all apprehended from the suspension of the assize in
the populous towns of Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle; and are of opinion,
that the 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. 3 ;
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 pointed out as appli-
cable to all Assize laws.

Finally, Your Committee came to the following Resolution:

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, That it is expedient that the
Bread Assize Laws for the City of London, and within ten miles of the Royal Ex-
change, should be forthwith repealed.

6 June 1815.

Bank of England; Public Balances in the, Civil List, 343, 616.

Nelson Estate, 770.
New Taxes, 90, 163, 314.

Committee on the King's-bench, Fleet, and | Navy Estimates, 802.
Marshalsea Prisons, 39.
Complaint that the Approaches to the House
were occupied by a Military Force, 27,
Congress at Vienna, 13, 228, 265, 330, 337,

467.

Corn Laws, 6, 53, 96.

Corn Bill, 15, 38, 58, 97, 115.

150.

Order of the Bath; Motion respecting the,

331.

Pavement of the Metropolis, 840.

Correia, Don Anselmo; Motion respecting, Petitions respecting the Corn Laws, 6, 53, 96,

328.

Cotton; Duty on, 173.

97.

Pillory Abolition Bill, 354.

Declaration of the Allies, signed at Vienna, Postage of East India Letters, 766.

337.

East India Letters; Postage of, 766.

Emigrants, 814.

Emigration, 52.

Foreign Slave-Trade Bill, 657.
Foreign Wine Bill, 356.

France; Prince Regent's Message relating to
the Events in, 849, 417.

France; Motion respecting War with, 960.

Genoa; Transfer of, 891.

Grand Jury Presentments, 890.

Prince Regent's Message relating to the
Events in France, 349, 417.

Private Mad-houses, 954.

Proceedings upon Complaint that the Ap-
proaches to the House were occupied by a
Military Force, 27, 150.

Property Tax, 652, 669, 710, 783, 850, 1014.
Public Balances in the Bank of England, 660.

Royal Household; Motion respecting the Ser-
vants of the, 847.

Scotch Trial by Jury Bill, 84, 583.

Slave Trade, 607, 657, 794.

Insolvent Debtors Bill, 493, 1001.

South Sea Company, 157.

Ireland; Motion for extending the Property Transfer of Genoa, 891.

Tax to, 850.

Irish Law Offices Fees Bill, 708.

Irish Taxes, 954.

Treaty of Peace with America, 209, 500.
Treaty of Vienna, 771, 795, 841.

London Petition againt the War with France, Vienna; Congress at, 13, 228, 265, 330, 337,

Buckingham, Marquis of, 250, 257, 259, 578, Carlisle, Earl of, 94, 95, 186, 261.

586, 820, 840, 1000.

Combermere, Lord, 706.