| Description | (In an unidentified hand.)
Hotel April 1st 1790
At a Meeting of Manufacturers and others Concerned in ye Consumption of Copper & Brass—Present Messrs Parks Sam: Ryland, Goddington Neville, Sanders, T Smith, G Simcox, Jeffcoate, Jos: Smith—
Mr Jas Yates—in ye Chair
The following Resolutions were unanimously agreed to—
1st: That as Manufacturers we have for many Years been much distress’d by the Fluctuation in the price of Copper and are now in great difficulties in Consequence of the present price. 2d That it would be highly beneficial to the Manufacturers of this Town, to have the Price of a Raw Material of so much Consequence to them as Copper Fix’d as low as the state of the Copper Trade will admit.
That it appears altho’ the price of Copper hath varied 25 Pr Ct. in the last 15 Years yet the average price in this Market has not Exceeded 84£ Pr Ton with a Credit of Six Months and they have Reason to believe that the Improvements in England in Copper Mining & Smelting during that period have been very Considerable.
That it is the opinion of this Meeting that the subject should be brought before the Commercial Committee and their sense taken (whether to Secure the Manufacturers against a Needless Rise in the price of an Article so Essential to the Trade of this Town) an Application should not be made to Parliament for Powers to import Foreign Copper Duty Free when English Copper is above a Certain price
Messrs Yates & Simcox were Requested to wait upon Mr Garbett to beg the favour of his assistance, prior to the Committee’s being Called together.
[1st: added later that the rest of the text, as also were 2d and 25 later on.] |