§ Mr. H. Sumnerwished to know what had been done by the commission appointed to take into consideration the present state of Weights and Measures, and whether they were likely to make a report during1 the present session.
The Chancellor of the ExchequerSaid, that the commission alluded to was not at all connected with his department. He could, however, state for the satisfaction of his hon. friend, that some progress had been made by the commissioners, but not sufficient to encourage a hope that they would be able to present a report during the present session.
§ Mr. H. Sumnersaid, there was a partial pressure, at the present moment, that rendered some remedy necessary. The late Mr. Whitbread had introduced a bill, whereby magistrates were required to have proper weights and measures in their different districts, by a reference to which persons having false weights and measures 333 might be convicted. The usual way was, to apply to the exchequer, where the regular standard for those weights and measures was kept. He had applied there, and found that there were but three measures of capacity, the bushel, the peck, and the gallon. It was evident that these demanded an immense number of subdivisions, to answer the general purposes of life. The city of London had employed persons to subdivide those measures into the minor denominations required; which subdivisions were afterwards used by the magistrates, in their various districts, who acting upon the measures so subdivided, received information's against persons using what they conceived to be false measures, and convicted several of them He now understood that those convictions could not be sustained, because they were founded on measures that did not issue from the exchequer. To remedy this, without interfering with the powers of the commissioners, he conceived that a bill ought to be introduced to legalize certain subdivisions, and it was his intention at an early period, to propose such a bill to the house.