JB/150/304/002

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compared with what was incurred the preceding Twenty Years previous
to the breaking out of the American War when a Custom prevailed of
assigning the Services of Convicts to Merchants who Transported them
to Virginia and Mary Land at first on receiving a Premium of 5£
for each and afterwards (as I have been informed) without any premium
at all. And paying the whole expences of Transportation.

As however this System cannot now be followed up the
most obvious means of easing the Public of the enormous and increasing
burden of the Police Establishment is by certain legislative Arrangements
which shall in their operation not only in a certain degree to prevent
the Commission of Crimes but also establish a fund as it were out of
the Vices of the more depraved part of the Community perhaps equal
to the whole expences of Police Establishment.

To effect this Salutary purpose the first object would
be to impose a Licence Duty and to place under proper Regulations
all those Classes of Dealers who are known to be generally purchasers
or receivers of Stolen Goods of & who by giving facilities to certain & depraved
characters tend in certain degree to promote felonies and Larcenies of
every description.

In turning my thoughts particularly to this subject
aided by the information derived from my official situation as a
Police Magistrate I some years since Selected the following Classes of
Dealers as proper to be placed under regulations from a full conviction
in my own mind that infinite advantages would arise to the Public
from such a measure being adopted. Viz.

1 Dealers in old Naval Stores not used for the purpose of )
making paper to pay £5 — Licenced Duty in Town £2.10.6 in )
and estimating the whole number at — ) 1800 — £6000

2 Wholesale dealers in Naval Stores Hand Stuff Rags & c for making )
Paper to pay £5 —& in Town and £2.10.0 in the Country — ) 1500 — 5000

3 Retail Dealers in Hand Stuff Rags &c for making Paper to pay )
a Licence Duty of £1 in Town and £0.10.0 in the Country — ) 4500 — 3000

4 Dealers in Second Hand Wearing apparel Bed and Table Linen )
& c to pay a Licence Duty of £1.10.0 & £0.15.0 — ) 8000 — 10,000

5 Itinerant Dealers & c in Wearing apparel & c to pay a Licence )
Duty of £1.0.0 & £ 0.10.0 — ) 15000 — 2000

6 Dealers in Old iron and other Metals by wholesale a Licence )
Duty of £5.0.0. in Town & £2.10.0 in the Country) 1500 — 5000

18800 — 30000

Identifier: | JB/150/304/002"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 150.
Date_1	1798-03-05	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	150	Main Headings	police bill
Folio number	304	Info in main headings field	committee of finance - p. colquhoun esqr iid examination
Image	002	Titles
Category	copy/fair copy sheet	Number of Pages	3
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	d1 / / / d4
Penner		Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public	see note to letter 1329, vol. 6	ID Number	50525
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