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<DATE>2008-05-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Emma Leeson Huber</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z080411.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="B02610">
<STC T="W">C987</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52211932</BIBNO>
<VID>175500</VID>
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<HEAD>THE CASE Of Several Thou&s;ands <HI>Concerned and employed in and about the</HI> Importation <HI>and</HI> Working <HI>of</HI> IRON WIRE.</HEAD>
<P>BY the Statute of 3 <HI>Edw.</HI> 4 <HI>Cap.</HI> 4. Among&s;t divers other things, the Importation and Vending of foreign White Iron Thread, com|monly called White-Wire, is prohibited under the Forfeiture thereof. And by the Statute 1 <HI>Rich.</HI> 3. <HI>Cap.</HI> 12. the Importation of all Iron-Wire by Aliens, is prohibited under the like Penalty.</P>
<P>There are, and always have been &s;everal &s;orts of foreign Iron-Wire, known by &s;everal di&s;tinct Names, which are not Card-Wire, nor called White-Wire; which in all times ever &s;ince the Statute of 3 <HI>Edw.</HI> 4. have been imported by Denizens, and paid the Duties required by Law, and was never looked upon to be prohibited by the &s;aid Statute, as Card-Wire and &s;orts finer were.</P>
<P>The &s;everal &s;orts of Iron-Wire, which were larger than Card-Wire, being always imported without Re&s;traint, a further Duty therefore was laid upon the &s;ame, as appears by the Book of Rates, 12 <HI>Car.</HI> 2. and the old Duty of 5 <HI>s. per c.</HI> weight, was advanced to 7 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d.</HI></P>
<P>The Parliament taking notice, that notwith&s;tanding the &s;aid Statute, 3 <HI>Edw.</HI> 4. great Quantities of Card-Wire was imported to the prejudice of the Woolen Manufacture, did by an Act, made the 14th <HI>Car.</HI> 2. <HI>Cap.</HI> 19. re&s;train the importation of any foreign Wool, Cards, or foreign Card-Wire, or Wire for making Cards.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s, the Importation of all other foreign Wire by Denizens, was allowed and practi&s;ed, as appears by the Cu&s;tom-Hou&s;e-Books, till about Twelve years &s;ince, one <HI>Conen</HI> a <HI>Dutch</HI>-man (but naturalized) importing &s;ome &s;ort of Iron-Wire larger than Card-Wire, under the &s;uppo&s;ition that it was imported by an Alien, it was &s;eized after the Duty paid; and under Colour of a Verdict: upon the &s;aid Seizure, no foreign Wire hath been &s;uffered to be imported, to the great impoveri&s;hment and almo&s;t ruine, of many Families; the then Pro&s;ecutor pretending to furni&s;h the Traders concerned therein with &s;ufficient Iron-Wire of his own Manufacture, which he has in no &s;ort performed: Therefore the Traders and Dealers in Iron-Wire, do humbly offer the Rea&s;ons following, for the Importation of all Wire, except Card-Wire, or Wire of a le&s;&s;er &s;ize.</P>
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<ITEM>1. Becau&s;e many nece&s;&s;ary Trades and Manufactures cannot be carried on, or &s;upported without the <HI>Foreign Wire;</HI> the <HI>Engli&s;h Wire</HI> being of a &s;oft, hollow nature, and apt to cleave, is not &s;o &s;erviceable as the Foreign Wire; the Traders who are chiefly concerned herein, being Tin-Plate-workers, Wire-drawers, Hetchel-makers, for dre&s;&s;ing Hemp and Flax, Skreen makers for Corn, Braziers, Wire-workers, Hook and Eye-makers, Ship-Lanthorn-makers, Box-makers, Tobacco-Pipe-makers, and ma|ny others.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Becau&s;e they have not, nor indeed cannot be in any mea&s;ure &s;upplied with Engli&s;h Wire &s;ufficient for the &s;everal Artificers concerned therein.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Becau&s;e, as the Engli&s;h Wire is not &s;o good, nor fit for many U&s;es, &s;o it is far dearer; the Foreign Wire called Fine, be|ing to be afforded at 4 <HI>s.</HI> notwith&s;tanding it pays a fourth peny Cu&s;tom; when for the Engli&s;h is exacted 6 <HI>s.</HI> 8 <HI>d.</HI> for the like Size and Quantity. Be&s;ides, tho&s;e Per&s;ons in who&s;e hands the &s;ole making of all Engli&s;h Wire remains, taking the advantage of the great nece&s;&s;ities the poor Handicrafts are in at this time, for want of Wire, have within the&s;e few days advanced their Engli&s;h, Wire 5 <HI>l. per Cent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Becau&s;e if this Prohibition be continued, their Maje&s;ties will greatly lo&s;e in their Cu&s;toms; the Duty upon Foreign Wire, ha|ving formerly yielded about 5000 <HI>l.per annum</HI> Cu&s;tom, when the Duty was but at 7 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d. per Cent.</HI> weight.</ITEM>
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<ITEM>I. <HI>But it may be Objected,</HI> How has this Nation been &s;upplied &s;ince the late Verdict?
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Re&s;p.</HI> 1. Very great quantities were clande&s;tinely imported;  much of which was &s;eized and condemned in the Exchequer, and &s;old pub|lickly, as may appear by the Cu&s;tom-Hou&s;e-Officers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Great quantities were imported under the Denomination of Steel-Wire, and paid the Duty as &s;uch; but the&s;e private Practices being &s;uppre&s;t, it is now fully evident that the Iron-Wire made in <HI>England,</HI> is not &s;ufficient to &s;upply the Markets.</ITEM>
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<ITEM>II. <HI>It may be Objected,</HI> That a large Impo&s;ition will encourage clande&s;tine Importations. <LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Re&s;p.</HI> The height of the Price of the Engli&s;h Iron Wire,  above the Foreign Wire, and that being under a Prohibition, and not a &s;uffi|cient Quantity of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Wire being made, will doubtle&s;s more encourage, and almo&s;t nece&s;&s;itate Clande&s;tine Importa|tions.</ITEM>
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<ITEM>III. <HI>It may be Objected,</HI> That if this &s;ort of Wire be permitted to be imported, it will ruine very many Families, who are &s;olely em|ploy'd in the making of Wire here in <HI>England.</HI>
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<ITEM><HI>Re&s;p.</HI> 1. There are but about an hundred Per&s;ons in <HI>England</HI> that are employ'd therein, who neverthele&s;s cannot want Work, though this Permi&s;&s;ion be granted.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Whereas there are now employ'd not above 100 Men in manufacturing the rough <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Wire <HI>(it being made by Water Engines)</HI> there are at lea&s;t an hundred times the Number employed in drawing Card-Wire by hand, and other nece&s;&s;ary U&s;es of Iron-Wire, who will equally be employ'd by the foreign rough Iron-Wire, as by the <HI>Engli&s;h.</HI></ITEM>
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<ITEM>IV. <HI>It may be Objected,</HI> That it will extremely lower the Price of our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Wire, to the great di&s;encouragement of the Dealers therein.<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Re&s;p.</HI> If a Duty of 15 <HI>s. per cent.</HI> or more be impo&s;ed upon it(as generally all dealers in Wire would be very well contented with, rather than be without it) it will keep up the Price of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Wire, and thereby gratifie the Dealers therein: As al&s;o be a great Accom|modation to all the Manufactors and Traders in that Comodity. Be&s;ides that it will advance their Maje&s;ties Cu&s;toms at lea&s;t 10 or 12000 <HI>l. per Annum.</HI></ITEM>
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<P><HI>Wherefore 'tis mo&s;t humbly hoped, that this Honourable Hou&s;e will be plea&s;ed to explain the &s;aid Statute of the</HI> 3<HI>d of</HI> Edw. 4. <HI>according to the con&s;tant &V;&s;age, whereby the Workers in Iron-Wire may be capable to follow their &s;everal Callings.</HI></P>
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