Page:Rose 1810 Observations respecting the public expenditure and the influence of the Crown.djvu/36

 etablihment of the Tranport Board, that tores of all other kinds hould be provided by them. The economical advantage of this arrangement was felt not only in the aving of the profit which the contracters who purchaed for the public derived from the tranactions; but a michievous competition in the proviion market was avoided between the Commiioners for Victualling who bought for the navy, and the agents of the Contractors who bought for the army. In this intance again, it Would be difficult to fix a precie um as the aving to the public; but as We know" that the amount of the ums paid for army proviions, &c. by the Commiioners of Victualling from 1794 to 1808 was 8,477,000l., we may Venture to conjecture that the contractors would not have derived a les proiit than 5l; per cent; on that, tinder the old ytem, equal annually to £28,250; it would probably have been much more. It was not however under the Treaury only that beneficial Contracts were held; it will be een in the coure of thee obervatibns that members of the Houe of Commons had contracts alo with the Navy and Ordnance Boards; one gentleman, a merchant reident in London, had a contract "for cating uch iron ordnance as hould be wanted." Nothing is