REASONS for Preserving the public Market of Blackwel-Hall, and restraining the FACTORS from Dealing in Wool: Humbly offered to the PARLIAMENT.  
THE Life of Trade depends upon an equal Encouragement to all Persons that are Instruments of its Promotion: And the Variety of Circumstances that make an Odds in Buying and Selling( the tender part of Trade) are so many, that nothing but a public Market can make an equal balance, where alone the Buyer and Seller are upon equal Ground. The Buildings of Blackwell-Hall( fairly accommodated to Trade) are now become no more( for the most part in Merchants Cloth) than a Reception to collect a Duty out of the Cloth, and then sent by Factors and others into private Houses for a Sale, and the Maker become an unconcerned Person in the Sale of his own Goods, scarce a Merchant appearing at this public Market.  
The Hardships upon the Clothiers from this Alteration, which is about twenty or thirty Years, are chiefly these:  
1. He can never know what Quantities of Cloth of any sort is upon Hand to be sold, which is a great light for his Government in holding up the Price of his Goods; whilst the Merchants and Packers are well enough conversant in this Point: Nay, the Packers many times magnify their Stock of Cloth to give the Merchants Encouragement to come and buy from the greater Choice; as hath been manifest from many Instances; which is hard upon the Maker.  
2. Hereby the Merchants have their Parcels of Cloth laid up by the Packers against a Shipping, which remain upon the Clothiers Account, thereby beating down the Price in little Parcels to support the Work-People; and when the Shipping come, the whole Parcel sold off at that Price, and not the least Advance made by the Merchant: Whereas, was so great Quantities of Cloth bought by many Hands in the public Market, it would necessary make some Advance upon Cloth, and our moneyed Merchants, to gain that Advantage, would always be a buying before-hand.  
3. The Packer and Factor, to accommodate the Merchant, hath brought on a long Credit with Cloth; and the Packer being under other Obligations, is always very tender of pressing the Merchant for Payment, if his Conditions are not performed: Neither, indeed, is he a fit Person to be employed in the Sale of Cloth for a Clothier, having a nearer Interest of his own to prefer.  
4. The Packer being a Buyer of Cloth himself against a Shipping, is always a beating down the Price upon the Clothier, for his own Advantage; and the best Opportunities for Sales besure will be reserved for his own Goods, if not put off by a better Sortment of the Clothier's.  
5. Hereby the Merchant having Opportunity to buy Cloth upon any Day of the Week, the Clothier hath no Dispatch in his Business, but remains twice as long in Town as in former Days, when no Cloth was to be had at the first-hand, but at the public Market, upon the usual Market-Days; which kept the Merchant to a Dispatch with the Clothier.  
The Consequences of which hath been, that the Price of Cloth hath been beat down a third part, the Prices of Wages in the Country many times from Nine-pence to sixpence; besides many Hardships to the poor Labourers, in putting Commodities upon them above the real Value. How far this Management hath affencted the Country-Gentleman's Estate, he is now to make a judgement.  
The Clothier's Hardships from the Factors, in putting Spanish Wools upon them at Advance-prices, are yet harder. Almost all the Spanish Wool that is brought into London, is bought up by them: They likewise employ Agents to buy it for them at Exon and Bristol. This is delivered out to their Clothiers at 3 d. per Pound Advance for Six Months, which is 20 l. per Gent. per Annum; many times at higher Prices. The Merchant refuses to sell to the Clothier, for fear of disobliging the Factor, who takes off a Quantity; and hereby the Clothiers of all Counties that have Stocks, are forced to give out, making no Advantage in Trade: And thereby the Country is very much impoverished.  
The Dutch, who are our chiefest Competitors in Fine Cloth, hath hereby gained upon us, making their Cloth Twelve-pence a Yard cheaper than we do. Many of the Makers in Holland are likewise Importers of Spanish Wool Themselves: So the mean profits saved between the Merchant and the Maker, by which means they have been able to Import their Fine thin Blacks upon us, though at the Hazard of Forfeiture, managing their Matters, in all particulars, the most frugal Way. No such splendour in Holland, as the gaudy Equipage of a Cloth-Factor; and those that are willing to support it in England at the expense of Twelve-pence a Yard Factoridge for every Yard of Cloth they were, are now at the Freedom of their own Choice.  
But it is here objected, That this Bill will ruin all the little Clothiers, who when they come up and can't sell their Cloth, are supported with Money and Wool from the Factor. This Kindness I take to be no more than the Breaking a Man's Head and then helping him to a plaster. Besure he shall never have any Sale for Cloth whilst he is in Town; possibly sent out to a Chapman, and that Money that it advanced, he must allow for until his own is received: And where there is one Instance of Advantage to little Clothiers, four hath been ruined hereby: Whereas, in former days there was many real Kindnesses to little Clothiers from Merchants, who bought their Cloth and paid them for it, and lent them Money gratis, to make more. And the Factors take as much Credit from the Merchant in Spanish Wool as they afford the Clothier, who I doubt not but would be likewise Friendly to the Clothier.  
But, say they, Blackwell Hall will not hold all the Cloth. This may be true, if Merchants have a Freedom to defer their Shipping as long as they please, and the Clothiers were able to make as much Cloth as the Hall would hold: The latter I am sure is impossible as Matters now stand, and the former, I hope, will be prevented. It was seen by Experience, that the Hall did contain the Trade before the Fire, and now it is built much larger; which is no good Objection, the Maker being under no Necessity to sand up his whole Stock when great part remains at Market unfold; neither is it his Wisdom so to do.   

A CONTEST Between the Clothiers and Factors, for the public Market of Blackwel-Hall.