GOLD AND SILVER PLATE.
[TO TUE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:]
Sin,—In an article upon this subject in your issue of last week, I observe a quotation from Herr von Studnitz, viz.:—" That all gold and silver ware manufactured in the United Kingdom is required to be tested and stamped." As this is quite contrary to fact, perhaps you will allow me to inform your readers what the law absolutely requires in the case of gold and silver manu- factures. Testing—i.e., assaying—and Hall-marking are almost optional on the part of the manufacturer, in the case of goldsmiths' work. The only articles of gold which are obliged to be marked are wedding-rings, mourning-rings (with- out stones), snuff-boxes, and gold-plate,—which is rarely or never made. Upon these articles there is levied a duty of 17s. an ounce. All other articles are entirely exempt from duty, and marking, as has been said before, is optional. The duty, which is principally levied upon wedding rings (and is therefore a tax upon matrimony,—surely an anachronism in these days), yields about £20,000 a year, the amount having greatly increased of late years, by reason of the increased size of wedding- rings. All foreign jewellery is imported free. In the case of silver plate, the law is very different. All silver plate must be marked, and a duty of ls. lid. an ounce must be paid upon it. Foreign plate is virtually prohibited, as in the first place, the duty must be paid upon importation, and then it cannot be sold (under serious pains and penalties) unless it be marked, which very frequently is impossible, inasmuch as the pro- cess is attended by injury to the article imported. This duty, either upon home or foreign productions, is economically inde- fensible. Its effect upon the trade has simply been disastrous, a falling-off of 200,000 ounces, equal to a wholesale trade of £100,000 a year, being perceptible during the last quarter of a century, a period of almost unexampled national prosperity. An effort is now being made to release the trade from this unjust and impolitic tax, injurious alike to the workman and manufacturer, subversive of the principles of modern fiscal legislation, obstruc- tive to art progress, and an insurmountable obstacle to technical education in its application to silversmith's work.—I am, Sir, &c., [Herr von Studnitz mentioned the exemptions, and we should have mentioned them too, but that our main point was plate. We had, however, we confess, no idea that the manufacture of gold- plate had so nearly ceased. There was one serious error in our article. The gold for which the Mint gives £3 17s. 6d. an ounce is standard gold of 22 carats, not pure gold, and the value of 18-carat gold is, therefore, £3 3s. 9d. an ounce.—ED. Spectator.]
Previous page
