The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-26 00:00:00

('KITED GASLIGHjT COMPANY.

'Xiia half-yearly meeting woz.held, an Tuesday; Mr. G. H.
Lawrence in the chair.

M CARSON read the following report :
'At the half-yearly meeting, in February, the directors hare.
only to request the proprietors to authorise the payment of a
dividend arising from the current yew's profits up to the 3ist
December, 1855, as the annual accounts will not be made. up
until the 30th une, pursuant to the company's Act of "'orna-
ment.

The directors, afte a careful examination of the accounts,
are prepared to recommend to the proprietors now to declare
a dividend, for the balf-year ending the 31st December last, at
the rate of £5 per cent. an the consolidated stock et the com-
pany, and of 14s. Id. on the £25 A shares; such dividends to
be payable on tie 20th instant.
At the meeting of the proprietors, in August last, their
attention was celled to the inquiry on gas supply then pending
before a committee of the Town Council. Subsequently that
committee made a report, a copy of which was officially trans-
mitted to the directors, whereupon they gave it their full con-
sideration, and without delay prepared and sent to the Council
their reply. Both documents have been extensively circu-
lated, and therefore the directors felt it unnecessary to set
them forth at length in this report. The directors have rea-
son to believe that their reply was favourably received by the
public, and that it has tended to remove no inconsiderable
portion of the prejudice which has been created by parties
whose interest it is to keep up a constant agitation with
respect to gas supply in this borough.
The Town Council, at their meeting on the 9th day of
January last, passed certain resolutions on this subject, a
copy of which was transmitted to the board, and the same,
with
the directors reply thereto, will be submitted to the
meeting.
The Town Council, at its meeting on 'the 13th instant,
took into consideration the question of gas supply, and sanc-
tioned the appointment of an inspector of meters, which they
considered all that was necessary for the protection of the
public.
The directors can only assure the consumers that no exer-
tion on their part shall be wanting faithfully to carry out
every provision in the act of parliament for their interest,
and that, too, with the utmost liberality consistent with the
just claims of the proprietors.
As the whole amount has been paid up on the 1270 £25
A shares, being the shares numbered 8081 to 9350, . both
inclusive, the directors recommend that they be now con-
verted into consolidated stock, such conversion to take effect
from the Ist day of April next.

-
That inasmuch as the sum of £31,400, which was secured
on the bonds of the company, has been paid out of funds belong-

[FIBRuAizt 26, 1856.

ing to the company, the directors request the proprietors to
pass a resolution authorising them to re-borrow the like sup".
of £31,400."
The CHAIRMAN stated that, though there was no dimilitt'
tion in the amount recommended for dividend, the reductioll
in the amount of gas from 4s. 6d. to 4s. had made an• inroad
upon the funds of the company, which even increased Olici
sumption could not at present counterbalance. He
I,°
great faith, however, in the elasticity of the concern, if thl
were only allowed to preserve unharassed the even tenor 0,
their way. The most serious charges had been made agd!osb
them, not only as a company, but in their individual capdc,t7;
but he felt confident that, in the reply of the directors, tue.l,
had fairly met and refuted all these charges. In conclusion:
the company would meet the officials, who might be appointtl
by the council to test the metres, in the most cordial sPirli
as they believed such an appointment would be advantageous
both to themselves and to the public. The report was then
adopted, the dividend of 5 per cent. for the half-year adnc"
tioned; and the directors empowered to borrow g31,4r,
under the provisions of the act. The resolution for the collie'v
dation of the £25 A shares was carried unanimously.