The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-28 00:00:00

TIIE DOCK BOA:RA

The weekly )ieeting ,of this ,boar' :was,held yesterday

. . .
at the Dock-offices: Mr. Brocilebailr, presided,
absence of Mr. Charles Turnerarid Elie . .
members„
present were—Messrs. Mondel, Rankin, Smith, Bold,
Boult, Tobin, Littledale, Segar, Ilubback, Farnwortb,
liolme, Laird, Langton, Evans, Inman, and Bushell.

bit AVOItIiS COMMITTED,

The proceedings of this committee Included g teCoM,
thencl4tibn to let 06 square ydrdg of laud, oii the Uotth
Side of tlie Groat Float, nefir
Thomas Hughes, fOr is. P'ei.'• square yai4 per annum ;
and a fiirthero6, thdt the additional rails
.required for
tho riedoni,mddatidii of iho goat ldld delhi dt
cost of t4;060,' and that the land be let to the,tiade on
a seven years', lease at the rate
.of is. 30: per square
. •
yard. per ,annum,, anp ,04iti911. 5 per
cent. as
interest On the cost of and 71per oeiitopon,
the cost of all the walls and buildings.—The sUbjeCt of
the' indemnity required from vessels entering the
Morpeth Dock at Birkenhead had been referred to the
engineer and harbour-master to prepare a special report
upon.—The communication from the manager of the
Woodside ferry, requesting a continuance of the light

at the end of the -new wall of the Woodside Basin

having been taken into consideration, the matter had
been referred to the engineer with the view of having
the spotlighted, bjr,fa§: •
hainig niaed the eonfiririitioii of the
proceedings,
Mr. BOULT asked why the board should pay for the
light on the new wall. He thought they might with
propriety order the Birkenhead Commi3sioners to keep
up the light. Then they were for spending £4,000 at
Birkenhead for additional rails; but he did not see that
there was any.agreement on the part of the coal trade to
do additional work. They had put up a high level drop
on thii sidc; oh certain promises acid apectations ; but
the trade Had paid it fdithitig 0 it till this day.
0011:the Othe day they bad a deplatiOti kidm the
salt trade,Who NVaii€ed • the use of the lift, when one
gentleman said he would sink £20,000 a-year himself.
He thought; under those circumstances, they should be
cautious how they spent money on outlay. Mr. Boult
complained also that the proposed rent for the land was
too low, and thought the proceedings should be referred
back for further consideration.

Mr. LAIRD said one reason for the rails was, that
when they were laid down, other trades besides the coal
trade would be able to use the quays. The coal trade
paid the Trust £5,000 or £6,000 a year, and by these

facilities the revenue might be increased. He was sur-
prised to hear Mr, toult complaining of Is. Bd. a yard
being asked. lie had said it should be is. 6d., although
his general btlmplaittt it as that the land at Birkenhead
was vibith nothing. (Langhter.l The tents asked
from the trade, he Was afraid, the' would not pa'. it
should be generally known in reference to those rents,
that they were charging for land on the extreme north
of the works, on the Wallasey side, Is. per square yard
per annum,—the land being two miles from the entrance
to the docks.

Mr. TOBIN said Mr. Boult had assumed that the
engineer had laid down all the lines which were neces-
sary. He had only laid down the main lines, leaving
time to determine what other additional .lines were
requisite: Mr. Boult had again urged that the coal
petiole should stipulate that they would do a certain
amount of trade, but as a practical man he should know
that they could not do that. They showed what the
trade was,. and what had been its rate of increase—that
in 1851 it was only 62,000 tons, and that it had increased

to 300,000 tons in 1859, and that without any facilities.
Mr. believed the coal trade would expand to
an extent they had no idea of. He did. not think it ad-
visable on the part of the board to ask high rents. The
first object was to attract business by inducements.
Seven years would shortly elapse, and then they might
ask any amount of rent they thought proper.
Mr. BOLD said, as to the light on the wall, it was only
proposed to continue that during the winter months ; but
he took it that the board would have that light on their
piers at the other side of the river, the same as this.
Mr. SMITH said the revenue they derived from ships
and goods was an element of much greater importance
than the mere element of rent for a certain amount of
land.
After a few remarks from the Chairman,

Mr. EVANS said, in the old Town Council an alder-
man of the name of Richard Leyland used to ask, when
he thought things monstrous, where is the money to
come from ? If they let things below their value they
were only burdening one thing to take it off another.
They were injuring commerce to such extent. It was
a sickly business which could only be nurtured by
throwing away the money of the docks to support it.
If it would not bear the rightful aid ordinary charges
it was not worth having ; it was a trade which never
would attain to any great or vigorous extent whatever.
There was a-great deal going on out of doors : one was
for iron, another for coals, and this one for steel ; and
they were always acting on private and separate interests,
and overlooking the general interests.
The proceedings were then confirmed.

TILL iVAREHOUSE COMMITTEE,

The proceedings of the Warehouse Committee were
read and confirmed, but did not contain any item of
special interest or importance.

THE MARINE DEPARTMENT.
The proceedings of thig committee were also read and
confirmed.

Mr. BOULT wished to be informed why there was no
mention made in the proceedings of the committee of the
additional new bell for the landing-stage at George's
Dock, which was a matter of great importance, and
would, no doubt, be thoroughly appreciated by all.

The CHAIRMAN remarked that it seemed to be an
omission. He also confirmed the statement made by the
previous speaker as to the great importance of the bell
on the landing-stage, more particularly during this foggy
weather.

The proceedings of the Pilotage Committee were read
and confirmed without any discussion.

THE DOCKS AND QUAYS COMMITTEE.
the proceedings of this committee were read. They
embodied a communication sent to the committee by the
Corn Trade Association, having reference to the subject of
affording increased accommodation to merchants and others
interested in the corn trade, for the purpose of carrying on
that business. The committee reported that they knew
of no space which could be devoted to the accommodation
of persons in the corn trade. It had been suggested to
them that there was a place at the north end which
could be converted into this purpose; but the committee
were of opinion that there was no space in the particular
locality named which could be appropriated for the erec-
tion of warehouses suitable for the corn trade ; and the
only place which, appeared to them applicable to the use
of that trade was the Brunswick Dock, subject to such
alterations in its' formation as would make it suitable for
the erection of warehouses, &c.

Mr. EVANS thought the committee might have assigned
some reason why no other place besides the Brunswick
Dock could be made available for the purpose already
named.

Mr. TOBIN remarked it was desirable that the public
should know the grounds upon which the committee
was justified in coming to the decision that they had
come to. He did not feel inclined, and he did not want
to cavil at the conclusion at which they had arrived, but
still he thought that some strong reason should be
assigned for the course of procedure adopted by them.
(Hear, h6ar.)

• •
The CHAIRMAN quite agreed with these remarks, and
thought that the committee should not have made such
a report without specifying the reasons which induced
them to make it. He saw that the chairman of the
committee was not in his place, and he therefore hoped
that some of the members of the committee present
would be good enough to give such information in the
matter as they might have it in their power to supply
the board with.

Mr. EVANS remarked that they had got. the east of
the Queen's Dock, which would do very well for the
purposes required by the corn trade.
Mr. SMITIL rose and said that the question of provid-
ing accommodation for the corn trade was no doubt a
very important one. He thought that most of the mem-
bers of that board would remember that some five years
ago it was in contemplation to make • vast changes
about the north end of the town, and it was about the
same time in contemplation, in connection with the cor-
poration, to widen Sefton-street (of which property they
had got' possession), in the neighbourhood of George's
Dock, which would provide very ample and suitable
accommodation for the corn trade. It was not now
necessary for him to go into detail as regards the cir-
cumstances that prevented that scheme being carried
out ; but all he could say was that when the Associa-
tion of the Corn Trade came to them the other day
and introduced the subject of providing more ample
accommodation for their trade, the committee entered
with a great deal of care and minuteness into the con-
sideration of the question. After some deliberation they
found that the Canada Dock was appropriated to the
• purposes of the timber trade ; the Huskisson Dock was
appropriated, also the Bandon Dock ; in like manner the
Bramley-Moore Dock was employed by ships engaged
in the American trade,—and having gone the whole
range of the docks they found in them one object or
other that was fatal to the erection of such warehouses
as were suitable for the corn trade. When they came
to the Brunswick Dock they found themselves in this

position, that that was a dock only partially employed
in the way in which it had been formerly employed for
the timber trade, for all the purposes of which trade it
was found to afford ample and sufficient accommodation.
He, therefore, thought, in the interests of the general
commerce of this great port, it was quite cothpetent to
deal with the Brunswick Dock for general purposes, so
as to afford the corn trade every facility in it as well
as the timber trade. (Hear, bear.) And so thought
the committee. As regards what had been said by Mr.
Evans respecting the desirability of making the east side
of the Queen's Dock available for the purposes of the
corn trade, he thought that Mr. Evans, as a member of
that board, should know that some five years ago, it was
contemplated by - them to purchase a certain piece of