The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-07-20 00:00:00

Great Float. before alluded to, have beets kept in a state of
efficient repair.
The whole of the river wall originally intended to be built
between Seacombe and.Egremont has been completed ; and I
have pleasure in reporting that it has received no injury from
the severe gales with which we have been visited.
One hundred and sixty-three lineal yards of wall have ber:s
built in addition to what was originally contemplated opposite
the property of the Misses Leyland and Messrs. Wilson and
Tobin, and the wall on the north side of Egremont ; but so
difficult have I found it to obtain sufficient workmen, that I
do not purpose proceeding further with this work until the
ensuing spring.
A portion of the culvert which was con,tructed by the Bir-
kenhead Dock Commissioners, for the purpose of carrying off
the flood water from the Wallasey and Bidston marshes, gave
way and fell in on the 4th of January last.
The obstructions to the passage of the water were at once
removed, and measures have been taken for rebuilding the
culvert so soon as the cessation of the present wet weather
renders it more feasible.
The expenditure at Birkenhead during the same period had
been—on new works, £334,441 t6s lid; the restoration of
walle, £37,014 7e 22 ; repairs, £4,402 Is Id : increase of stock,
£12,770 12s 7d: total expenditure, £389,622 17s 9d.

Mr. BOULT thought it would be interesting if the
engineer would give them an opinion when the principal
works were likely to be completed ?
Mr. HARTLEY said it was quite impossible to give
precise information as to what Mr. Boult asked. The
great difficulty he was under, was getting men ; they
were difficult to get, and bad to manage. But as to the
works at the north end, on this side of the river, they
might be completed within twelve months from the
present time.
Mr. BOULT—The Morpeth Dock entrance ?

The ENGINEER said that would not be ready within
the time mentioned by the act of Parliament, or for
twelve mouths; but the Great Float, he thought, would
be open, as he had said before, about the end of October
next. All the other works, with the exception of the
Great Float, were comparatively standing, in order to
push on the work there. He had not men to carry on
all the works at once.

Mr. LAIRD—I understand the difficulty lies in getting
men. Can you give any idea when the low water basin
will be completed ?
The ENGINEER said he could not, but it would be
eighteen months or two years.

Mr. Lituu- —That would he fifteen months after the
time limited by the Act ; and the entrance to the Morpeth
Dock cannot be completed till nine or twelve months
after ?

The ENGINEER-If we emnnaeuced with the Morpeth
Dock, we might do it sooner.
Mr. LAIRD —What I want to know is, whether the
completion of the low water basin does not tie up the
completion of the Morpeth Dock ?

The ENGINEER—You cannot do it till six months
after you have completed the Great Float.
Mr. LAtap--That will be two years hence.

Mr. ToßlN—Have you pushed on the works with the
greatest possible vigour at Birkenhead ?
The ENarNmtn—There was never more work done.

_ ..__.._.
Mr. TOBlN—There was nothing like s. desire on your
Part to keep it back, and if the work has been delayed
in any way, it has arisen altogether from causes not
under your control ?
The Engineer signified assent.

The CHAIRMAN—I understand you to say in the
report that the work was much increased by the defective
state in which you found some of the works on the other
side—that that had caused you one-third more work
than you expected.
Mr. LITTLEDA.LE-But one of the chief reasons is the
want of masons.

Mr. Bourn—l presume there will be no difficulty,
before the alterations, in using the present entrance of
the Morpeth Dock as a lock to the Great Float.
The ENGINEER said the Morpeth and Egerton docks
might be used as a lock.

Mr. BROCKLEBANK thought when the report of Mr.
Hartley came into the hands of the public, they would
be satisfied that no unnecessary delay had occurred. He
stated explicitly the causes why the Birkenhead works
had not progressed so fast as they ought. The work
done was the best evidence that no time had been lost
by Mr. Hartley or the Board; and it would be impossi-
ble to complete the works within the time limited by
the Act of Parliament.

GENERAL BUSINESS.

The proceedings of the Warehouse Committee, which
included the appointment of four apprentices to the
Alfiert Dock Warehouses, were then read ; and on the
motion of Mr. Hubback, seconded by Mr. Arnold, the
proceedings were confirmed.
The proceedings of the Marine Committee, which
included the appointment of Llewellyn Hughes, as a
seaman at the light-ship, were next read and, confirmed.
At the request of Mr. Graves, a report from the
Marine Surveyor as to the completion of the telegraph
to Holyhead, was then read. The report stated that it
was expected that nearly the whole of the line would be
completed by the 24th inst. On the motion of Mr.
Mondel, seconded by Mr. Langton, the proceedings
were confirmed.

The proceedings of the Pilotage Committee were
.read, and from these it appeared that a ship-master
who had applied for a pilots cerrmcato had bccn rernsed,
in consequence of ignorance of the bearing of lights in
the Channel, &c.
Mr. GRAVES asked who were the examiners ? They
should have some information, as this was the first time
a refusal had come before the board.
Mr. MONDEL said the examiners were Lieutenatit
Parkes, Mr. Simpson, the Superintendant of Pilots,
Mr. Kendall, &c., and they were unanimous.
Mr. GRAVES was satisfied. He only wished that
fact to go out to the public.
Mr. RANKIN asked whether the questions put were
not more strict than were put to pilots ? There seemed
to be a dread of coming before the committee to be
examined.

Mr. SHAND believed not. He was quite sure the
conduct of the examiners was both just and fair to
all parties.
Mr. BOULT had heard that the examination was
decidedly lenient.
Mr. SMITH said the discussiou was irrelevant. The
board took care that the parties appointed were efficient
for the purpose, and there could be no doubt that their
duties had been efficiently performed.
Mr. SHAND said they had an examining committee of
such a character that he did not think it would be pos-
sible to find a fitter one.

Mr. SNIITH said those examiners were not members of
the Board, and yet this question was simply a doubt
whether they were competent for their duty.
Mr. GRAVES said Mr. Smith had thought proper to
call him to order, but. if Mr. Smith were conversant
with all the bearings of the case he would not venture
to make such remarks. The public had a strong impres-
sion out of doors that the examination was of a stringent
character, as mentioned by Mr. Rankin, and the conse-
quence was that it prevented captains applying in
Liverpool for a pilotage certificate. It could not be
denied that up to the present moment they had had
very few applicants, and his object in putting the
question to the Chairman of the Pilotage Committee
was to get out a statement that the Aka in the public
mind was totally erroneous.
Mr. LAIRD said, a man who had been fifteen or
twenty years at sea, and never lost a vessel—that was
Captain Christie—had been sent back, but got his
license from the Board of Trade.
Mr. MONDELL—Yes, and was on the banks three
months after.
The CfAIIIMAN stopped the discussion as irregular,
and the proceedinga were confirmed, as were also those
of the Committee of Management of the Docks and
Quays, and the CoMmittee of Master Porterage.

PROPOSED NEW BOOKS.

Mr. BouLT then rose to propose the following motion,
of which he had given notice—" That the Works Com-
mittee be instructed to prepare plans and estimates for
the construction of two additional docks, with the
necessary sheds, on the east side of
.liuskisson Dock, or
elsewhere, with a view to obtaining the needful parlia-
mentary
powers for their construction ; and, also, for
an extension of the dock warehouse accommodation."
He was, he said, quite aware' that in bringing forward
this motion he should meet with a great deal of obloquy,
but he had not thought it well to withdraw it, though
he had been urged to do so by gentlemen whose opinions
were entitled to every respect. He thought it necessary
that if there were difficulties in the way of providing
the necessary accommodation for the trade of the port,
the ratepayers at large and the public should clearly
understand what those difficulties were, though it did
not appear to him that the difficulties were of an
insurmountable nature, if the movement were set about
with the energy which the case required. There could
be no doubt in the mind of any member of that board
that additional accommodation for the trade on this side
of the water was a matter of the first necessity. Not
only was every available inch, he might say, of the
accommodation for steamers already occupied, but they
had applications for more than they could possibly
grant. The new docks in course of construction would
by no means provide room for the steamers which they
knew to be coming. They had, besides, lines of fresh
steamers rising in every direction ; and, moreover, the
steamers now building were of such length and dimen-
sions that a large portion of our present docks would
neither let them in or out with safety. lie did not mean
to 'say that the basins had a want of sufficient water, but

that there was not sufficient length and breadth to
enable the vessels to turn in to get into the docks.
Further, he might say that although his motion had
reference primarily to the steam trade, there was another
important trade for which there was a great want of
accommodation,—he alluded to the American trade, of
which he had a personal knowledge. He could state that
those ships returned as large a revenue in proportion to
the time they occupied the docks as any ships coming
to the port ; and their number and importance, no
gentleman would doubt, entitled them to as good
aecommcdatiou as they could give them. He knew
from his personal experience it was a fact, when he said
that many thousands a-year 5i0414 not pay the demur-
rage and other losses occasioned by detention. There
was u 4 absolute impossibility of providing berths for
those ;vase's ; apd the only feasible means which the
trade saw (as it was meceptTated in the north) was to