The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-09 00:00:00

ST. GEORGE'S-HALL COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee included recom-
mendations that the water supplied to St. George's-hall
be charged by metre, and that the charge for concerts
be reduced to a uniform rate of sixteen guineas.
Mr. J. 11. TURNER, in moving the confirmation of
the proceedings, said that in reference to the first
recommendation, the reason for that being made was the
extravagant sum charged by the Water Committee for
the supply of water to St. George's-hall. Last year
the amount charged was LH, but this year the.-com-
mittee had increased it to £76.

Mr. KITCHEN thought the charge ought to be reduced
for balls as well as concerts, and that it was exceedingly
desirable that the committee should order a flooring to
be prepared for the hall, as no doubt it would be exten-
siVely used for bills during the approaching winter.
Mr. SHELL asked whether, if the charge were reduced,
the price of admission to the concerts would be limited ;
and said that if that were not the case he did not see
why the reduction should be made, when other people
would receive the benefit. The hall belonged to the
public, and the concerts were calculated to improve the
morals of the people, and he thought the committee
should see that the prices of admission were not such as
to exclude the great majority of the people. If some
provision of that kind were not made ho certainly would
not vote for a reduction in the charge.
Mr. Alderman WOODRUFF entirely agreed with what
Mr. Sheil had said.
Mr. TURNER replied that they had not limited the
charge; and with regard to the suggestion of Mr.
Fiction said the committee contemplated laying down a
floor, and had instructed the surveyor to prepare an
estimate of the cost.
Mr. Simi, proposed that the question of reduction in
the prices charged for concerts should he referred back,
which was agreed to.
A memorial from the Vocal Union, with reference to
a dispute with the St. George's-hall Committee, was
read ; and it appeared from it that the society had
engaged the hall on Whitmonday last on the same terms
as usual, the organ being made one of the features in
the entertainment ; but their intentions were frustrated
and their receipts seriously affected by an organ per-
formance being given in the afternoon, contrary to the
usual custom. The society enclosed correspondence
with the committee, from which it appeared that they
had claimed £25 as compensation, and left the matter
entirely in the hands of the Council.
Mr. JEFFERY regretted that the committee had not
taken the matter into their equitable consideration so
as to have prevented it from coming before the council.
Surely it could never be held, that their dignity would be
upheld by first letting the use of the hall for the even-
ing and then occupying it just a few hours previously.
He did not think the majority of the council would think
that a fair way of proceeding or one likely to inspire
confidence in those who usually engaged the hall. The
Vocal Union was a young institution and had paid some-
thing like £2OO into the coffers of the committee and he
really thought it hardly fair that the committee should
have anticipated them. Feeling this he would move
that the memorial be referred to the committee with a
recommendation that the union should have free use of
the hall for one evening in consideration 40i-6'6laim-
stances.

Mr. BECKWITIi seconded the motion. •
Mr. Tun :Inn said it would have been more courteous
if Mr. Jeffery kefore attacking the committee had con-
sulted with one of the members first. The Saturday
Evening Concerts of Mr. lime had always taken place
when there had been a morning performance, and the
committee had always had performances during Whitsun
Week every day at ko'clock.
Mr. JEFFERY said he took his information frOm the
correspondence, and seeing a statement which was not
contradicted he took it for granintedtht:tamt
matter.
Mr. correct,
and therefore he thought the committee were at fault in
not giving sufficient explanation
Mr. GLADSTONE asked if when the society took the
hall they were informed that-there would be a morning
performance for, if they were, of course they run the
risk, but knowing there were regular days and that
Monday was not one of them, he considered they had
fair reason to believe that there would be no musical
He thought certainly that
performance on the day He
hall should not be let for a similar purpose on the
same day.
Mr. SHELL thought that every dispute of the kind
proceeded from loose agreements, and thought that the
parties engaging the hall should have stipulated that
there should be no performance in the afternoon.
Mr. J. B. LLOYD would object to the matter being
sent back to the committee, if it was to be trammelled
with the recommendation named by Mr. Jeffery.
Mr. BELOE said the whole thing seemed to be a
mistake, and thought it would be only a matter of justice
to grant the use of the hall to the society one night
free of charge.
The motion was then put, and lost by 12 to 28, the
voting being as follows :
For : Councillors Messrs. John Johnson Stitt, Edward
Estill, David Rae, Henry Christie Beloe, John Rogers,
Thomas Bulky Job, Robertson Gladstone, James R.
Jeffery, Joseph
Kitchen, R. M. Beckwith, John Farn-
worth ; Alderman Thomas Robinson.
Against : Councillors Messrs. James Crellin, Richard
Sheil, Clarke Aspinall, C. J. Corbally, Roger Haydock,
John Shimmin, James. Tyrer, Thomas Avison, James
Steains, Charles T. Bowring, Thomas Ridley, John
Hays Wilson, James Johnson, George Nickson, John
Aikin, Joseph Steele, James Robertson, Thomas Vernon,
J. Gibbons Livingston ; Aldermen John Buck Lloyd,
William Bennett, Thomas Dover, James Parker; J.
Hayward Turner, Richard C. Gardner, John Woodruff;
John Stewart, the Mayor,

MARKETS COAAITTEE.
The proceedings of this committee contained nothing
of public interest, but a memorial from the tenants of
john's Market against the early closing of the mar-
kets on Saturday was read.
Mr. WOODRUFF said there was nothing in the memo-
rial that was new, and he would leave it in the hands of
the Council to deal with. The members of the Markets
Committee were still of opinion that, it would be better
to keep open till eleven o'clock, and when the previous
memorial was taken round seven out of every eight of
the tenants were also for remaining open till eleven
o'clock. He believed the income of the matkets was
steadily improving, and in the totirse of the next meet-
ing, or the following, one, the committee wculd be pre-
pared with a proposal for further improving it.
Mr. jtvrEity said he had been waited upon by a
deputation of the tenants, who had stated that if the
Council would postpone the closing at ten o'clock until
the Ist of October they would be satisfied to allow the
ten o'clock closing to continue, but during this particu-
lar time of year, when sufficient publicity had not been
given to the closing at ten o'clock, they were serious
losers. He (Mr. Jeffery) would not have the slightest
objection to that.
The MAYOR said a deputation bad also waited upon
him, and had urged the very same reasons as Mr.
Jeffery had stated, and had said that if the closing at
ten o'clock was postponed till the Ist of October, they
would be quite willing to give it a trial.
Mr. J. A. TURNER said there was a great deal of force
in what Mr. Jeffery had stated, and there could be no
doubt that the butchers were losing a great deal of
money by having to keep meat from Saturday until
Monday.
Mr. KITCHEN said all this was urged to the Council
when the alteration was proposed ; and now it turned
out to he the wish of the council to grant the request.
(Cries of " No, no.")
Mr. BENNETT said he agreed with Mr. Turner that
there was a good deal of force in what Mr. Jeffery had
said—indeed, there always was ; but he thought there
was a good deal of reason also. (Laughter.)
Mr. DOVER moved that the memorial be allowed to
lie on the table.
Mr. PARKER seconded the motion.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he should be happy to entertain
any proposal that was reasonable, and he was not pre-
pared to say that the request contained in the memorial
was not a reasonable one, but, it seemed preposterous
that they should make the change for so short a tinte as
six or eight weeks. If there was all the injury which it
was represented, they would hear of some of the tenants
leaving the shops—(hoar, bear)—but he believed the fact
was the rents charged by the Corporation was nothing
like what they ought to pay, and he did not think their
time should be occupied talking about ruination brought
about in so short a period, which was an absurdity they
could not entertain.

Mr. WOODRUFF said sufficient time had been given,
and the question had been sufficiently discussed by that
Council. Members had made up their mind that they
would not permit the markets to be open after ten
o'clock, and he thought it would appear vacillating on
the part of the Council to keep changing from one hour
to the other.
The memorial was then ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. TURNER called attention to the state of the
entrances to St. John's Market, which he said, on
Saturdays were almost impassable iu consequence of the
number of baskets piled up on each side.
Mr. ASPINALL complained that a number of little
ragged urchins were permitted to enter the market, and
did so no doubt,- for objects not much to their own
credit or to the benefit of those who had stalls there.
They darted round and between everbody's legs—a pro-
ceeding which, though not at all inconvenient to his
friend Mr. Gladstone, was a source of great annoyance
to suet a man as himself. (Laughter).
The general proceedings were then confirmed.
The proceedings of the Education Committee, of the
Gaol and House of Correction Committee, and of the
Town-hall Establishment Committee, which contained
nothing of any interest, were confirmed without com-
ment. •

LIBRARY COMMITTEE.

. .
This committee recommended the appointment of
Mr. J. S. Tyerman as curator of the Botanic Gardens,
in the place of Mr. Birschel, resigne3, at a salary of
£lO5 per annum with house, &c. The proceedings
were confirmed.