The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-08 00:00:00

PILOTAGE. COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee did not embrace
any feature of interest. On the motion of Mr. Shand
they were confirmed.

DOCKS AND QUATS COMMITTEE.

The minutes of this committee having been read and
their adoption moved by Mr. Lockett,
Mr. ARNOLD said he wanted to call attention to the
stowage of pig iron at the north-west corner of Canning
Dock, and also at the Graving Dock. The iron had
been lying there for several weeks, and in one particular
instance it was stowed over the roadway, so that only
one cart could pass. The pig iron he understood was
discharged from the Glasgow traders. He considered
this was not a proper appropriation of the quays.
Mr. LOCKETT said he had spoken to the harbour-
master on the subject, and he stated that all the pig iron
lying there came from the Glasgow traders.
The attention of the committee was called to this
!natter, and the minutes were 9onfirmedl

MASTER PORTERS COMMITTEE.

The minutes of this committee embraced no matter
of importance. On the motion of Mr. Arnold they
were confirmed.

OBSTRUCTION AT SEACOMBE.

A letter was read from Mr. R. Jaap, of SeacoMbe,
,complaining that a railing had been erected in that
locality whereby -the people were prevented, taking a
walk along the sea-wall, which had hitherto been a
favourite plad of resort. He had brought the subject
.before the board with the view of having its legality
tested.
The CHAIRMAN—The engineer informs me that the
railing has been erected by the owners of the property,
and cen§eghently we have no control whatever. Mr.
Jaap had better be informed that such is the case.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,

A communication was read from Messrs. A. and J.
Reid, of Chester, bringing under ,the notice of the board
the fact that they carefully executed any mechanical
engineering that was entrusted to them.
Remitted to the Works Committee.
A HARD CASE.

A letter was read from Mr. George Welsh, marine
store dealer, 23, Standish-street, representing that
recently, when waiting, with his horse and cart on the
landing-Stage, the arrival of the Itiggage goat from
Tranmere, his horse stumbled, when it was precipitated
into the water and carried away. He had some difficulty
in saving himself, and the loss thus entailed on him
would amount to £2O. Ho therefore asked that, if the
board might see fit, the board would indemnify him .for
his loss.
Mr. MONDEL said this was a claim which they could
not at all admit.
The communication was therefore declined.
ACCOMMODATION FOR STORING TOBACCO.
The following letter was then submitted :
TO CHARLES TURNER, ESCI,,, CHAIRMAN OP THE MERSEY DOCKS

AND HARDOVR BOARD.

take the liberty of addressing you, as Chairman of
the Mersey Docks and Harbdiir Board, relative to a represen-
tation Which has been made to you by Mr. Maxwell Hyslop,
complaining of the heavy charges the importers of tobacco are
subject to on depositing the same in this warehouse. To this
I would respectfully beg to observe that this representation
is not fair towards me, inasmuch as the allegations are not
founded on fact. • -

Mr. Hyslop has appealed to the Treasury and to the Board of
Customs on several occasions, and I presume had there been
any just cause of complaint either the Treasury or Board of
Customs would have interfered, which they have not done.
It was inferred in the committee that the charges in Liver-
pool are higher than those in London or Glasgow, but such is
not the case for even at the Victoria Docks, where the
charges are said to be the lowest in the kingd-m, the actual
cost of warehousing tobacco, taking all expenses into' con-
sideration, is about equal to that of Liverpool.
The porterage charges are, I presume, those to which alln-
don is made, but these are in exact accordance with the rates
paid by the trade before I took possession of the warehouse, a
list of which I received from Mr. Hyslop's Own bands, and
which are considerably lower than similar charges at the
Victoria Docks.

As to the rent, the rates were retinal' by me immediately on
becoming lessee from 41d., the charge made by the Crown, to
3d. per hogshead per week, and -which higher rate is still
. _

levied:l)y the Crown on all tebaeco deposited previous to my
occupancy, and still remaining In the warehouse. In London,

too, with the exception of the Victoria Docks, to which I have
already alluded, the warehouse charges are one-third more
than they are here.
The best proof I can offer that the charges do not press
unfairly upon the trade is that the average receipt and delivery
during the past year has exceeded that of former ones.
Had I the power to remove the tobacco out of this ware-
house, I could realise a larger rent by other goods. I trust,
therefore, that you will excuse me thus addressin? you, as it
appeared to me the most 'suitable means of freeing myself
from insinuations'which r consider most .unjust.---I have the
honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
DAVID ATWOOL, Lessee.
Queen's Tobacco Warehouse, Liverpool,, Ist June, 186 '.

Mr. DARDWIIRE said that as an importer of tobacco
he could bear- out what was stated by Mr. Hyslop in
his letter. He then quoted some statistics to show that
the charges made in Liverpool for storage and porter-
age combined were more than those of London. He
observed also that from a calculation made, it would
seem that the present lessee was making about £3,000
a-year by porterage alone.
Mr. EVANS considered it was a case of most injurious
monopoly.
Mr. LocKtrr said it would be in the recollection of
the Board that representations were made to thetn—he
believed by Greeks—to the effect that it was impossible
to import tobacco from Turkey as the charges in Liver-
pool were about 30 per cent. of the cost of the article.
The CHAIRMAN thought that if any complaint was to
be made it should be made against Government. The
Government bad, in the face of their own assurances to
the contrary, refused to license any other warehouse
in Liverpool than this particular one, knd in this way a
complete monopoly was created.