The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-31 00:00:00

THE DOCK BOARD

The usual weekly meeting of the members of this
board was held yesterday, at the doelLoffices. Charles
Turner, Esq., presided ; and the other members present
were Messrs. J. Laird, hfondell, Smith, Rounthwaite;
Tobin, Evans, Arnold, Boult, Derbyshire, Shand,
Langton, and Forwood.
THE LATE MR. JESSE HARTLEY.
After the minutes of the last meeting had been read
and adopted,

The CHAIRMAN said—lt is with extreme regret that
I have to announce to the members of this board, the
death of our able and respected engineer, Mr. Jesse
Hartley, I may say full of years and full of honours
for although he had in mind a retiring disposition, he
was beloved as a friend of sterling worth. He fulfilled
the duties of this board most ably and successfully for a
long period of years, and his loss will be much felt by
the town of Liverpool, fur the prosperity of which they
are so much indebted to him. The docks constructed
by Mr. Hartley are able monuments to his memory, to
this and future generations, as long as they exist. He
concluded by expressing a hope that the Works Com-
mittee would immediately take steps to place Mr. J. B.
Hartley, his son, in the situation held by the late
gentleman.

THE WORKS COMMITTEE.
The proceedings of this committee were adopted
without comment.

THE WAREHOUSE COMMITTEE.

The report of the proceedings of this committee were
read, and alluded to the folio z form of indemnity,
which that committee recomoiended the board to adopt :
" Inasmuch as our ship -, -, master, from
-, now lying in the River Mersey, laden with
guano, intended to be stored in your Birkenhead Ware-
houses, is now too deeply laden to approach such ware-
houses, we request that you will proceed to lighten her,
by discharging so much of her cargo as we may find it
necessary so to discharge, into fiats, which we will pro-
vide for that purpose, such discharge as well into flats
as from them on to the quay, to be proceeded with as
and when we may direct, and to be entirely at our own
expense and risk."

Mr. HUBBACK said he begged to move the conttma-
tion of the resolutions, and also the form of:indegnifi-
cation, a copy of which had been plated in the liaids of
each member of the board.

Mr. BOULT wished to know, supposing any damage
occurred to the cargo in its transit to the quays in the
fiats, whether or not thC board would be liable for such
damages.
The DOCK SOLICITOR replied that they would not,
as the cargo would still be in the possession of the
shipowners.

After some further conversation,
The CHAIRMAN said, that if the cargo was taken into
flats, the captain alone was responsible until it touched
the quays.
Mr. MONDELL thought that the delivery into the
lighters, might be considered as a delivery of cargo, and
he did not think it reasonable that the servants of the
board should be at the beck and call of any man.
Mr. EVANS said if any damage did arise to the cargo,
how was it to be decided. He would suppose a case—
A Belgian captain, or any other foreigner, delivered
their cargo into the flats, and after that left the port.
Who would the owners of the cargo look to ? They
would look to the board for the damage incurred, and
say they knew nothing of any previous arrangements.
The CHAIRMAN thought, as it was an important
question, that it had better be referred back to the com-
mittee. He did not see why the captains should not
employ their own Sate, and not those of the board.
Mr. INMAN said, by carrying out the recommenda-
tion of the committee, the board would be taking upon
themselves the office of stevedores. They were asked,
when a vessel was too deeply laden to go into dock, to
have her lightened with their own fiats ; and if they did
that, they were clearly doing the work of a stevedore.
Mr. SMITH explained that the recommendation alluded
to guano, and guano alone ; and that the Peruvian Go-
vernment would have the cargo weighed and delivered
by a regular constituted board.
The CHAIRMAN said in all oases the shipowners were
responsible for the cargo until it was delivered on the
quay, and that the board should not take any responsi-
bility upon itself.
After a few more brief remarks, the subject was
referred back to the committee for re-consideration,
Mr. Hubback expressing his concurrence.
In reply to a question put by Mr. Forwood, Mr.
Hubback said the extracts to which that gentleman
had alluded had been sent to the underwriters and other
Parties interested, and in reference to the tanks at the
Stanley Docks, that matter was in the hands of the
Works, Committee.

MARINE AND PILOTAGE comonici,s.

The proceedings of these committees were confirmed
without comment.

THE DOCKS AND QUAYS COMMITTEE.
The proceedings of this committee stated that the
captain of the vessel in which some gunpowder had
been found, had been fined by the magistrates £5, and
that a report had been made of two parcels of lucifer
matches having been found on hoard a vessel without
any notice to that effect. _ _

DA.uv5,142,1, in allusion to the fines imposed by
the. magistratea on dock offences, said a friend of his
had been summoned before the magistrates and fined
for having goods on the dock quays. Now, he (Mr.
Darbyshire) thought that some of those fines were most
arbitrary. But he was not much surprised at it, as
some of the magistrates who sat in judgment on these
cases did not know the stem from the stern of a vessel.
The goods had to he discharged on the quays, and if
they were only left there for a short time the parties
nese summoned and fined without any consideration.
He merely stated this for the purpose of showing, that
that board had nothing to do with the large fines. It
was in the hands of the police. It had been said by
those who had been so fined that they were marked men.
The OnAiaitio.N—No; certainly not.
N. PARB;r9IIIRE then went on to say that some of
the adjudications were very arbitrary, particularly when
they had been fined once, twice, or a third time, and
hoped that more consideration would be taken into the
circumstances of the cases when such. Ushes were
imposed.

Mr. EVANS said that Mr. Derbyshire's remarks could
only tend to the abrogation of the dock-laws. With
regard to the decisions of the magistrates, he thought
that the parties were very easily dealt with. The only
thing that could be done was to act on the laws as they
existed, and if they took any other view, then they
would get into quite a chaos.
The CHAIRMAN said he could not agree with.. the
remarks that had been made by Mr. Derbyshire, for
he thought the magistrates had always exercised the
greatest leniency, instead of being arbitrary in, their
decisions. From his experience, the magistrates,
generally speaking, erred, on the .side of leniency in
adjudicating upon dock cases. They had all to com-
plain of the inadequacy of the quay space ; and if goods
were to be permitted to lay upon the quay, it was a
great injury to the ship that succeeded to the berth of
that one from which the goods had been delivered.
Therefore, it was not only necessary, but just, that
fines should be increased, when it was found that the
parties had not removed them after tbe, first or second
summons.

Mr. J. A. Torax could not agree. with the remarks
made by Mr. Derbyshire, nor did he think that that
gentleman had applied his usual discretion, in making
the charges he had done against the magistrates—him-
self also being a magistrate. He did not think that
there was a magistrate who sat upon the bench, that
did not know the stein from the stems, of the vessel. He
was sure the magistrates never decided these questions,,'
without great consideration, and in imposing the tries,
one question was always asked,—whether or tint the
cargo occasioned any inconvenience? If there was no
ineonvenienee to other vessels, then the fiuo waa small;
but if there was inconvenience, or if the parties had
been summoned more than once, or 'twice, or thrice, or
more frequently, then the fines were increased% Mr.
Tobin then requested to direct the attention of the
board (for Mr. Laird had been compelled to leave
the room) to an application which had. been made by
Messrs. Fletcher and Co., asking that a timber ship,
could, immediately upon its arrival, be taken
into the Birkenhead dock-s. There had already been
an application, made by Mr. Halhead to the same effect.
He (Mr. Tobin), had, seen the report on the application,
and he hoped, every facility would be given to that
request. This was the first timber ship that would go
into, the. Birkenhead !look, he therefore thought that
under that circumstance every assistance should ha
given to comply with the request.
The Onsumume said the application Ms, that the
ship should immediately upon its arriya), be admitted
into the dock. The ship had not yet arrived; when it
I had arrived it would be time. enough to, consider the
question, as it was irepes,sihie for them now to say
what dock acconimpdatian they would have. It was
impossible t4at the board could then appoint
vessel to
go into, any particular dock ; but he might say, when
the vessel did arrive, and they, he4l seen,what could be
done, he had no doubt bat that all, would be done that
a.
could be to comply with the request.
Mr. SHAND. mid he hadnet beard all the discussion had,
netmagistrates;
there could not be a doubt but that some
with regard to the doCk fines imposed by the
parties
si
feel.aggriteveci atbeipg so,ikeventlY fined, and
bi d.(
SO ncn ,
but he was qnite surethat when a fine was imposed, it
zyas_doge kiVertie4Y.
teMood was, Making some remarks e,endee;ko94„
of the conk:A b the police in referent* to, these infor-
mations, when it was considered that be was out of
order, and the committee's proe,eSings were confirmed.
arisce4,l4‘mous.
Several communications to the board were read,
amongst was one from Thos. Dawbarn and Co„
which
via referred to the Works. Committee ; alse, one
from mes,3l-3„ Li
vesey and Thorpe, and, ti,kewi:" one
homas Steaius--each of whieh, were referred to
which ,
from T
the same. committee,

TUE WALLASEY INFIRMARIES.
The usual annual giant of £lO to these infirmaries
was made on the suggestion of the chairman.