The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-25 00:00:00

MERSEY DOCKS AND HARBOUR BOARb

The usual weekly meeting of this body was held
yestel;(3ab, in the board-room at Revenue-buildings. In
the al;ier,t;c: of Mr: Charles Turner, the chairman, Mr.
Brocklebank presfdecl;, al the other members present
were Messrs. Evans, Vou,. (Iravps, Monde Bushell,
Darhyshire, Segar, Tobin, Laid, nrrnwpttb,..Littledale,
Rankin, Inman, Forwood, Moss, Rotiiiiliwalte,fifutchi-
son, and Arnold.
Mr. BROCKLMiNK said he wished to explain that the
chairman was necessarily absent, with the engineer and
other members of the board, having to meet the War-
offi6 relatite to the defences of the port.
tammns. . WORKS.

It- appeared from the p'toteedings of this committee
that a deputation from the tobaccO' trade will be received
on Saturday next ; also, that a deputation from the
Birkenhead Railway Company; consisting of Messrs'
Holdcrness and Titherington, accompanied by Mr. Chas.
Mason, the secretary, had been heard at length on the
subject ot' the accommodation wanted for their traffic on
the Liverpool side of the river. The following tenders
were recommended for acceptance :—Messrs. Jones &
Jump, for the erection of a Pilots committee-room and
Offices, on the south-edst, quay of Prince's Dock, at a
cost of £507 ; Messrs. Francis Morton & Co., for a
supply of four tons of white grease ; and Messrs: Lloyd,
Jones, & Co., for 1,700 lineal feet of English elr
700 feet of ash butts for cleaving.
THE WAREHOUSE COMMITTEE.

The procec.dings of this committee having been read,
Mr. ARNOLD, in moving their confirmation, said he
took that opportunity of correcting a statement which
Mr. Forwood had made at the last meeting—that the
transit sheds on the-west side of Prince's Dock were
doing, little or nothing. Although the transit sheds
were not prodUctive of much revenue to that estate, he
be`ged to remark for the information of the board that
onThursday last, at the time Mr. Forwood was speaking,
there was only one shed out of the ten unoccupied ;• and
when the report came from the superintendent to the
committee last Monday, the same was the case—there
was only one unoccupied. It should be borne in mind
that there were legal difficulties in the way, even if
they thought they could appropriate those sheds to
general goods.
Mr. RANKIN did not know whether more vessels
could be introduced into Birkenhead docks of Dot ;
otherwise, the Birkenhead warehouses might be made
available for the storage of cotton. He suggested' this
for consideration.
Mr. Foawoon said the question had been before the
Docks and OfiriyA Committee, but was not considered
ripe for discussion this week. He thought it would
then be found that the sheds were not made of that
use which they might be ; and that in the superabun-
dance of imports it would be beneficial to keep them
employed:
Mr. Anivotri said It would be seen by reference to
the Act of Parliament that those sheds could only be
appropriated to particular uses. The suggestion of Mr.
Rankin would be considered by the committee, but
there were obstacles in the way.
Mr. LAIRD was going to ask whether that question
had been considered by the committee. The warehouses
at Birkenhead would store from 40,000 to 50,000 bales.
On this side they were charging three-farthings per
week, and private warehouses much more. They might
get cotton sent over in flats, btit, after entering the
docks, it would have to be carted to the warehouses.
Mr. EvAms thought this was a time when the board
should look to the use of the sheds on this side. He
knew the origin of the whole thing. The warehouse
interest at that time was the sole cause, by the imposi-
tion of heavy penalties, of preventing those sheds from
being made useful. There was the greatest anxiety,
acknowledged and avowed, to prevent their 'Ewing made
any use of as warehouses whatever. He considered
this was a time when the board should give the sheds
on this side the greatest possible latitude of utility.
The CHAIRMAN was very glad that the question of
the Birkenhead side had been ventilated a little.
Mr. Evarts said the pressure was on this side, and
the relief should be given over here. He maintained
that there was nothing in the Act of Parliament to pre-
vent it, and not to do so was to pander to private
interests

Mr. RANKIN said cotton was being stored in .open
yards, and they had not yet reached the maximum
quantity by 250,000 bales.
After a few words from Mr. Arnold,
Mr. LAIRD expressed his wish that the Warehouse
Committee should take the question up, and let it be
known that they were willing to store cotton there.
The proceedings were confirmed, as were also those of
the marine, the pilotage, and the master-porterage com-
mittees, with those of the committee for the manage-
ment of the docks and quays. It appeared that a special
meeting of the Master-porterage Committee had been
held. with the view of considering a complaint from
Mr. C. Wolstenhohne against Mr. Corrigan, a profes-
sional master-porter, of having, on removing fifty bales
of cotton belonging to him from the dick quay, and
depositing them in the Albert Dock warehouses, had them
booked in his own name. The committee had passed a
resolution in reference to the case that goods so taken
should be -deposited in the name or consignee of the
owner of the goods, subject only to a lien for the master-
porter's charges and expenses.
The death of the Canada dock-master was reported.
A letter from a mercantile firm was read, stating that
in a cargo, of which there were twenty-one hills of lading,
but which had all been entered at one time, the clock
officials Ind, to their great inconvenience, required a
separate bill for each. The Chairman observed that
they were in a transition state between the old and new
act, and it was scarcely, known yet which would be the
best plan to facilitate business. The communication
was referred to the Finance Committee,—Mr. Boult also
suggesting that it would save much trouble if, instead
of having two manifests, the Customs manifests could
be handed over to the board.

MR. MONDEL'S MOTION.
The next business in order was the notice of motion
given by Mr. Mondel last week, i‘ That no work, the
estimated cost of which exceeds 110,000, shall be con-
tracted for or commenced without the approval of two-
thirds of the members of the board present when such
contract or work is recommended."

Mr. LAIRD asked whether Mr. ;Wonders motion, if
carried, would be legal,' because the Act of Parliament
said that alt votes were to be carried by a majority of
the parties present.
The CIIAIRMAN read a letter from Mr. John North,
the solicitor, on the subject. Mr. -North said it was
illegal, and could not he put from the chair.
Mr. Motlnnr., however., notwithstanding some im-
patience manifested by the board, proceeded to propose
it. His object, he said, was to prevent the hoard rushing
into large expenditure recklessly. He had no wish, •he
said, to go back into the proceedings to prove the
necessity for such a resolution; but as an illustration,
they were now promoting a bill for an expenditure of
£40,000 or £50,000, and which contained four provisions.
The first was to effect improved communication with
Birkenhead by Woodside ferry; the second, tolls were
to be exacted for traffic ; the third, to establish a depot
for powder- on this side of the river ; and fourthly, there
were two clauses altering the government of the pilots.
Such a bill, he said, would never have been carried if
his motion had been on the books. After several
adjournments of the question, it was agreed to proceed -
only by a majority of two- vote; ; he was himself absent.,
or the majority would have been only one. Such a
majority did not justify an expenditure of £50,000.
Their had opposed the bill, and expressed
grave do.i:,ts as to the legality of any such application
of enrit. nioney.—Mr. Tobin. here. called to order, and
Mr. Mollie] contented himself with simply. moving the
resolution, hut there was no seconder, and the subjec
dropped.; the Chairman stating that. the bill which Mr.
Mondel had objected to was purely permissive, and
might either be carried out or not.
This was the whole of the public business.