The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-29 00:00:00

the nature of the work, an abridged report of which evidence
is prefixed,
The committee have to draw attention to the fact that the
evidence so taken, and the opinions elicited, are of a most con-
flicting character ; various interests and customs have grown
up with the present system, leading to an indisposition in some
quarters to interfere with it ; but, upon the whole, it is evident
to the committee that the mode of conducting the important
work of discharging the cargoes of ships, and the clearing of
quays when the produce is landed,•is unsatisfactory as regards
not only the interests of the Dock Trust, but also the interests
of shipowners and consignees of prodqee. •
Under the present system the board possesses no power or
control over lumpera or persons engaged in "discharging" the
cargoes of ships ; and any person, whether properly qualified
or not, provided he give the required security for £2OO, obtains
a license to act as master porter, i.e., "to weigh, examine,
assort, and load off," a cargo of produce, often of numerous
and intricate marks, and of various descriptions, and in which
many different parties arc interested, the right to perform such
duty being founded upon the largest or second largest amount
of freight being paid by the party acting as master porter ; the
majority of persons so qualified and 'registered are merchants
and shipowners; but these persons, for the most part, take no
practical interest in the work, but delegate it to others, who
perform the duty in their name, often with partiality to par-
ticular importers, and frequently, it is to be feared, leading
to the infliction of injustice upon individuals in the matter
of fines ; there can be no doubt whatever, and it has been
discovered in the course of this enquiry, that the bye-laws
of the board are in practice constantly evaded, and this com-
mittee are frequently occupied with the settlement of dis-
putes between rival claimants to the privilege of master
porterage, and with complaints of the infraction of the
bye-laws; in some instances, where, from the nature of the
cargo and the amount of labour to be performed, the rates are
unreruunetative, the largest and second largest consignees
refrain from putting in a claim to the porterage; the respon-
sibility of the work falls then, with some injustice, upon the
consignee of the vessel, or upon the professional master porter
whom he employs ; and, on the other hand, it is in evidence
that money payments are sometimes made for a transfer of the
work.
The manner of weighing and measuring produce is very
unsatisfactory; no sufficient responsibility in this respect is
attached to the office of master porter to furnish accounts of
the weights to the different consignees ; such accounts are
generally obtained by each party interested sending a clerk or
porter to obtain the accouat front the weight-taker as he best
can, and too often, it is feared, the weight-list is only obtained
by the payment of a fee. In frequent cases, particularly

where property of much value is conoerued, buyers and sellers

decline to act upon the weight or measure so taken, and the
operation is again performed, entailing, consequently, a double
expense ; in this respect the warehouse docks are found to
exhibit a great advantage, the declared quantities of the
of of this trust being taken as possessing an authority
seldom open to dispute or doubt.
The operation of the present bye-laws is declared, and as it
appears to the committe, with considerable authority, to be
inconsistent with the efficient working of the large steam
shipping trade of the port; practically in this trade, they are,
to a great extent, set aside and rendered inoperative ; and
although some objections on the part of consignees of produce
by these ships, and some cases of hardship or irregularity in
dealing with their goods, have been stated, the committee are,
upon the whole, satisfied that the steam shipping companies
perform the work, when, as is generally the case, it falls into
their hands, in a manner satisfactory to the consignees of
produce by their vessels, and as regards quick despatch, the
most beneficial to the interests of this estate.
If, however, the defects of the present system are so
obvious, it mast be admitted that little aid has been afforded
to the Committee by any suggestions from the persons, some
of much commercial eminence, who have appeared before
them; excepting in the steam trade, hardly any two parties
have been found to agree in any recommendation to the Com-
mittee; and, in some instances, deputations from associated
bodies have appeared before them, the members of which were
by no means in accord, or unanimous upon the subject.
The laws bearing upon and cleaning the operation of master
porterage being, for the most part, imposed by Act of Par-
liament, very little can be done by the Board, uxtil further
powers are obtained to alter and improve tke present system ;
but the Committee recommend, that on the next occasion of
the Board promoting any bill in Parliament, power should be
taken to amend these laws to egeet the following purposes,
viz.:—