The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-04-06 00:00:00

WORKS COMMITTEE.

, The following tenders were recommended for acceptance
Messrs. R. Gardner & Sons, to paint the bridges and refreshment
rooms on the George's Landing-stage ; Messrs. Adam Highten,
to supply sheet lead ; and Mr. Anthony Robinson, to supply
brown oakum for general purposes. It was.recommended that
a quantity of waste land on the east side of Sefton-street be
let to Captain Gladstone, at the rate of SIO a-year, as a practice
range ground, for the sth Lancashire Rifle Volunteers. The
committee had resolved that they could not entertain the pro-
posal 'of Mr. Bette:y to rent the chain.cable testing-machine at
Liverpool. A deputation from the Birkenhead Railway Cora-
. parry, consisting of Messrs. Holderness and Titherington,
accompanied by. Mr. Charles Mason as secretary, and Mr..
pouglas, their engineer, waited upon the committee; and
explained at some length their views with regard to the future
arrangements for the shipment of coals at .Birkeuhtad, coming
the] eby railway. The following letter, which had been read
before the committee, was ordered to be read at the Board,
' and the committee resolved that, as soon as the railway com-
munication referred to was formed, the subject matter of the
letter would receive the earnest consideration to ,which it was
entitled

Commerce Court, IL Lord Street,
- • Liverpool; 26th March, 1860.
Sift,—At the suggestion of several members of your Board,
I take leave to call your attention to the fact, that, a new
• branch railway from toe salt district, to join the Birkenhead line
at Helsby, is at present under contemplation, and will, doubt-
less, be carried out very shortly.
This line will bring salt within twenty-five miles of rail,
or at•a cost of not more than 2s. per ton to Birkenhead,
whereas the present cost of carriage, 'Weaver dues, and I about'
in loading from flats into ships, exceed 4s. per ton. The
• necessary 'consequence will be to transfer a very great porton
of the export salt trade to the rail, and 'of course to Birken-
head.
As exporter of 70,000 tons of salt- per an um, I thereforebeg
of you, in apportioning the dock and quay space at Birkenhead,
to bar in mind this almost certain eventuality. The salt
trade want no warehouses, they simply want high level load-
- hi& stages, from-which they • can shoot their waggon-loads of
—salt in-the shortest possible and least expensive manner into
Salt does not deteriorate like coal by being shot fr:on
* high stage. 'Salt wants no-more cuay space than that occu-
pied by the stage, but a thousand ton ship will require a mile
of railway siding for her cargo, hence provision for space to
that effect somewhere in connection with stages ahoald be
I need not dwell upon the great desirability pf the partial
removal of the salt trade to Birkenhead; your own statistics'.
will prove to you, that nearly. one-half of the outward-bound
loaded tonnage from this 'port, counted in bulk, carries salt.
Remove these ships to Birkenhead, and you at once accomplish
the two-fold object—of relieving Liverpool, and filling
Birkenhead.
Cheap salt at Birkenhead . will, also give us back a con-
siderable portion Of the
.coasting trade, which has almost
cntirely fled to Runcorn.
I must aktow my large interest in the salt trade to plead my
excuse for this lengthened communication.—Remaining, sir,
your most obedient servant, ' H. E. gacY.
To the Chairman of the Works Committee, Mersey Docks
and Harbour Board.
Mr. Brocklebank moved, and Mr. Rankin seconded, the con-
firmation of the proceedings.

_ .
Mr. Boina hoped that the salt trade might be taken to
. Birkenheid, and that whilst the dock estate benefitted thet•eby
the commerce of the port would be delivered from the dis-
gracefuLblack mail which had tkaii shanferul4 • D.vied bh it
for so long a period, to benefit the nobility, clergy, and gentry
of Cheshire.

Mr. DARWISUIRE 4glfed if any one wia:O liked could put 'butte
on the dock line of railway.
The Ciariuitls said he believed the Works Committee would
refuse no one who complied with the necessary regulations.

Mr. Tositi expressed a similar opinion. In reference toiLe.
letter that had been read, he believed he might say that the
board were anxious to see the salt trade carried on at Btrken-

head, apart from all charges now levied upon it, and no doubt
the board would do all they could to protect the commerce of
the port fee= the injurious effects of the River Weaver dues.
Mr. GRAVIES said tLe letter was a very practical one, and he
hoped it. would go to the special committee who were consi-
dering what trades could go to Birkenhead, and the necessary
accommodation for them.

The OUTMAN said the letter was a very practical letter,
and would be valuable When the works meatioued in it were
carried out. The writer merely stated that the works were in
contemplation ; that it was intended to make a line from
Heisby to the salt district, but there was no act of Parliament
yet got for that purpose.
Mr. BOULT believed there would bp no difficulty about
obtaining an act, because the land through which the line
would pass belonged to Lord Ellesmere, who was favourable
to the scheme, and to the Crown.

Mr. LAIRD said the line of railway referred to would be of,
vast importance to the salt district, and would very materially

cheapen the carriage of salt for shipment at this port. As to

the accommodation for trade at Birkenhead, he would urge
the special committee to make a report as speedily as possible,

for he learned from Mr. Raakin that at Liverpool there would
not be sufficient accommodation for the timber trade in the

months of August and September next.
The proceedings were then confirmed.

WAREHOUSE COMMITTEE.

This committee brought up a resolution whieh stated that,
as the Great Float at Birkenhead was temporarily closed to
trade, it was desirable that the Warehouse Committee should
have permission to discharge Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, & Co.'s
guano ships in the open docks at Liverpool.

A long discussion ensned on the the motion that the pro-
ceedings be conlitined, moved by Mr. Hubback, and seconded
ky Mr. Arnold.

Mr. LOMETT thought the hoard' could not undertaki such
work without the consent of the parties concerned.
Ur. LAIRD said the plan had acted 'very well at Birkenhead
for many years, and did not see why it filioul.3 not act as well
at-Liverpool.

-'fir. TIMM reminded gentlemen that this was quite an excep-
tional case, arising from the fact that the Birkenhead docks
were closed for a short period.
_ _

Mr. GRAVES thought the resolution was one of the wisest
that the Warehouse Committee had come to in the present
year. (Laughter.) If such an arrangement had not been
made with Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, & Co. as that now in force,
the guano chips would not have came here. lie hadno hesita-
tion in stating that thousands of pounds would accrue to the
board by carrying out the arrangement referred to.

Mr. Mownri. rose to oppose an act of partiality to any one
section of the community at the expense of the other. fie
would not give an unfair advantage to anyone, and he objected
to this privilege being given to Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, & Co.
Mr. Auxotn said that the arrangement was only a temporal y
one, but was nevertheless a profitable one for the board.
The CHAIR3tAN said the law permitted the board/to nnder-
take ths.work with the consent of Abe parties; that there was
nalunfair advantage given to anyone, es Messrs. Gibbs, Bright,
do Co. were the only guano importers here; and that the work,
if done by the Warehouse Committee, would, be profitable to
the board.

Mr. BouLr concurred in the propriety of the motion, but
could not help remarking that the Board had been in the lribit
of storing Messrs. Gibbs and Co.'s guano at Birkenhead at a
very preposterous rate, and he thought it high time that was
looked into.
The proceeding; were then confirmed.