The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-12-18 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING.

A meeting of the (.0 ' tined I'M( place on Tuesday at
the Guildhell, at which twenty.two members were
present. The Mayor (J. Tisard, Koq.,) presided. The
first, and it rimy be acid the whole, business of the
C„outosilCii tn.:mushier whether or not the construction
Of the projected pier putting into the sen from the
Esplansde, opposite to the entrance to King-street,
should he oppeam.
The Mato* eernmenesed the bashing by reeding •
utemoeie.l espied by about MO influential persons againet
the project. The memorialists feared if the under-
taking wasi carried out that the beauty of the &ohms"
and bay would he completely destroyed, and that the
facilittes for bathing and yachting, on which the pew-
perty of the town almost depended, would be consider.
ably lessened. The memorialiste, therefore, coiled upon
the Council, as their representetivea, to protect their
interests, and to prevent the beauty of the Esplanade and
bay, and consequently the prmpensy of our town being
injured by any such thoughtlers "theme. The Mayor
said that had he not received the memorial he should
baste assembled them upon receipt of the nasal parlia-
mentary notices. The mend of the memorial, how-
ever, gave him no alternative bet at ones to WI the
Council together. Out of dome he had heard his sure
mentioned in the matter. Probably, this was owing to
its being stppended to the notice* as toslicitor to the com.
piny. He hoped that the authors of the narrow.
mirded rem/the as to his being unable, by reason of his
being solicitor to the company, consistently anti with
integrity to discharge the duties appertaining to him an
chnirman of the Council, would entertain a different
opinion before hi, term of office espinaL En rethiog
which might COMO before the Connell be should always
endeavour to °eery out to the best of his judgment sod
wore* to their willies.

Mr. THOMAS put it to the Mayor if he woe not in the
face of that numerously signed memorial. Prepared to
abandon its scheme. Would the Mayor in the fart of
that honoree/It memorial attempt to carry it out?
The Marta' remarked that he wee merely the solicitor
to the company. and without atosultins them he could
not of Mahn in his prolcasnual cepa' it) give blacks an
undertaking.
Mr. THOMAS expressed his regret at each an answer.
The first question that should be oosside-ed was the
requirements of the port, sec tartly the constructioe and
appearance of the 'wagered pier, and next how it wool
effect the rinds, boating, and the bay generally. Then
above all gunge considerations was 040 m-re imps tent
than all the lest —in the pile pier, as there WAS • clause
which enaofeni that if anything Wall done to injure the
Pi. vier or it was allowed to fell into dierepeir Limn the
L High Admirel was empowered to repair that
structure and cull upon the torn to pay the sesta
The MATOR oiss.rVed nab was not the SAWS.

-
TH.MAN differed froin the 111.1 y r and thought the
council should at once put a veto on the scheme, The
Weymouth and Portland Steam boats were now iedua,d
In their use to the publie, but ha should be Isom to du
mkt thing detrimental to the interests of the boats as
Iron hit ezperienee with visitors he knew that the boa's
weie much pilau' by them. But that was cot all, and
it woe the fluty of the council, without leeoning any of
the attractions to visitors, to Pee that no sehenie
...Tried out ,ehich would)'. prejudicial to the interests
of the town. .

Mr. Dagw, cooed the promoters, did not hesitate to
admit that it was the Weymouth and Portland Steam.
packet Company which promoted the scheme for the
new pier. They did so for two reason., and he might
Ant of ell observe that he had entered the Council
Chsmber diepassionately to discuss the question, and
not to sleek to force any echeme upon the town pm-
jedieel to its interests. Prior to the railway to Portlaud
there might be mid to be but one way to remit Portland
—that by the steamers. The toll on the pier was
scarcely felt then, bemuse if necessity passengers had to
pay peany on and off. At the present time they
could go by railway, but any one who preferred the
steamers and lived near Brunswick-buildings, bad to
walk • mile to reach them. When the rail was opered
to Portland the steam-host company were, of coarse,
aware that it must affect them, yet. nevertheless, they
determined to give the boat, a twelvemonths' trial. He
would now mention • portion of the result it had upon
their trade, and by that he meant the legitimate traffic.
Lest year the boats carried 63.000 ree-ne nny meson ire re,
while this year the number was only 13,000. Ti.. deem
-
boot company could not of course say that the die.
reedit between the two numbers went by rail to Port
land, but the steam-boat compday aseribed the decrease
to two causes : let, that the railroad was nearer the
town than the pier, and, secondly, to the two penny
toll en going on and coming off the pier. That being the
ease the steamboat company sought to provide a remedy.
They had noticed how • man named Greenharn had.
two years ago put two boats on the beech, near the
Flurdon Hotel, whilst last year he had ten or twelve
there, and more busts were now Seine built for next
saintlier. Instead of asking the public to walk • long
way to get to the boats, he (Greenharu) had taken the
boats to the public and bad met with enconrsgernent.
At Brighton there were two piers and he (Mr. Drew)
thought that with our town rapidly increasing more
accommodation 11114 required, and soinethinz to he done
to ',rota ct the interests of the eteanaboots. A floating pier
had been at find suggested similar to tho-e in use in
Leiden. so that persons mold embark and disembark
without being taxed, but it had been thought better
of, and the promoters of the new scheme, yielding to
the solicitations of friends, had substituted as • portion
of their project, a betide:me iron structure. They did
not, however, mud to do so in the of the teen but
would be compelled to fall back upon their two resources
and grapple with the difficulty as best they c eild. The
Steamboat Company, he thought, was entitled to • little
consideration, as they always had studied the interests
.4 the town they had sent boats to Portland at a great
lose during the winter months, so that it should not be
said that, after having gathered in their harvest in the
summer, they left the public to do the bast it could in
the winter. The structure proposed to be erected was
an ornamental iron pier. He was surprised to beer
that the memorial had not been more numerously signed
sating it had been argued out of doors that it was the
intention of the promoters to east steamers there, and
further that when the Channel Islands steamers were
late, to bring their passengers and land them on the
proposed pier together with cargo. This was never
oontemplated, and the pier was started °unruly to ac-
commodate pleaseredeekers, not for 00MIlle1011.1 PUS,
poops. If the town thought a pier would be detrimental
to its interests, then the company would have to
de the best they could to protect theirs. They
had given the notices required by Act of Par.
Bement, and were averse to doing anything in • bole and
corner mariner. He could have wished that the pier
itself, indeed of the drewinp had been placed in the
public librsries. then • better opinion might have been
funnel, ao to wether or not it vtould be detrimental to
the town, and people would not have run ewhy with the
notion that the proposed pier would be injunous to the
beauty of the hay, and the interests of the Council.
Capt. Comm would readily give any further information
upon the subject.
Mr. P.MiIF.CAILT nbserved that earner. Mr. Drew had
said it, he could not have believed that the Weymouth
and Portland Steamboat Company were the parents of
the Winne. Before anything was done, the Connell
14110.111 be jest before they were generous. Mr. Drew's
principal reason for the new pier waste get rid of the
old pier. How would they keep 'nth with the bond.
holders of the pile pier if they robbed people of their
juat right; secured by Act of Parliament. With respect
to the new jeer they bad not heard from Mr. Drew
whether the steamers were going to °ensures their own
smoke or not, for if the wind was in • south-erasterly
direction the lodging houses would be filled with
smoke es these in Pulteney Buildings were now.
What a nice promenade it would be for the
public to witness the bathers ! If those
living at the higher end of the town would be
spared • long walk, those living on Weymouth side
would, if the pier was allowed, have to walk further
than they did now. Ile remarked that if one chose to
lie in bed and ponder Ire could not dream of anything
more prejudicial to the interest of the town than this
scheme. He should be glad to propose or second •
resolution condemning the project.
Letters were read in the Natoli from various persons
having an interest in the town and in the pile pier,
agairust the scheme.
Mr. HOWAND street! with Mr. Drew in thinking that
the town was indebted to the Steamboat Company, and
it was rosters' that when their interest was %unshed

they should look round and see what step' wield be
Own to counteract the opposition to be found in the
enliven, to Portland. Finding themselves losing traffic.
the steamboat company said, "We will put up • pier."
While wishing to give them every credit. he did not
think th. y had a Ohne of a °ham* of getting the
pier. The Council, he considered, were morally
hound to oppose the scheme. He maintained that
the pier would be of no benefit to the town,
bat would, like the Weymouth and Portland
railway, be an additiorial source of injury. A pier,
similar to the one proposed, had, he was given to under.
stand, been erected at Rsensgate, And had proved a
souroe of injury to the bathing. Was not our town
superior to any other for its sands end its bashing
The Council should be very reluctant to inkire them.
While wishing the steam-packets every sucems, he
could not eanistion the proposed scheme. Ho proposed
a resolution condemning the scheme, also that the
Board of Trade be furnished with a copy, and that the
Town Clerk take steps to put the Council in a position
to oppose the scheme.
Mr. Mittaneis seconded the preposition. indorsiog
the previous remarks against the scheme. Front what
he had wen of the plans he believed no lady would
attempt to bathe if they were carried out. He urged
the Council to be honest in the matter as they bad

erected a pier, borrowed large rums of money upon it,
met the toll, would barely pay the interest.
The resolution was then put and carried without com-
ment or opposition.
The other business transacted was of an unimportant
character.