The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-07 00:00:00

dered, were only to empower the ferry .proprietors to
make a composition with the Dock Board, and they
thought it a .most reasonable provision. He did not
know whether gentlemen would recollect that some few
nionths ago a proposition was made by the Dock. Board
to the Finance Committee, that if they would contribute
a certain sum of money, they would throw the landing-
stages open altogether. He (Idr. Dover) was in the
minority on that occasion. But the Dock Board now,
having got the power, expressed their willingness to
make composition with the different ferries, at a reason-
able.and satisfactory rate, and that was the opinion of
the deputation who had waited on the Dock. Board the
other day. No doubt it would be a great public con-
Venienee if coinages Could be driven down to the pier-
head, and carried across the water, without the horses
being taken out.

INSVRANCE OF CORPORATE PROPERTY.

Alderman WOODRUFF said, some two months ago he
ventured to call the attention of the Council tothe question
of the insurance of corporate property. He was met by
one gentleman, a prominent member of the Finance
Committee, with the remark that it was all moonshine,
nothing but a waste of. time, and that such a return as
he had called for was quite unnecessary-'that the Finance
Committee Were quite able-to Like take of the corporate
property:Withoitt any inquiry whateVer. There was an
entry, hoWeVer, iii the proceedings read which showed that
it Was not all'rnoonShine—that an insurance for £12,000
had bean effected on one property which previously'
was not insured at all. lie did not know what the
return which he had obtained might produce—he was,
not asking them to consider it then ; but he was satis-
fied to find the premium at which the Corporation had
got that property insured, which was a portion of
Walton Gaol. 'When he had asked before if it was
insured, the reply was no, that it was unnecessary,
.because it was fire-proot Now if so, why had they
insured it since ? (A laugh.)
The MAYOR might mention that the insurance was
upon the hoUses of the governor and chaplain, not upon
the gaol.
Alderman WoonauFr was very glad to find, through
attention being called to the subject, that a large por-
tion of the corporate property had been insured at a
small premium.
Alderman PARKER said it was not the gaol itself, but
the houses. and cottages. They had been insured for
Is. 6(1. The Council was as willing to save as the.
worthy aldetnian, and no insurance would be made
Beyond the price of.ls. 6d.
GRANT FOR THE OPENING OP THE FREE LIBRARY.

The MAYOR hoped it would be the pleasure of the
Council-to: allow Mr. Aspinall to' bring forward then a
resolution of which be had given notice, as it.was a
matter of finance, and interesting to the town. This
was agreed to.
Mr. CLARKE ASFINALL then proposed—" To rescind
or vary so much of the resolution of the Council, passed
on the 2nd of May last, as confirms the resolutions of the
Finance Committee, lative to the expenses on the occa-
sion of . the opening of the Free Public Library and
Museum, and that I shall move that a sum not exceeding
£l,OOO be granted for the payment of those expenses, if
such sum shall be available out of the surplus income of
the present financial year." Mr. Aspinall said, at the
Council-held on the 2nd,pf May, he. was, from, domestic,
but altogether unavoidable, circumstances, unable to
attend; but, when he saw the following day the report of
the proceedings, he confessed be was grieved to find that
the grant for opening the. Free Library and Museum, the
vote of a sum not exceeding £l,OOO, had been refused; but
he was still more grieved from the consciousness that
had he been in his seat there it would have resulted
differently, because he should have voted for the grant,
and his worship would have given it his casting vote;'
and so it would have altered altogether the corn-.
plexion of the matter. He never doubted—did not like-
to doubt unless forced to it—that the proceedings of
the Council were properly grounded ; and it appeared
from the observations which had fallen from his worship
that the vote was justifiablei, probably more than justi-
fiable—a very proper vote under the circumstances then.
There appeared to have. -been three objections to the
grant made at that time, all arising from the matter
being brought forward without notice, which no doubt
was advisable, although he thought there were cir-
cumstanceS which warranted it ; but there were
several members of the Council, he understood, who,
not being prepared for the discussion, did record
their votes with some little confusion, and not knowing:
the effect which it :would have. There were other
membei% of the Council, several he could mention, who
were absent altogether who would have been present if:
they had known that such a subject was likely to come
before the Chamber,—but the last and greatest reason
it was refused on that occasion was that several gentle-
men, in the room felt that nothing should be granted
unless there' had been a' previous notice ; and they were
not willing, as a matter of feeling or compliment, to:
sacrifice principles they thought of more importance
than any matter of sentiment. Now from the fact that
to a certain extent he was responsible for the vote as
recorded, he had taken upon himself' very unwillingly
to move in- a matter he should rather had been in the
hands of a more experienced and influential member ;
bid from the words which had fallen from his worship,,
and the unanimous feeling out of doors, he thought he
should be doing right, and only his duty, in bringing:
the matter before the Council—perfectly satisfied they'
would do that which they would have done on a former
occasion but for the reason% he had stated. He
might be asked what the £l,OOO was for. He was'
not a member of the committee, but he might;
state that the £l,OOO 'was asked for not as £l,OOO, but
a sum not exceeding £1,000." It would surely be'
highly offensive to ask for a 'less sum, even if they
knew they were going to spend only IL2OO. It
would look so like a compromise, and would be so'
offensive out of doors. What were they going to spend.
it in ? Now, the committee said this—and it was'
a 'committee' composed upon the most liberal footing,'
of members of the Council, and a large number of
fellow-citizens out-of doors. The committee said, tc we
can't tell you what we spend it in, but we are going to.
spend it'properly. We can't tell you how much we are
going to spend ; but we cannot now print a bill, we,
cannot print an admission ticket, erect a barricade, or;
do the most minor matter connected with the opening,
unless we 'have a fund ; and when we have a certain
sum we shall then go into our programme, and submit'
'that Which will he satisfactory to you and everybody,
else." Now the most economical man, he was sure,.
would feel that this was a public building of our own,
, and that its inauguration could not be effected without.
a sum of money. If they were to make this library
what it aught to be for the use of the people'
of Liverpool, they ought to give -it a air otart,,
and under the.best auspices. Although it was .a matter!
of no consectuence to the most munificent gentleman
Who had given that noble institution to the town of,
Liverpool,.
,whether it was opened in this way or that'
Way---he was above that-Land his gratification would not•
be disturbed bowever the opening took place—he did'
feel that where such an unparalleled piece of liberality
was before- them, it was only right and only con-
sistent with their position there, and only consistent'
with the duty which they owed to the town!
and the public out of doors, and who to a,
man, were anxions that honour should be done to Mr.,
Brown, that the institution should be opened in a man-
ner creditable to the town and befitting the liberality of
the donor, to whom they were all, publicly and per-
sonally, indebted.
Mr. Kitchen seconded the motion. '
Alderman 4ARDi4ER supported the resolution, and
said be had been similarly situated to Mr. Aspinall, in,
being one of the absentees. He thought that ri great
mistake had been made; but he'hoped that on the pre-
sent occasion they should be harmonious. The building`
was a princely gift from one of our princely merchants
and the feeling outside was that they should open it
with all becoming honour. They ought to show Mr.
Brown that the inhabitants of the town appreciated
what he had done; and he was sure that gentlemen at
the last meeting had made a great mistake in voting
against the paltry suns required. He hoped that they
should not go to a vote upon the question.
Mr. NICKSON complained that, at the last meeting,
the' Couneil should have been placed in so false a position
as it was. There was no member of -that Council who
could claim a'mOnopoly Of adMiration for Mr. Brown ;
but it was not a question of feeling, but of duty. At
the last meeting they were 'called upon to support a
'resolution which had been declared illegal in principle
and irregular in- practice; and yet, by rejecting the'
resolution, they had placed themselves in an ungracious',
position of antagonism to Mr. Brown. (" No, no.")
The discussion was anything but creditable to the
Council, and he refrained from referring to the proceed-
ings on that occasion. He could 'only express his grati-'
fication that a surplus had been found, and the way was
now clear to do honour to the occasion

Mr. TOBIN did not think the question needed anyi
amount of declamation ; but they had to consider it in a
business point of view. Now, here was a building'
deVoted to the best and noblest of purposes. It could;
not be opened as any ordinary building. There must bei
a certain amount of ceremony attached to the opening of
an institution of that kind, and it resolved itself into one
of two questions. If the building was to be opened with
ceremony, it must either ;be done by the Council or by,
the public. Now, were the Corporation willing to-let it
pass out of their hands, and the whole arrangements to
be taken up by the public at large ? (Hear, hear.) If
the question were now debated for. the first time, such a
thing would not be listened to at all ; but the
Council had already decided the question. In March
last,' they determined that a special committee should be
appointed to make all suitable arrangements to give
becoming eclat to an event so important. The Council
themselves had decided to open the building, and that
it should be done in a proper and dignified ,spirit. How
could they then consistently refuse to grant such a sum
of money as might be required to carry out the resolu-
tion—not in any spirit of profuseness, or with anything
involving a large and unnecessary expenditure. As far
as he understood what had been communicated to him, as
contemplated a sum of no larger amount than from £2OO