The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-15 00:00:00

WORKS COMMITTEE.

The committee on works recommended that the
following tenders be accepted :—Messrs. J. W. & S.
Sparrow and Co. to supply a quantity of angle iron ;
Messrs. Bancroft and Co. to furnish a quantity of soft
soap; Messrs. George Thompson and Co. to " farm"
the timber ground to the north of the proposed carrier's
dock; Messrs. Thomas Monk and Barrington, to pave
the same. This committee also recommended that
about 3,800 square yards of the land belonging to the
board be let to the Lancashire and Yorkshire, and
London and North Western Railway Companies, for
the purpose of storing timber at the rate of 2s. per
square yard per annum, the land to be given up by them
at six months' notice.

The • minutes contained a further recommendation to

the effect that a portion of the Ilerculanwum estate be
let mit to Mr. John Thomson, at the rate of £3O per
annum, to be given up by him at any time, subject to
three months' notice.

Mr. BOULT inquired when it was considered the
carriers' dock would be fit for working.

The engineer stated in reply that fully twelve months
would elapse before it was completed.

The minutes were then confirmed.
THE WAREHOUSE COMMITTEE.

This committee reported that they had declined the
request made by Messrs. Zezenia and Co., to use a
portion of the dock sheds for the purpose of storing
Indian corn.

Mr. EVANS, in relation to a subject referred to in the
minutes, said he did not like the board to be shuffled
into liabilities to which they were not subject. They
were rated for their warehouses, but the system was
confined to warehOuses only, and did nut include other
subjects, such as sheds and yards.

Mr. MONDEL called the attention of the meeting to
the sale which was about to take place of goods in their
warehouses belonging to some persons unknown. His
own idea was that they ought to be divided among the
parties storing them.
The CnArnmAN said this was a matter which must
occur with the keepers of large warehouses, and it was
generally the case that no owner could be found. Let
them suppose the droppings from a quantity of saltpetre
stored at different times during twelve months, and
they might have a case in point. To whom did those
droppings properly belong ? The Warehouse Committee
never appropriated goods in that manner except when
no owner could be found.

Mr. MONDEL considered that the principle on which
the committee proceeded was a very questionable one.
Mr. LAIRD said it would be seen from the minutes of
the committee that they had had under consideration an
application from Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., for
storage room for 40,000 tons of guano, and had agreed
to do all they could to furnish the accommodation
required. He was desirous therefore of ascertaining
whether the committee would be able to do so within
the next two months. He wished also to refer the
board to a matter of considerable importance. He
referred to the statement put forth by some brokers
that they would not consent to their cotton being stored
at Birkenhead; and he had no hesitation in saying that
if this course were persisted in it would tell against the
brokers themselves. The fact was that they could obtain
storage room at Birkenhead at a considerably reduced
rate of charge, and it was well that the public should
be made aware of the real state of things. He would
have importers to know that by sending their cotton
across to Birkenhead they would get it stored and
conveyed cheaper than they could on the Liverpool side
of the river.

Mr. FORWOOD was certain that the Liverpool brokers
were a most intelligent class of men. He did not think,
therefore, that they would persist in their disparage-
ment of the storing accommodation at Birkenhead. He
was satisfied that they would settle the question
among themselves, and would yet become convinced that
Birkenhead afforded greater facilities than. Liverpool.
Mr. GRAVES said it was quite evident from the
remarks that had fallen from the board, that there was
plenty of room for storage at Birkenhead; but he did
not think that the board should allow themselves to
enter upon a discussion as to.whether it was
,preferable to
store cotton or guano. He was desirous of knowing the
present arrangements of the "Warehouse Committee with
regard to warehouse accommodation.
Mr. HUBBACK replied that the Works Committee and
the "Warehouse Committee were to meet jointly on
Saturday, for the purpose of considering the propriety of
building additional warehouses.
In reply to another question,
Mr. HUBBACK stated the amount of guano expected
to be stored during the present month did not exceed
6,000 or 6,000 tons. The 40,000 tons consigned to
Messrs. Gibbs, Brig kit, and Co. were not expected until
after the Ist September next. He wished them to re-
member that the committee had not committed them-
selves to providing accommodation for this consignment :
but they would endeavour to do all they could towards
this end, as they were very desirous of retaining the
trade in this article. (Hear, hear.) He might also re-
mark that the present charge for storage at Birkenhead
was 21d. per ton per week.
Mr. BOULT wished to know why the committee was
so bent on building at Birkenhead and not on the Liver-
pool side ? He also wanted to know what was the diffe-
rence of price for storage between the two places, and
he would remind them that at present there were no
fewer than 1,350,000 bales of cotton stored at the port,
a quantity that never was known befoie, and was not
likely to happen soon again.
Mr. HUBBACK stated that the additional charge on
the Liverpool side, as compared with Birkenhead, was
lid per ton per week.
The minutes were then confirmed.
MARINE COMMITTEE.

The minutes of this committee contained no feature
of interest.
On the motion of Mr. Mondel, they were confirmed.

PILOTAGE COMMITTEE,

This committee brought up a recommendation that
masters and mates of vessels constantly employed in the
coasting trade to and from Liverpool, be admitted on the
same terms as masters of coasting steamers. • -
The minutes of the same committee stated that it had
had under its consideration a letter from the Board of
Trade (published in our columns on Friday last), trans-
mitting a recommendation that sonic old captains and
others should be recognised by some authority as pilots
for St. George's Channel, and conveying a request that
the Dock Board would make such observations as they
might have to offer on the expediency and practicability
of the scheme. The committee were of opinion that the
proposal was one of considerable difficulty, and if it were
adopted by the board would only be effectual in qualifying
the pilots, and in extending the license to the limits of
the present establishment. The committee were also of
opinion that if the subject was of such great importance
there would be some recommendation from the shipping
interest with respect to it.
Mr. SHAND moved the confirmation of the minutes.
Mr. LAIRD thought the wording of the resolution was
rather loose.
Mr. SHAND said the simple purport of it was that
they declined to consider further the proposal of the
Board of Trade, and gave their reasons for coming to
that decision.
Mr. GRAVES stated that a similar letter had been
receiveu uy tine sa, Lat,, Uall eOWC
resolution to the same effect as that now before the
meeting, because they considered that the effect of the
scheme, if carried out, would be to lessen their indi-
vidual responsibility of captains as shipmasters, or their
practical knowledge of St. George's Channel.

The minutes were then confirmed.
• DOCKS AND QUAYS COMMITTED.

This committee recommended that Edward Carey be
promoted from the post of pier-master to dock-master.
The minutes also embraced a recommendation that the
committee be empowered to advertise for another dock-
master.