The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-24 00:00:00

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

(FROM OCU OWN CORRILSPONDENT.)
Yesterday afternoon the quarterly general meeting
of members of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce was
held at their offices, Ezehangehuildings ; 111.7(in
Esq., President of the Council, in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, in introductng the business of the day,
said that the attention of the council had been called during
the past quarter to many subjects of great importance to the
mercantile worli, but none were of greater moment to the
interests of commerce, and to thou of Liverpool especially,
than the questions of customs reform, commercial tribunals,
and an amen !aunt in the system of administering the mer-
cantile lew. After reviewing the operations of the council
in relation to these subjects, he called on the secretary to
read the report for the last quarter.
Mr. Mousers then read the report, which contained a
statement of the views of the council on the various sub-
jects of customs reform, mercantile law reform, postal re-
form, and an amendment of the patent law. In reference
to the Brat subject, the report alluded to the parliamentary
committee which sat towards the clo-e of the lest session,
and recommended that the head board in London should
consist of not more than live conamissionere, one of whom
should sit in parliament, aid at least one should he a man
of large practical commercial experience ; it was also re-
commended that the collector, comptroller and head in-
spector, at each of the chief ports, should form local boards
with power to dispose of all eases of disputed duties within
the jurisdiction of each, where the sum or proporty in dis-
pute may not exceed 1001., reserving a right of appeal to
the head board of London, or to the Lords of
the Treasury. In order to afford increased faci-
lities for the transit of goods, it recommended that power
should be given to the local boards to decide on the nature
and extent of examination of goods which would be neces-
sary on application being made to them. The practice of
requiring vessels of small size to procure a license to go
beyond given distances from the coast was recommended
to be abolished, inasmuch u it is no longer applied to coast-
ing vessels, the smaller craft, swift stesmers, or foreign
vessels of a like description. The council again urged at-
tention to the hardship of making owners and employers of
ships responsible for the acts of their servants in smuggling,
or other infraction of the customhouse laws, where such
acts can be proved to be beyond the control or cognizance
of the owners or employers. After referring to many other
subjects, chiefly of a local character, including an effort on
the part of the councio. to procure increased facilities
in the postal communication between Liverpool and
Scotland, the report directed the attention of the
chamber to the necessity that exists for every possible faci-
lity being given to the expansion of the export trade—a
trade which Liverpool has se long enjoyed, and which, of
late, has been considerably diverted to London. Allusion
was also made to the corn trade, especially in regard to the
excessive charges incurred at this port on the importation of
grain and Sour, which were stated to be considerably higher
than those of other ports. The report concluded by an-
nouncing the presentation, by the Commissioners of the
Exhibition of 1831, of a set of 16 volumes of the trade cir-
culars and lists of prices of the exhibitors, and illustrated
by lithographed and engraved plates.
Wm. Snows, Esq., M.l'., moved the adoption of the
report. In reference to the allusion made to the subject of
Customs Reform, he quite concurred with the recommen-
dations of the council, and it was satisfactory to know that
Mr. (Methuen and others had expressed their decided
opinion that the evidence from Liverpool was the best
of any laid before the committee. (Hear, hear.) Upon
some of the points in the report, as the chamber was
aware the committee's labours were not concluded till a late
period in the session, he (Mr. Brown) had considered it his
duty to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who had
forwarded a very courteous reply, saying that he had read
the Reports of the Liverpool Council with great care, and
that they afforded many very valuable suggestions. Still
he must remind the chamber that if they wanted to obtain
acts of parliament, they must not look to their neighbours
to procure them ; they were not to be procured without ex-
passe' and he trusted the merchants of Liverpool would
contribute their share towards the repeal of '23 oppressive
acts, and the passing of one serviceable and just enactment
on the subject. Mr. Brown next alluded to the evidence
given by Mr. Travers before the committee, in which be
stated that the merchants of Liverpool were unreasonable,
and showed that this port labours under many disadvan-
tages under the Customs law, from which London, Dublin,
and Bristol are exempt. Referring to the topic of mercan-
tile law reform, noticed in the report, he trusted soon to
see the adoption of simple means for the redress of
wrong, and fewer formularies for the recovery of right.
(Cheers.) He regretted the objectionable nature of some
of the clauses in the Passengers Act Amendment Bill, and
trusted that in the next session some action would be taken
to remedy all well-grounded causes of complaint against
that useful measure. In reference to the subject of railway
charges as connected with the export trade, he must confess
that, although a propri-tor of the London and North
Western Railway, he did think it unfair that the mileage
charges between Manchester and Liverpool should be so
much greater in proportion than those between Manchester
and London; the rates for loading and unloading having
been fixed and equalised, he considered that the mileage
ought to he the same. (Hear.) Mr. Brown next alluded
to the act passed last session, called Lord Campbell's Act,
and stated that it had been admitted even by the President
of the Board of Trade that the measure required revision;
and so prejudicial was it to the interests of shipowners, that
one firm in this town (Messrs. bi'lver and Co) told him
they had sold out their shares in no less than de steamers
rather than incur such risks as that act rendered them
liable to for any misconduct on the part of their servants.
Allusion had been made to a cheaper system of ocean
postage, a subject in which he (Mr. Brown) had long taken
an active and high interest; and he might state to the
meeting, that at an interview between a deputation of the
American Chamber of Commeree, accompanied by Sir John
Burgoyne, and the American Minister, the latter had pro-
mired to ums the subject upon the attention of his govern-
ment at Washington; and though he had great doubts
about the rates being reduced so low as the deputation
seemed to consider they might be, yet whatever could be
done in the business should receive the best attention of the
proper authorities in the United States. There was another
paint in mane:ion with this subject that might prove inte-
r/Ming le the meeting. He had recently received letters
he slorrespondents is New York, who stated that Mr.
Batts--who is the American Rowland Hill—had been so
much engaged recently in his efforts to secure an additional
grant to the Collins line of steamers, that he bad re•
framed from pressing on the attention of the government
at Weehingten the policy of reducing the rates on ocean-
postage ; but now that the additional grant to the Collins
line had bean caviled, Mr. Bates would give this subject
the whole benefit of his powerful assistance. (Cheers.) On
the subject of the patent laws, though he might differ in
opinion from the majority of the chamber, he could not
avoid stating his belief that those laws altogether were pro-
ductive Of greet tajury to the nation at large. The report
had made allusion to the necessity of obtaining some reduc-
tion on the heavy rates of pilotage now charged upon
steamers, and vessels towed by steam. There was certainly
plenty to complain of in this respect in the Mersey, but the
pilot service, n the Downs particularly, required some
amendment and supervision, and the notice of the subject
by the Council would confer a benefit on the mercantile
community at large. (Cheers.) The hon. gentleman next
referred to the light dues, to the decimal coinage. and to
the grant for removing the Swilly Rocks ' • and concluded
an address which was listened to throughout with the tit•
most attention and respect, and at its conclusion elicited
considerable applause, by urging on the merchants of Li-
verpool to support, both by their name* and funds, their
Chamber of Commerce, which, unlike almost any rub, r lo-
cal association, was looked upon in London with the great-
est deference and respect.
Mr. T. B. Housestt' M.P., rose to second the adoption
of the report. He went over the various subjects embraced
therein, commenting thereon at some length as he pro-
ceeded, and perticularly dwelt upon the hardship of making
the owner of a vessel liable to punishment for the miscon-
duct of a captain or chief mate. If the latter infringed the
law, he would say, let the penalty be upon them, and if
they could not pay let them be sent to gaol, the same as in
' any other ease, as a coachman for instance. Upon the
question of postal reform, Mr. Hursfall stated that he had
found the delivery of his letters so much delayed at Derby
that he wrote to the postmaster on the subject, and
had received for answer that he must write to his cor-
respondents in Liverpool not to poet their letters
until after the departure of the 7.15 p.m. train
to Manchester, when they would reach hint sooner than if
sent by that train. (Laughter.) In his simplicity, however,
he had thought that quite as easy a method would have
been for the postmaster to direct that the letters should be
sent by the train that would convey them the soonest to
their destination. After some ether remarks, Mr. Horsfall
resumed his seat amidst general applause.
The CHAIRMAN then put the motion for the adoption of
the report, which was carried unanimously.
Mr. Burt moved, and Mr. Arnold seconded, a resolution,
regnesting the council to solicit a renewal of the good offices
of Lord Malmesbury, In reference to the twee' sustained by
British merchants at Vera Cruz and Tampico.—Adopted.
Mr. Boucle then delivered a long and able speech on the
Customs question, and after the transaction of some other
business the Chamber dissolved, with a vote of thanks to the
chairman, and to Messrs. Brown and nonfat!, M.P.