The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-03 00:00:00

CITY CORPORATION COMMISSION.

the coMraimioners met yesterday in the room of I ;
the Judicial l'onsinittee of the Privy Council.
Mr John therim Traven was swops, and gave the
w Ore -lam a merchant of the City of Lon- ,
doe. Ih nz been one from my boyhood. 1 am cossetted
with the Fishiness. si Company. I have not taken much
interest in the corrration. I believe with most cf my ease II
that its narmgemant sad system is bed ; that it is bad, I
obsolote,:md were out. I weuldaweep it away altogether.
I would not Alban ate any municipal body in its place. I
would have merely 4 Chamber of Commerce, or something •
like that. I don'ts now what the opinions of the inhabit-
ants of the City may he. Most of my class wore.d, agree
wick me; bat 1 believe the small clan of shoekeepen
week' etill wish to retain tome municipal form. 1 think
that we have passed the time fur municipal institutions
every where. I think they are a nuisance now. I don't
think the higher cle-ses would devote the time fleet ssary
for the management of municipal business, or the: they
would undertake business which they did nut uccierstand.
Mew could gentlemen of the higher class undertake
the monegement of sewers, and things of :Ire sort.
My objection wou, ipply to all the unpaid maeistracy.
The high. r class iu L 'Eldon would not aspire to civic *Ace.
Tale Mr. Thomas l .ring, who stands confessedly amosteat
highest class in Daman, be would feel insulted by an offer
of the sailermanic ,town. I don't think if London were
brought under the municipal Corporations Act it would
make aay change in their feelings. In Liverpool gentle.
men of high char:weir accepted the of of mayor because
that ether conferred high commercial and poliiical privik
kites. put that w.< not the case in London, nor do I think
it desirable that it -heel,' be so. I believe that the office of
Lord Mayor might lie offered to 130 gentlemen in Landon
and refund by :eery one of them. In Manchester the
office of rigger is i. 'd by persons of high comma/n.l cha-
racter, but there is e great deal of difference between either
Liverpool or Mane.ester and London. In Loudon the
time of a merchant we much more occupied than in tither
Liverpool or M.uebester. I don't see why Lan-
des should not oa under the general government
of the country. lam not acquainted with the details
of manicipid basilic,. in the City of London. They manage
the police. I think the Metropolitan police is better
managed than the City police, and that it would be desir-
able to have the Coy police absorbed in the general system.
I think the system .f governing the City of London is
worse than it, man mement. Under the influences of public
opinion I believe the management of the corporation has'
improved. I have not attended to the management of the
corporate n funds. I believe the office of Chamberlain is a
perfect sinecure. Tice corporation has thrown impediments
in the way of commerce by the imposition of dues and tolls.
I know that to be t'.e case with respect to foreign fruit. I
don't know that I have any complaints to make myself, but
I have heard others complain. I don't think there is any
•adrantage in the connezion between the franchise and com-
panies. The fellowship of porters and such societies throw
great impedimenta iu the way of commerce. If the COrPO-
- were swept away it would be a most desirable con-

summition. I baiire that all persona belonging to my
class in the City of I.,indon arc most willing to forward the
chock. of Ibis Commission.
hlr. Arland was thew re•ealled, and his examinatices con-
tinuid-1 have to add to what I stated yesterday, that the
aldamee are jpveruon of the royal hospitals en the City, '
Christchurch, St. Bartholomew's, St. Thomas's, and others.
They also grant licerses for public-houses. These give
them great induenrc, and this may explain why the dace
of alderman is an object of desire. They bare some C.:arch
pitronage. The rectory of St. Peter's, Corebill, is in
their gift, and it is held by the son of an alderrnaw. The
chamberlain is or was an alderman ; the clerk to the sitting
justices was an alderman; the governor of the Dobton.
Prison was the nephew of an alderman ; the vicar af Christ-

chards, ditto; clerk of the fellowship of free porters,
nephew and partner of an alderman; surgeon to the :Ake
force, brother to an alderman's partner; comptroller, lee a
common councilman , solicitor, ditto; high bailiff, ditto;
cornetist:epee of police, ditto; sword-bearer, ditto; secre-
tory to the Irish Society, ditto; two bridge masters, ditto ;
keeper of the Gress-yard, ditto; housekeeper at the Ses-
sions-house, ditto; keeper of the Monument, ditto; uphols-
terer, ditto ; clerk of the Court of Requests, ditto ; common
Cliff, ditto; fruit meter, ditto; beadle of Coal Eze.angs,
son of ditto; clerksitter, ditto; clerk to the Navigation,
ditto; Gresham lecturer, ditto; City carpenter, dim); one
of the clerks to the Commissioners of Sewers, ditto ;
mesecoger to the Irish Society, ditto ; clerk to
corn meter in trust, son of a deputy ; district cur
veyor, ditto; eollactor of city mine dues, brother of a
common councilmen ; governor of Newgite Prison, ditto.
The appointment rests with a court of common council.
The chamberlain and the two bridgemasters are the only
oaken elected by the livery. The list I have read may be
easily intended; but such as it is, it shows selfishness which
justifies the bad odour in which the corporation is generally
held. There may be, and there are, no doubt, some who
are opposed to this system. The court of common council
has bees reduced sines the last report from 240 to 206.
This does not include the 26 aldermen. This reduction was
made inconsequence of an ordinance of the court of common
council.

The Chairman.
mcomea council.

now to the constitution of the

The covet of common council consists of 206 members,
who are elected annually, and 211 aldermen, who are
elected for life. The elections of common councilmen are
generally preconcerted. The nomination lists are agreed
to at precinct meetings, and if any other person is proposed
besides those agreed to at the precinct meetings, he is
looked upon as an intruder, and his name is placed at the
bottom of the list. I am not aware of any ease of
direct bethery is the election of common councilmen.
There is at least a semblance of popularity end purity in
all elections of themselves by that body. Great influence be-
longs to the Common Council, on account of the patronage
which it exercises. This influence is principally exercised
In the committees, of which there are about 20. The sum
of 2,825 L is usually voted foe these committees. They are
paid either in meal or malt. They receive either money
payment or are paid in dinners, swasehoppinge, trips oil
the Thames, and the like. A certain sum of mon yis np
propriated to each committee, the total sum amounting to
2,8251. Most of these are standing committees, but some
are for special purposes—for example, tbe Wellington com-
mittee. It is for the permanent committees that the per-
manent annual sums are voted. AU the permanent com-
mittees are not paid. There is one consisting of 41 members,
which has no payment; and the consequence be that theta is
the utmost difficulty in getting a quorum. There is ano-
ther committee which has Oa to spend. They go to Kew,
or to Windsor, or somewhere else, arid spend it in a grand
ate in the summer ; and then, when the money is eU gone
there is the same difficulty in getting a quorum as is expe-
rienced in the ease of the committee which has no money.
It is distinctly understood that the money is to be spent
in feasting. Not every member of the Common
Council is a member of a committee, but some
are members of al, and the great fight is to be
elected members of those committees which have meet
money to spend. Hence the formation of cliques in the
court. This is the nature of the corruption exercised in
the Common Council. There is another subject of some
Importance to which I wish to refer. In Iti49 the consoli-
dated committee made a report to the Common Council, the
purport at which was that the newspapers had of late said
a great deal with respect to the corporation in no flattering
terms; that the members of the corporation had frequently
to come into communication with her Majesty's govern-
ment, who, in consequence of the newspaper articles, were
led to misunderstand the motives and objects of the corpo-
ration; and that it was extremely desirable that a s-m of
money should be voted to the consolidated committee to
enable them to put themselves right with the public through
the columns of the prem. The court received and adopted
that report, and voted that tho sum of 1,000/. should be
annually allotted to the consolidated committee far the at-
tainment of its purpose as set forth in that report. I be-
lieve the 4,0001. which have been spent in the four years
since 1919 bays been expended in the ordering of huadreds
of papers on occasions when the papers gave reports, which
they think satisfactory, of their proceedings. I am sure
that during these four years the Tunas has not fee, ived one
farthing of this money. The object in expending th.s money
was to &educe the newspapers to suppress in their reports
that which was unfavourable, and to give as favourable a
report as they could of what was in their favour.
Mr. Lewis—Are there nu details given of the expenditure
Of this money ?
Certainly not. There is a great deal expended which is
not published.
Mr. Lewis—Do you know who has the management of
the details of this expenditure ? Assuming that certain
copies of the newspapers are sold, who is to decide what
papers are to be selected ?
The members of the coesnlidated committee.
Mr. Lewis—Do you believe that the question is brought
before the committee, and that a vote is taken upon it ?
Witness—l believe that there are certain member, of the
committee who have the confidence of the rest, and that
any intimation front them that there is a satisfactory report
in such a newspaper, or that it contains a capital artico in
favour of the corporation, is followed by the ordering of
five hur.dred copies I don't know the particular men
who managed this. I believe that sometimes one and
sometimes another has done so. The consolidated com-
mittee consists of fourteen aldermen and the Lord Mayor.
Besides this 2,825!. there was 5001. voted far the procession
on the Thames, on which occasion there was a ere it deal
of pea cheer and feasting. Very much of the ..1,e2.51. is
expended in hotels on dinners for the committees and cor-
poration officers.
The Chairman—Will you now state what you know of
the canatdation of the common hall ?
Mr. Ackland—The common hall is an ancient coon which
has been invariably held in Guildhall, and it consists of the