The Express.
London, England, 1867-10-01 00:00:00

THE CITY DINNER QLESTION.

Yesterday evening a numerously attended meet-
ing of clerks was held at the London Tavern, " to :mist,"
as the circular oonvening the meeting stated, " in the
formation of a club or company for the establishment of
dining•rooms for the use of clerks, at which the tariff of
priors shall be low, and the provisions supplied of the
best kind."

Mr. Alderman COTTON presided, and in commencing
the proceedings said the object of calling this meeting was
to form a club or an association, by means of which they
could get a good and comfortable dinner for a shilling.
When, 30 years ago, he came to London be used to get a
good and comfortable dinner—a dinner which, alderman
as he now was, he remembered with gusto—for a shilling,
without the waiter's fee, and if he bad jam tart, and it
was jam tart In those days, a penny extra. Besides a
good dinner it was n that they should have a corn-
able dining-room. In fact, in the words of the poet,
"" Unquiet meals mar the digestion." He bad nothing to
do with the financial part of the question, that would be
spoken to by others. He thought their great difficulty
would be to find convenient premises in the business area,
but if they could consent to go outside that area baba(' no
doubt they could get comfortable rooms. He thought if
it were brought to the notice of the merchants, hankers,
and traders of this great city that it was the earnest wish
of those in their employ that they should have comfort-
able dining-rooms they would take shares in sufficient
lumbers to carry out the scheme.
Mr. G. W. SHARP said there were two modes of carrying
out their object named in the circular, one, the establish-
meat of a club, and the other the establishment of a com-
pany; and after careful consideration they had come to the
decision that it would not be desirable to establish a club.
They thought that a limited liability company would be
the best, and they proposed to give &luncheon for not more
than sixpence, and a dinner for ninepenee or a shilling,
giving a considerably larger amount of solid food than they
now got for fit teen or eighteen pence,. The shares would be a
pound each. He moved a resolution affirming the neces-
sity of cheap dinners for clerks, and that en association be
formed to be called the "Clerks' Dining Association
(Limited)." _ .

Mr. LOYD Jogs said he had been asked to take part in
the proceedings of this meeting, because for some years he
bad been paying attention to co-operation in the north of
Ragland, and to Mr. Cachet's system of dining the popula-
tion of Glasgow. Co-operation succeeded among the
mechanics in the north, and why should it not among the
darks of London. He did not think that the dinners pro-
vided at Mr. Cubit's rooms in•Glaegow would do for Lon-
don, upeople must have what they were accustomed to, but
still a good dinner, suitable to the tastes of the London
people, ought to be had for a shilling ; and a luncheon, •
plate of meat, • piece of bread, and a fair glom of beer, for
somewhere about sixpence.
The resolution was agreed to.
Mr. M`Knetac moved a resolution, pledging the meeting
to support the association.
Mr. BI.OXHAN, in seconding it, said he did not see why
dinners could not be obtained in London for as little as
Mr. Corbet gave them in Glasgow and M. Duval gave
them in Perim He had had an emOellent dinner at M.
Duval's for ninepence.
Mr. Manna moved that the capital of the association be
25,000 f., in shares of one pound each, ss. to be paid on
application, re. on allotment, and the remainder in calls
of 2A. 6d, each, at intervals of not less than a month.
Mr. DAVIDSON seconded the resolution.
Some discussion followed, in the course of which some
speakers doubted the advisability of forming a company,
and expressed an opinion that the shares would be bought
up by speculators, and the company would be carried on
for the mere purpose of gain, and the object of the asso-
ciation would be frustrated ; and one or two expressed an
opinion that the proposed capital wan unnecessarily large,
but eventually the resolution was carried sees din., and a
committee of clerks was aointed to carry out the object
of the meeting ; after wh a vote of thanks to the chair-
man, which was carried by acclamation, concluded the
Proceedings.

A finely laid out public park, originated by a
legacy of 2001. by the late Mr. Garden Mitchell, Edin-
burgh, to the city of Brechin, with a contribution of 1001.
from the Ea of Dalhousie, and • grant of eight acres of
the Caldhame fens, and aided, too, by general subscrip-
tions to the amount of above 1,2001., was opened at
Brechin by the Earl of Dalhousie on Saturday afternoon.
The day was fine, and was observed in the town as •
general holiday. A preemies of upwards of 2,000 per-
sons, including trades, factory operatives, masonic, and
other bodies, paraded the principal streets, and afterwards
met at the grand stand in the park, where there was a ,
large assemblage of gentry of town and district, including
the Earl of Dalhousie, Lady Christian Maul*, and Miss
Newsy, flow Brechin Castle the Provost and magic-
bates, cantonal the park, ka
Tug WARD OF iißTDOß.—Yesterday Mr. Joseph
Gaston was elected to fill the *Mee of alderman of this
Ward. newt by the resigastics el Mr. Alderman AMA's.