The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-10-08 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL FINANCIAL REFORM
ASSOCIATION.

At the weekly meeting of this body, on Thursday, a gentle-
man, well qualified from :his position, talents, and character, to
give weight to the council, and promote the common cause, Was
named as willing to become a member, and to attend regularly,
if appointed. The election was postponed until the next meet-
ing, in order that due notice might be given.
THE NATIONAL STEWARDS AND THE PUBLIC MONEY.—
The financial tract, just out, entitled "Fiscal Doings of the
effect
manner, by
calling Session," publicwas attention, s p oke n
ofi
na as c n likelynec tt d o produce
consecutive
to the very slovenly way in which the monetary business of
parliament is conducted—to the ignorance of Ministers them-
selves as to the real necessity for the sums which they demand
on estimates prepared by their subordinates, on whom they have
no sufficient check—to the custom of demanding far popular
objects more than is wanted, in order to appropriate the surplus
to purposes for which money is net so readily granted, and to
the gross neglect of this most important part of their duty by
the national representatives, with some few honourable excep-
tions. An Lbsent member wrote thus On the subject :—" The
last tract, though, to the eye, it looks a dry repast of debates,
is sure to toll, if read. Every paragraph is an eplgriim of just
censure on our mock stewards." It is one of the worst symp-
toms of the " Honourable House," as at present constituted,
that the handful of honest and energetic men who strive,
zealously and perseveringly, to check public extravagance,
and insure something like ministerial responsibility in the
management of public money, are looked upon as
prying troublesome fellows, whom it is the interest of
all parties in the House to discourage and put down in every
possible way. With a view to shame the unfaithful portion of
the national stewards, by presenting them with a full picture
of their own doings in committees of supply, it was resolved to
send copies of the tract to members of parliament, not sub-
scribers to the association.
PLAN OF PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.—A letter from
zealous reformer, resident in London, was laid before the
council. The following extract will show its tendency :—" In
political matters, our country seems to be in a very anomalous
condition. There appears to be no'coming man' in the
House, and, what is worse, none in the country. There is
much deep dissatisfaction, and struggling indignation, amongst
the people, but no well-defined political agitation—for there
aro no popular leaders to give voice to public feeling. The
government of the country is infamous ; the people are very
far in advance of their rulers in home, colonial, and foreign
policy, and in administration ; but they can exercise no
efficient control, for they have no adequate representation.
Many of the constituencies are too largo for good men to
contend, and others too small for honest men to stand any
chance with, whilst the qualifications now required by law
disfranchise great numbers of the most eligible ; and thus tho
House of Commons has become the representative of the
aristocracy rather than of the people. Parliamentary reform
would seem to be the one great essential remedy for these
evils ; but the term has been hackneyed for many years,
unaccompanied by any action, and without any result. It
has, therefore, ceased to inspire the public with zeal, or the
House with respect, or to tempt political leaders to identify them-
selves with it. I want, therefore, to induce the doing of
something which shall glaringly manifest its necessity
and its feasibility, and shall, at the same time, be calculated
to raise up troops of zealous advocates in place of its present
supine adherents." With this view the writer suggests the
organisation of a popular movement, the object of which shall
be to obtain for populous districts, in and about li,ondon, now
either unrepresented or swallowed up in the mammoth metro-
politan boroughs, that representation in Parliament to which
they arc at least as fairly entitled as Tewkesbury, Eversham,
and other petty places, with their six or seven thousand Wm,
bitants. He anticipates that the presentation of petitions from
such districts, at the opening of the next session, demanding
thirty or forty additional representatives for the metropolis
alone, would make a good impression both on the house and on
the country. He recommends a similar movement in
Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, and
other large towns, either for additional members, or division
into separate boroughs. To make room for these additional
representatives, he does not propose to disfranchise any
borough ; but, taking as a general rule, or principle, that every
50,000 inhabitants should have one representative in
parliament, he suggests that in all cases where the population
of any borough falls below that number, it should he dealt
with in one of the two following ways :-1. " If, by adding to
it some adjoining borough, or the towns, villages, and country
districts around it, the population can be raised to 50,000, then
that it shall return one member only."-2. " If, by these
means, the population cannot be raised to that number, then
that they shall cease to exist as separate boroughs, but shall
possess the elective franchise for the county, or division of a
county, in which they may be situated." The writer urges,
as the foundation of such a movement, the principle that " the
elective franchise is a personal, not a property right ;" and on
this head he says, " Every person subject to the laws
is entitled to a voice in the making of the laws, and
therefore to be represented in the house. It was so originally—
it is so still constitutionally, though modern legislation
(especially the Reform Act of 1831) hastened more and more
to convert the personal right into a property qualification. All
men aro entitled to be represented, but none are entitled to
several representatives; there should, therefore, be no plurality
of votes—no one man sending his two representatives from a
borough, and ten or twenty more from several counties. Every
man should vote once and once only, and that in or for the
place in which lie actually resides. The personal character of
the franchise should always be insisted on. It will let in all
who are not physically or morally disqualified; it will lead to
the abolition of all property qualifications; and it will
effectually assimilate the right to vote in counties and boroughs.
We may then retain the names of the boroughs and counties ;
but, in fact, they will have become electoral districts ; and the
abolition of the extra votes now given by freeholders in towns
and counties will operate a great change in favour of good and
liberal government, in contradiction to aristocratic and corrupt
government. The reading of the letter gave rise to a brief
discussion, during which—though the subject does not, strictly
speaking, come within the province of the association—a
general concurrence in the views of the writer, with some ex.
ception, was expressed. It was held that the true principle of
representation was to be found in the division of the country
into electoral districts ; and it was mentioned as a thing per-
fectly monstrous, that such a place as Liverpool, having,
notwithstanding all the restrictions and limitations on the
franchise, 20,000 voters on-the register, should have no more
voice in the legislature than one of the petty boroughs—many
of them almost entirely the property of individuals, which
have only some few hundreds of electors.

THE INCOME AND PROPERTY TAR.—Attention was called
to an attack on the association, contained in an editorial article
published by one of the local papers, the drift of which seems
to be, that, inasmuch as there are infinite vanities in nature,
—the world being diversified with frozen regions and sunny
climes—the seasons with storm and sunshine—and some races
of men shivering under polar blasts, whilst others are basking
on the vine-clad hills, or in the genial valleys of the south—
therefore it is quite in accordance with the fitness of things
that whilst some men pay taxes others should escape payment,
and the rigid equality to which the Financial Reform Associa-
tion wishes to reduce the tax-liable world, would be a cruel,
harsh, tyranical, and anomalous state of things, completely
opposed to the order of nature ! The writer does, in fact,
plead for the retention of " sunny places," in the which those
who are so disposed may luxuriate without interruption from
the tax gatherer ; and he is clearly of opinion that, though
.those who pay their taxes faithfully may be very honest, they
are, at the same time, very foolish fellows. The attack was
deemed unworthy of notice—the logic and grammar of the
assailant being quite upon a par with his morality—excepting
as an opportunity for ventilating the subject of Direct versus
Indirect taxation. It is the principle of the Financial Reform
Association that every man ought to contribute fairly and
equally to the necessities of the State, according to his means ;
and they hold that this desideratum can only be effected by a
properly regulated system of direct taxation, the nature of
which they have indicated in several of their publications.
They have also shown, as they believe, that, by the abolition
of all taxes on commodities and materials of manufacture, all
classes of the community would be benefited, the burden of
taxation would be lighter than it now is, and the material
wealth and resources of the country would be developed almost
indefinitely, whilst the people, knowing the full amount of
what they paid, would look far more carefully after the expen-
diture of the government than they do now, though paying
much more indirectly, and, therefore, unconsciously, in almost
every article they consume, and in the loss of business and
employment, than they would even be required to pay under a
just and proper system of taxation. The advocates of indirect
taxation allege, as one of its recommendations, that under it
people can abstain from using taxed commodities, and thus
tax themselves as much or as little as they please. It is true
that they can do so, without immorality, but the system itself
is essentially immoral, because it is unjust. No man should
have the option of evading his fair share of the public burdens ;
and, therefore, the public revenue ought not to depend mainly,
or even in any considerable degree, on indirect taxation. As
to the public writer who contends for the privilege of evading
direct taxation, by means of false returns, he must have done
so from want of reflection, or in joke, for ho can hardly be
serious in advocating downright falsehood and dishonesty.
There was some conversation as to the best means of rectifying
returns supposed to be erroneous. Mr. Jeffery said that in
his evidence before the parliamentary committee, given on
behalf of this association, he had suggested what he considered
to be a remedy for the evil. His plan was briefly thus—.
there should be an assessor, with power to surcharge, if returns
were made not in accordance with what he considered to bo right,
and the power of appeal should be to commissioners, in whom
the public would have just as much confidence as in the judges
on circuit. There should also be certified accountants, to
whom the person surcharged might go, after explaining the case
to his solicitor ; and, under the certificate of the accountant,
the assessor should have power to amend the return ; whilst,
it he were not satisfied, but still insisted on the sur-
charge, an appeal should lie from his decision to the
commissioners, before whom there would be nobody present
but the person surcharged, his solicitor, the certified accountant,
and the assessor. A letter, from Mr. A. Neilson, in the
Mercury, taking exceptions to the course recommended by the
association with regard to the property tax, and urging in pre-
ference his own plan, whichincludes half a dozen different
rates of charge, was
.briefly noticed at a previous meeting. It
would appear that this gentleman has not given himself the
trouble to investigate the general question of superceding
indiiect taxation altogether, but has confined his, attention to

divising remedies for the inequalities in the present partia
system of direct taxation. His sliding scale is obvionsll
impracticable, from its complexity. If the tax is to be teniPa'
rary only, the experiment would not be worth the trouble
attending the making of it ; whilst, if the tax is to be peons'
nent, something far more comprehensive, though vastlyll awl°
simple, than Mr. Neilson seems to contemplate, wib.
required.
THE CONSULAR SY:el'ENL—It was mentioned,
commentary on Lord Palmerston;s recent declaration ia
House of Commons, that the utmost care is riot taken in see?
that none but properly qualified persons are made ciinSuls ;
according to notices in the Gazette, a brigadier gecellde
recently been appointed consul general at Warsaw, where tll,l
re
is no trade,—a captain in the navy consul at Naplee•*°"an „i,
colonel in the army consul at Hamburg. On the same Prino—tc,
pie government might, now and then, convert a merchant 1 r
a general of division, confer a bishqpric upon a commodoret_oo
the
translate translate a boatswain to a curacy. It was observed "
consuls, like ambassadors, ministers, and .diplomatic ageta
generally, were much more apt in getting up disputes,;
misunderstandings, than in either preventing or arrangiag!,°ebe,
No doubt Lord Pahnerston, if pressed on the subject, olne"
prepared to contend that military men are in every re
qualified for the porformanco of consular functions, ngbet
very best that could be chosen to discharge them. " -offr
thought the best way of reforming the consular:!-ihe
tens would just be to abolish it altogether; or,for
expenditure must Still be incurred, to pay the coasalsoo
stopping at home. Every body knew what sort of
many of the consuls in the Levant were. For his avalil,t ad
he had always found that merchants in foreign ports cticw"
much better without consuls than with theta.
resided for six years in what was considered to ho
ver a oi
disorderly country (St. Domingo), but there was ae,o4/
as a curiol
thing amiss until consuls were sent there, and then tbei
all abroad directly.

- tool
GARSTON LOCAL BOARD OF REAL

The usual monthly meeting of 'this body. Was oiltem
half-past four o'clock, yesterday, in the temporal
Aigburth—Mr. J. A. Tinne in the chair. lioeo
Other members present—Messrs. J. Cooper)
Pritt, and Watts. CO'
The minutes of the last meeting were read and
firmed. it air
From the proceedings of the works committeN, the
peared that the board had a correspondence W" afef
General Board of Health, in reference to obtahailiV_lo
to borrow money for the erection of public odle,es'odaseilif
the township ; and that Mr. G. Holtne and Air.
thhaeatcoownnssuil,tiepdinwcitohnnrselentioNnewwliathndtshaatsoftiloxttietegeruit, 4110
that they had agrei:d on the princiole od fi`
drainage of both districts should be effected. 0.,
Health Thhee
hChahadadisreemxnpat
rnoensose
ods
fe
hrvime(sl theire
himself
:a
set e
rk!sehredreo
eGw, Gen
neral
,I 3 cFecl: 1,51
enquire into the plans, &c., for the neor" P.eh";,isited if"
that
them. ..„008016/14
Mr. G. Holm stated that he had seen the e
Mr. Ranger, at the Adelphi Hotel, atld had aftervitiL
appointment, met him at the site of the proPes,,,e,.,-4,10t"p
ings. He seemed perfectly satisfied with the P',",aell
intimated that before the board in London
tain the application for the loan they should ham-as 1".
tailed estimate before them of the cost of the ea-",thel
the other works proposed to be erected. It Wai- tlir.
fore, necessary that they should advertise the Plow.
forward the estimates they would obtain to the
Board. friOr.
The Law Clerk was directed to coMmunicate -
Ranger on the subject. Oa&
In reference to the sewerage of the district, leid"j
mentioned that Mr. Newlands was now takieci.;tieunt
along the shore from the post office to the ',7f3
that he proposed to carry the sewBrage of Tei'et fo
th that direction, in order to get into the ggreeaao44
sewer put down in Dingle-lane some time age• ri,„- 0.1,10
Duncan had consulted with Mr. Newlands 140,80 f w-
and they had agreed to carry out the sewerag-
districts on the same principle.

THE PLANS FOR DRAINAGE.
erki
The following letter was read : g SA'astO
TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GARSTON BOARD or -oh
Sir,—l beg to submit to the consideration of 9,.,°4105e,,,
two drawings, illustrating the principle of ,h`o"-f
would recommend for adoption in the towns!"P:ogitT,'„o•
ton, in contradistinction to that approvalby the —och roe
On one is described a tank to be constructed hY„efrotsLo
prietor, for the purpose of receiving the deposh' ten/
water closets, &c., admitting the surface water qshif
oft into the street sewers. These tanks would prova • ota,s,
want emptying every two or three years, otatfrit
deodorized, and the soil removed under proper re.gto, 0 td
and where a cluster of houses and cottages, terwiteled
Aigburth Vale and Garston Village, a tang, '„"tistrelielf
the whole village or block of houses, can be 1"for wroe
in the most convenient place for emptying, and so.,9„str
the foreshore gives great facilities. Drawing P"ipe#
scribes the means already at your disposal for .aodlrtil
log the sewers, by means of a hose from the td Vhtrolo
now used for watering the roads, commuoieet',7ol3,eol
stand pipe attached to the sewers. In the pria°,lroro:o,
submitted lam sustained by the opinion of tnatili, sewcoe
men, in addition to the two whose letters on
will be found in the newspaper I forward to ir
which letters well deserve the attention of 9°lo 71
As I have no interest except that comtnen., pltibd
inhabitant of the district in submitting r°,pstia,„elt
think I am not asking too much in req,-. tine
board to comply with the following conditle'ils cola
that the drawing and papers accompanying the JP:
be retnrned to me at the conclusion of flooSee
meeting, my object is to have the principle I 1:1;;Ilatii,
cussed ; and, as the drawings so clearly explaining 10
principle is, I can see no utility in their retrlatilhier toile if
in the possession of the board. And, I have furl'".,,atte,(ol
that, if the board should determine to refer the "1. pfoi,
their two consulting engineers, as a ratePaYe.,:let.dlo
against that course, inasmuch as those
report, having, as I understand, committed td 10,100:
by their approval of the plan which obtaineitity.,
gentlenceose
premium, to the large drain system, cannot stnlo ti:!re,l
selves by the approval of one so totally oPPleret°
they have already subscribed to, and are not, t I,loa
fair tribunal to decide on the merits of the P h;Q11,0
enunciate.
Feeling assured that this matter of draihrte"' the/
whatever way it is done, will be a heavy tax °,PDOr •
payers, will meet with the consideration l_le1„,
demands, I remain, sir, yours, very respectin",.°6o A
Joo'‘
Mayfield, Aigburth, 6th October, 1856, ~, 10/'
Mr. Morris observed that the plan was rnerev P
of the old system of constructing cess-P,°°,l4 fre
moreover, which was all but completely extn°",;ote'_lstr
The Chairman thought that they were Pree'ihe r`"
dealing. with the question, in consequence 41 iffr
tions imposed by Mr. Gibb himself.
010 04
:hh,s ride
Mr. Watts could not say whether Mr. u""„/- ee,"041/4
a good one:or not, but, as he believed it vreentr du' 4
expenditure of the drainage of the districts
00 e
consideration.
,10
The Chairman said that Mr. Gibbs had ea--theo24%;
previously to submitting the plan now before ra
Mr. that he had assured M Gibbs that the 13°30sidej
prejudiced views, and that they would fully Isire,
plan laid before them. All that the board des °WA;
to drain the district in the best possible Wal'oanideer,
plan for such a purpose, involving, as it to alf?
tions of science, the board could not undertlear, 0 (A
without the assistance of their engineers. sod 3dor
Mr. Gibbs restricted them in that respects old
chairman), therefore, could not see how they
r 3 thepor
the merits of his plan.
Mr. Morris : Mr. Cooper will tell the htterlf'
nothing new in it, and that it is one we have 019
endeavouring to get rid of altogether. et 111101.°f
The Chairman: I told him that 7 would frotethrle
premises a tank at any price—that I suffereusotassoito,
fever in my family from what I believed Wag colij
the kind, and that on no consideration would / tole 0.
have such a tank enclosed on my grounds.,,„ntecl4olll
moreover, that even if such tanks were itUr"re
whole township, I would, myself, petition '°" • reno
my own land. ,401°,a1
Mr. Pritt suggested that they should, as "—jst,-01P,j,
the plan to Mr. Gibbs, and, at the same time'
him that they could not consider it unless he tooP'
40k
that they should refer it to their officers l° 01'0
had confidence. thnAt I
te,lo#
Mr. Morris said that the plans spoke for l'ef"sitr
and that a child might understand their toe' 0#
nothing new in them, and he was surprised "" AtiCeold
brought forward. old °el
Mr. Watts thought that anything that e°A-Amot
enormous cost of the drainage of the `',""re.l"-ottif
receive the fullest consideration before bei°°,0000010",
The Chairman replied that he was not et,' 04.4
enormous cost having been incurred, or e ,;( tP,"
it
plated, by the board ; but when a member.,sttVolr,
laboured under a misapprehension in the :-hoel:'ol(°,o%tt
not at all strange that the public outside ",:da,l9ll'r
two plans,
The board, it was true, had evi..3'43erP-et
but they were not committed •
any plan of sewerage, which, in fact, Al_asit vf°ol4#„o
laid before them. (Hear, hear.) He knew
cal idea that they were committed to 3.-0001ip A
expensive plan, but that was not the Ca,Se'eltte4 174)
the public would now be undeceived in th°4-10I'd Irn,
Mr. Watts observed that, he had altv,3Y-poelit grtir
when spoken to on the subject, that tne fee': *
committed to any plan, but still it wa roomed
township that they were about to Pexpensive system. that 4°o(
t,lO It
Mr. Morris remarked it was strange chi t 0 ntt.h
outside should have overlooked the fact thejefeed-0 del
plan, the cost would bo only
.ell,OOO, coeOtt.1.000"
board was not committed. As to 1•0' isP 000A 0
tanks, they would prove to be the greatest but to.oo,
and had been found so, not only by himself; OO r
(1, o
all Liverpool. He had to remove they° II
poi 0(
houses. his os'it•
Mr. Cooper said that he had a tank oThis
that it was a considerable distance froln, the 0t )
that account he was able to make use einuoehottrej,
agricultural purposes, but he certainly lir" his " 9 1,
ith IVA
tank cr covered cesspool in proximity vinsitles,oo4,o4 f
Mr. Morris characterised the Pr°P„itiot_„"h" e
absurd. The capacity of the tanks eeliwthouerleo 101,,
and the pumping of the water out, even Ave Ai"
sation should be attempted, would b
t. the j
intolerable nuisance.
,4 that 4 A
Mr. Standing (the surveyor) also sal"; pre 6"_.,, PrO
not new to him, and that he had before -°
td
opposed to cesspools about houses. motion e' he r"
Eventually it was resolved, on the h001".,..00110
seconded by Mr. Morris, that the Plansbsord
to Mr. Gibbs as desired, but that the
ni refeok•-
i tain them if he were willing to have 0T-the
engineers to report on.—This conclude'