The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-04-10 00:00:00

SPECIAL MOTIONS.

The following motion, of which notice had been given
by Mr. Alderman Bennett, stood next on the paper :
" That it be an instruction to the courts of law and St.
George's Hall committee, to prepare and submit a plan
and section of the space in front of St. George's Hall, ex-
tending from Islington to Elliott-street, and adjoining
streets, with the object of ascertaining how that space
can be best appropriated to the general convenience of the
public, as a central station for omnibuses, but with due
regard to securing the most efficient approaches to the
hall."

Mr. Bennett, in bringing forward his motion, said, he
had long paid attention to the subject of the omnibus
traffic of Liverpool, and on looking over with much care
the ordnance survey of the town, he had had his eye upon
almost every spare piece of ground sufficiently large to
accommodate that great and growing traffic. The large
space in front of St. George's Hall offered, in his opinion,
the greatest amount of accommodation. It could be
appropriate I without other cost than the adjusting of the
levels, which would be a public convenience upon every
score. It was sufficiently large, it was central, it had a
great many advantages of site, which would induce
parties to make even a large sacrifice to obtain. The
plan he had in his mind in reference to the proposition,
would work something in this way. All the long distance
omnibuses should come in as now, early in the morning,
and bring the merchants to the site of their business, the
Exchange, and the omnibuses leaving in the evening should
also start from the
.Exchange. But with these exceptions,
the whole of the long distance omnibuses throughout the
day should deposit, and take up their fares, in the neigh-
bourhood of St. Georges Hall, which would prevent
Church-street, Elliot-street, Lord-street, Castle-street,
and the other great leading thorougfares, from being so,
overcrowded with those cumbrous vehicles as at present.
He had no doubt that some spirited company,
or some individuals, would take up the traffic from the
centre of the town, and would employ light two-horse
vehicles to set down passengers in any part of the town
which best snited their convenience. He had not much
hope of carrying this motion at present, but if it would
turn the very serious attention of members of the council
to the subject, he thought the more they contemplated it
the more they would see the necessity of providing conve•
niences for this great and growing traffic. What would
not the inhabitants of the city of London give to have the
space around the Bank four times what it was ? What
would they not give, or the inhabitants of many other
large cities, to have as much convenient space as the
people of Liverpool now could have almost without cost ?
He nore 1 t' a' either on that, or some early day, a com-
mittee would be appointed to go into the matter and make
a report to the council.
Mr. Alderman S. Holme thought this a very extraor-
dinary motion. (Hear, hear.) IfMr. Bennett had brought
forward a motion for an alteration in the Well he would

have understood it. He should like to know how a lady
in her thin satin shoes was to be set down in front of St.
George's Hall during a thunderstorm. How would Mr. Ben-
nett deal with a gouty old gentleman, who wished to come
up to the Town Hall to receive interest upon his bonds ?
How could the time of the merchants be regulated who
were going up and down from one end of the town to the
other in a stream the whole day ? The subject was so
surrounded wi,h difficulties, that he was surprised the
worthy alderman should have brought it before the
council. (Hear, hear.)
"Mr. Woodruff thought the motion both impracticable
and unnecessary. (Hear, hear.) He thought the arrange-
ment made, by which omnibuses having come some
distance were allowed to stand for a quarter of an hour
in Castle-street, had worked very well.
Mr. Bennett said he had gained the object he sought,
in drawing attention to the subject, and therefore would
not, for the present, press his motion.
The motion was accordingly withdrawn.

Mr. Robertson Gladstone moved the following resolu-
lotion, of which he had given notice :—" That the council
chamber be enlarged by adding the present ante-room
and lobby thereto, according to the original design, a
plan of which is now in the possession of the surveyor.
That the lobby adjoining the keeper's apartment (east
side) be converted into an ante-room. That a new
passage, to complete the approach to the council cham-
ber, rendered necessary by this appropriation of the
lobby (now used as a passage), be opened by the removal
of the safe, &c., attached to Mr. Hughes' office. That,
with the view of providing increased accommodation, the
surveyor and borough engineer be directed to examine
and report to the Town-council as to the practicability of
converting the basement of the town-hall to the purposes
of offices, safes, &c., so far as may be consistent with
what is requisite for kitchen purposes, &c., in connection
with the Mayor's entertainments."

In moving the resolution, Mr. Gladstone said that he
thought, from the remarks that had fallen, on various
occasions, from other members of the council, he would
have very little difficulty in satisfying those who might
possibly entertain doubts of the necessity for these
alterations—of the impurity of the atmosphere that they
breathed, after sitting in the room for several hours, and
of the ineffectiveness and imperfection of the system of
ventilation. He was not aware, until lately, that there
were in the possession of the surveyor two plans showing
that the original design for the council room was pre-
cisely that which he had ventured to suggest some four
years ago, when feeling the effects of the vitiated state of
the atmosphere of the room. For himself, personally,
having suffered both on the days of the council meetings,
and still more on the succeeding days, he could speak
with confidence of the almost poisonous condition of the
air they breathed. Mr. Gladstone then entered into
the details of his subject, and proved how ill-adapted
and inconvenient the present council chamber was for the
purposes of their meetings.

Mr. Alderman Bennett thought that with the pres ent
ventilating apparatus, any alteration of the room was
unnecessary.

Mr. Woodruff supported the motion, but suggested that
they should first try the concert-room in St. George's
Hall, whichwas every way suitable for their meetings, and
where they could recognise a constitutional principle by
admitting the public to their discussions.
Mr. Alderman Dover, and Mr. 'fathead, supported the
motion, and stated that after attending the meetings of
the council they suffered from violent headaches.
Mr. Hornby thought the change unnecessary, urging
that the inconvenience at present suffered had been
exaggerated by the preceding speakers.
Mr. Alderman Parker admitted the inconvenience of
the council chamber, and agreed with Mr. Woodruff, that
the new concert room in St. George's Hall would be an
excellent place for their meetings.
Mr. Alderman S. Holme observed that it would be im-
possible for them to hold their meetings in St. George's
Hall, as they would not have the opportunity of consult-
ing the various documents, plans, &c., in the surveyor's
office, which, during the deliberations, they would have
frequent necessity of doing. Both he and his brother
suffered very much when attending meetings of the
council, but he thought it would be better to have a re-
port from the surveyor before doing anything in the
matter.

Mr. W. Earle suggested that they might, as an experi-
ment, hold one or two meetings in the drawing-room. The
evils of the present chamber were so great that they should
be remedied.

After some further discussion, it was agreed to refer
the whole subject to a select committee, composed of Mr.
It. Gladstone, Mr. Bennett, Mr. W. Earle, Mr. Picton,
Mr. J. Holme, Mr. S. Holme, and the mayor.
The council then separated.