The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-06 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL-YESTERDAY

The monthly and special
14%91114U, John Stewart, I

Mayor,

as held yesterday, in the
-, in the chair.

Oa the assembling of the council,
The Mayor formally announced the withdrawal of Mr
s bill. fie said : Probably we may congratni.,
selves that the principle which the bill e-
latid to have been scouted very generally
tia.rt_ot:.the House of Commons.
the,eeject is yet to be continued ; and
atoPaaliamentary notices given on Monday evening
%ongst thug is one by Mr. Lowe,
Olt Nittee to enquire into, and rope
la "It) and in what manner, the r
the
into
I°Cal charges upon shipping,n presentedn eto both houses
of
TParliament by corcniand of her Majesty, ought to he
iled out: 'lbis notice, was given for Friday next, the 7th
-`arell• Gentlemen will be quite aware that this motion
"e of the most important character, and the town clerk
Lett have have been here this morning, but I have received a
4-r°4l lam stating that this notice has been deemed so
tr-rLant that there is to be a meeting in London, to-day,
this town clerks of the several boroughs interested in
for 'hin"ition; and that, therefore, it would be quite impossible
ceder al to attend here, lam sure you will all admit that,
e the circumstance% he is much better engaged in London.
gear,rhe,ar.) have also received letters from Mr. Horsfall
tbd
a.'clo.lt, stating that they are quite impressed with the
t),O:—"y of the town clerk remaining in London. Each
4 ntleraen wrote me letters last night, stating that
thi 'e had postponed his motion until next Mona
Ilks before I sit down, it is my duty
tleaac Lb.'', to inform the council th
eeded the zeal, intelligence, '
thirrePresentatives, Mr. Horsfatt ann
tioo nlatter. (Hear, hear.) We have had daily communica-
th fibm them on the subject. Under t 1
matter being pending at present, it w
eat)i
to abstain from any substantive

TILE TOWN DUES

may be

by the respectable
hear.) However,
hold in my hand

to this effect : "eleet
t to the house to what

ations contained

as it is my

:ping could hay(
exhibited by botl

and abi

Mr. Ewart, in regard tc

circumstances of

be better for the

.solution. (Hew

Itt , THE PEDLAR'S MARKET.
Nan n.tuerman S. Holine : Before the proceedings of the
ootnrnittee are read, I think the council will extend
to 'le its iudulgence for a few moments, on matters personal
tee made
It has always been done, when any attack b-
the: on a member of this body, and I will, therefor,
ha-;4"e the liberty of statirm fin '

At the la

N,lte-,1 to make.
a II Was absent from my ,
ettee
ketke, as lead from a gent.
Of % `4` In that letter there wet
11. t nature which I cannot subm
eltt_ Position of that gentleman, as
ttirober of your dock committer
I t nnieneils and whose opinions arc looked up to with respect,
tett:4.'llle council still excuse me for a few moments, while I
toad "'in an explanation, or it may be a vindication of‘ my
eettpl_et.• In that letter, I find the following passage :—‘ The
theeiltglat against the ancient Pedlar's market, and. whichn.
that "f have been deemed its greatest recommendation, w
tehe'taf.teuants supplied its wares to the public on cheaper
8 till", modern private shops elsewhere, less acted on by
t6taPetit'o
of the i n Would ; and strange to-say that the purchasaner.
strangeetilar'S market, himself a member of the council, d d
tiObti4 advocate for its sale, continues, with a small de uc-
lksie;enkillinee, but increased accommodation, the same market or
thet--:11"-ee of stalls, standings, &c., which, in the
.possession of
Eo 4e." '?oration, Were so strongly objected to as being in j. urio.uis
tilloi-tilideshoPs. The same gentleman is known to inveigh
trod?: what he calls shops in St. John's market, and a heiri with those who are acquainted with council. tactics, for
Job tf,he influential author of the described partial wreck of
tlep-.9"tea Market." Now, this is an insinuation of a most
oft„,%-nerries character, and it is altogether unjust. The
eeeinee Which any person would draw from it, coming from
the; Mr. Eyre Evans, is, that I first induced the sale of
bowmarket--that I then became its purchaser—and
totwave exercised every influence in inducing the markets
beseech Ike ettee to destroy shops, that my own property may be
titstn,ed. This is a serious charge, and had I not been a
the a 7 of the council, I should have left to it, as an answer,
Ileaetre° of my life, instead of giving it a direct contradic-
%tith'
-5` I
tent, as one of those who are entrusted by the council
e Management of its affairs, and the sale of its property,
151 e,,, should stand sans peur et sans reproche.
Igtf; what are the facts ? On the 25th April,
roseint. the committee of the mat kets came to a
recoil) nnt that a wholesale market was necessary, and they
deetey'llend that the Pedlars' market should be sold towards
OUF--ing cost; the sale of it being also necessary to carry
Lae i
ISt. th 'l:prevenient of Elliott-street. There were presentiv
lre„,,at Meeting, I find, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Johnson,
since
deff-ruff, Mr. Wagstaff, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Ferguson,
ond Mr Briscoe, no longer a member of the council..l
the
the council
of May the proceedings came before
h,„„%-Tmatiun, when Mr. Bigham, seconded by Mr. Godfrey,
hd that the proceedings be not confirmed. The questiond
l rt to the vote, when for the amendment there appeare
kt'neagainst it, 23, and the proceedings were accordingly con-
ketesOn the sth Juno Mr. Bigham moved that the vote
cinded, and was seconded by Mr. C. timers.
.For that
seetien 17 voted, and 22 voted against it. Now, with refer-
tett tet°,4lny having been a strenuous advocate for the sale, I
When Yit was the year of my exclusion from the council,tbcar
Ither, 4.„ had no vote here. (Hear, hear.) That was edy
in
the " was excluded by the voters of Rodney-street war
the eltereise of their just prerogative, from the counclii for
'took
trt I took in the Rivington Pike question.
twee ge of that exclusion to make a tour on theconatnindelntdcidf
let tT I left England in the beginning offi. April,
Ilationf aro until he end of June, and the ist.intimation I
tisent. the sale of the Pedlars' market was by seeing an adver-
t, thest le
the public papers for the sale. I attended the sale
thehi", larendon room's, and purchased the property as being
bee r est bidder in a room full of gentlemen—and I say that
etntlin I were a member of the council, a member of the
thieits% 's not to be excluded from purchasing any property he
be ereper, if he purchase it by public auction. (Oi les
would
Ifeerf„il Because, otherwise, I think the council
Dotty— ",,d of the biddings of many gentlemen of large pro-
Lthat 011'' would be injured thereby. (Hear, hear,) I say.
thluels„ re lly much to be lamented that a gentleman of. Mr.
with with too should not make himself better acquainted reentsue mecum
stances of the case, before he indulges in state-
ittlsti Wit'eh have no other foundation than his own fertile
(Hear, hear.) Such statcmtnts aro most
•
Iltatielllaole, and such insinuations can only recoil upon i the
inobehrn who makes them. (Hear, hear.) Sir, I .
,tave
athtleatio.i
nYostteett:n this council my opinion that the corporation
shops for the sale of bread, and ham, an
auteetultrY, and other things of that nature in a public
it h it'll', intention in erecting which was, that
articles, But
reserved for the sale of perishable
totte%yreleieflenjade -nano! I beg most distinctly to state that 1
communication to the market incommitteei.t
netnesitt° any subject whatever, and I challenge the market
Oothie ee to deny this statement if it be not true. _
was
not th:e.bate"ver to do with the sale of the market, for I
influential England, and to the statement that I had been "ran
Marketauthor of the described partial wreck of St. John's
diciat'at I. give the most unqualified denial. (Hear, hear.)
Itreet my place in this Council that Great Charlotted-
,,4 tated-s
as with standings which ought to he removed, and
4te c0rtw.,"2,1, new. state again, that I thought it the duty of
44consuc."1".en, with reference to public markets, to provide
People ration for perishable articles brought in
.by country
hopite'enat not to become shopkeepers in opposition to the.
aPoleeizP__,ela of the town. Mr. Alderman Holme again
erf: 70 for having been compelled, by the remarks of Mr.
his seal. bring Milt subject before the council, and resumed
Th„
11.L.lect then dropped.
The Nt THE BIRKENHEAD DOCKS BILL.
is hillaYor said he had omitted to state that the Birkenhead
the kw' Was read a second time in the House of Commons
Ikea eiflnaa night without opposition, although opposition had
hb reateeed,
and notice given. (Hear, hear.)
Initutea of the last council meetings were thin read.
The FINANCE COMMIrTEE.
eee,_. proceedings of this co-nmittee were then read and
)71wed the following among other matters :
(47'bl:emendation to increase the salary of Mr. John
,Burr,elltl.aeibtor,
the town dues office,) from £l5O to £lBO per
ketit, the consideration of which was postponed at the last
council, pursuant to the standing orders.
2ftlert of the sales on leases for 75 years on the 27th and
ltimo.
),ff'grs Hornby, in moving the adoption of the proceedings,
e„,PoBtd,in the first instance, the increase of salary to Mr.
!ht' He observed that the finance committee had received
most satisfactory report from the receiver of town dues as
theeitintede in which Mr. Sure discharged his duties.
brocade Alderman Holine seconded the motion.
„fur' Robertson Gladstone said, at the last meeting of the
"eee.--4eil, he had ventured to make some ohjectio to this jn-
k ef +salary, and he felt it his duty since. to
_maso morehd
t° re-etilar enquiries into the nature of the duties Mr. Suer
ther,ferta• He found that these duties were more onerous
oe had been led to understand. So far as he was
he had
therefore, he begged leave to withdraw the objections
osd mad e•
e.
M~motion then passed.
Pros •
.11ornby then moved the confirmation of the general
the Leding*, and briefly drew the attention of the council to
tie op the itilt of the two days' sale of leases, which he declared to
.ap whole very satisfactory.
earl:a...Alderman Holme seconded the motion, which was

[strates,

and formerly a member of

COMHITEE.
The proceedings of this committee contained the annual
poll
onti. "Port of the head constable, of which we give a brief
-10..4° elswhere.
tll, ;C' Johnson moved the confirmation of the proceedings of
could eh committee, and stated that the accompanying. reporta co bo printed in the usual form, with the statistics, andia.
trtyt sent to each member of the council, to each of the magi
4:lit 1 and various local authorities and to other parties w
:ght aPPIy for copies.
Ili:. Alderman Parker drew the attention of the committee tot
ready
of lighting and sewerage at Newby-terrace, Belmon -
ma about which there was some quarrel between the
sok:tities of Walton and West Derby. He added, that
ladies residing there had threatened, unless he got

something done in the matter, to throw him into the wet
ditch. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
Mr. Robertson Gladstone drew attention to the scandalous
condition in which the horses of various omnibuses were kep t
by their owners. The police had laid a variety of informat'ons,
and on one ttvo occasions, both the police and Major Greig,
on receiving suggestions regarding particular instances of
cruelty, had done all in their power to put a stop to them.
He would ask the committee to keep the matter still before
the police, so that some atop might finally be put to the
grievous and shocking state which the public had, alniost
each day, to witness of animals which could scarcely crawl
along, and which were evidently most indifferently fed, for
one of the owners almost made a merit of giving his horses
the same allowance as the cavalry horses had, which was about
half the food they ought to have. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Hodson said the police had brought such cases before
the magistrates, and he complained rather of the decisions of
the magistrates than of the police.
Mr. Fernihough drew attention to the practice of carters
driving at full speed with ropes for reins, which sometimes
broke when at .a gallop, and he urged that the police should
endeavour to have the law enforced which ordered that reins
at least one inch in breadth should be used.
119 r. Johnson promised that the subjects mentioned by Mr.
Gladstone and Mi. Fernihough should be kept iu mind by the
committee. With regard to Newby-terrace, he stated that
the council had no land in front of that terrace, and unless
some arrangement could be made between the authorities of
Walton and West Derby, he feared the owners would have to
light for themselves. _

The proceedings were then confirmed

DOCK COMMITTEE.

The minutes of this committee were read

Mr. Charles Turner moved their adoption.
Mr. Earle complained of the charges in the Albert Dock for
the warehousing of linseed, which he declared were so high,
that the costs, above that in the open docks, would amount to
his house to about £3OO a year. lie also complained of
the letter he had received from the dock committee, which
merely informed bins that his letter had been laid before the
committee for warehouse management, and a report thereon

ng been received from the officers, the committee could

r.ot wake any abatement in the charges. That was such a
letter as might be received from Downing-street, giving no
information whatever. (Hear, hear, and laughter) No
reason whatever was given—it was quito ministerial.
(Laughter.)
Mr. Robinson said the rates passed by the dock committee
were published by the dock trustees, and an abatement could
in what had b6en once approved of and established.
t Earle had not taken into consideration the
him in the open docks, which would

It be mad

ied by the

.t the rates had been recently

)ck committee, and they could not, herefore

make any abatement in them. He did not thing the council
was the best tribunal to decide such questions, nor did he see
the use of bringing them forward.

Mr. Earle said he could get no redress from the dock com-
mittee, auk' be always thought it better to bring such matters
openly before the council, and have them ventilated.
.Mr. Turner said, of course it was open to Mr. Earle to take
any course ho thought fit, but he contended that the committee
could not make any abatemenl in that particular instance.

Mr. Earle : If you had au oil mill the rates would not be so
high. (Laughter.)
'I he proceedings were the❑ confirmed.

ET. GEORGE'S HALL COMMITTEE ...-ACCOMMODATION FOR

REPORTERS IN THE ASSIZE COURTS

The proceedings of this committee were read. The following
memorials, in reference to the want of proper accommodation
for reporters in the assize courts, were included :
TO the Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen, and Council of the
Borough of Liverpcol,

Worshipful Sir and Gentlemen,—
The want of accommodation in the St. George's Hall
Assize Courts, for the representatives of the press, is a matter
which, on public grounds, we take leave to put before you,
with a view to its immediate remedy. The accompanying
documents, written by gentlemen who have themselves expe-
rienced all the annoyance and inconvenience arising from this
want will sufficiently explain the difficulties thrown in the
way of reporters by the present system—or rather absence of
system—in the internal arrangements of the courts at assize
time. And the approach of another assizes suggests to us the
necessity of asking the intervention of the council, in order
that the important duties of the reporters may be discharged
to us, and to the public.
) remind the council that, in courts
is the representative of the
public; and .that any obstacle thrown in the way, by the
denial of proper accommodation or otherwise, tends to impair
its efficiency in that representative character, and to nullify
one of the chief objects professed by law, the teaching by ex

with satisfaction to themselves,

It is hardly necessat

of criminal judicature, the press

We readily admit the uniform courtesy, in respect of the
press, of the members of the St. George's Hall committee, and
their desire to meet its requirements by as large an amount of
available accommodation as possible. But other in-
fluences have hitherto interpoted to render this desire inoper-
ative for good ; and it is therefore we now ask the aid of the
council to provide suitable accommodation for the future.
We beg to append the following memorial. which we have
received from the Liverpool Press Associaion on this subject,
and also a number of letters.
CHARLES WILLMER, Northern Times.
M. J. WHITTY,. Daily Post and Journal.
THOMAS KA Et Courier.
RANOAL 110PLEY SHERLOCK, Mail.
MEMORIAL OF THE LIVERPOOL PRESS ASSOCIATION.
Sir,—lu conformity with a resolution unanimously adopted
by the Liverpool Press Association, we beg to lay before you
!lowing representation with regard to the deficiencies i❑

accomnudatio•r for the press at the aesize courts of
George's Hall, and to seek your co-operation in
ing the matter before the attention of the Town Council,

with the view of providing a remedy.
In the early part of last year, the reporters, thinking this
matter might be adjusted without the intervention of the pro-
prietors of newspapers, forwarded a memorial to St. George's
Hall committee, describing the inconveniences to which they
were subject, and suggesting a plan for obviating them.
Shortly afterwards, a deputation of the reporters was invited to
meet the committee at the St. George's Hall, and there the
accommodation for the press in both courts was fully discussed
in the courts themselves.

On that occasion, the reporters represented to the'committee
that neither in the Nisi Prius nor in the Crown Court was
there any place especially assigned —as in most other courts of
—to the representatives of the press ; that the seats
which they usually occupied at the attorneys' table were
occupied by the reporters only upon sufferance ; and that in
important cases, where of course close attention and continuous
writing were more than ordinarily required, these seats were least
of all available, the reporters being frequently ejected from them
altogether by the number of legal gentlemen requiring accom-
modation, or so disturbed by the movements of the lawyers
engaged in the case that they could not satisfactorily pursue
their duties.

This was particularly a matter of complaint in the Hopwood
will trial, during which some gentlemen of the press stood for
the entire day with no better table for their books and papers
than was afforded by the top of a hat or the lid of a deed
box. The difficulty experienced in taking notes, and in
transcription, under such circumstances you can readily
conceive. _

VV
The reporters feel hound to acknowledge the courtesy
which, on this, anti on the occasion of their other interviews
with the St. George's Hall committee, was manifested to them
by that body, and the desire which the greater portion of the
members displayed to meet the requirements of the public
press with as large an amount of available accommodation as
possible.
A second interview with the committee took place, and,
after several plans had been discussed, it was agreed that in
the Crown Court a seat should be formed expressly for the
representatives of the press immediately in front of the clerk's
table, and in an excellent position for hearing. The new
arrangement in the Nisi Prins Court consisted of a seat
beneath the petty jury box. These arrangements, confessedly
but experimental, were tested during the summer assizes of
1855, and the seats in the Crown Court found to answer every
requirement of the press ; while the only objection to the
arrangement in the Nisi Prins was that the number of re-
porters who could be accommodated at one time was very
limited.

Shortly before the last winter asifze the deputation of
reporters was again requested to attend at the St. George's
Hall, to meet the committee and a deputation from the Law
Society, upon the subject of the seats. The deputation from
the Law Society hal i,u that occasion an interview with the
cern i ttec, at which the reporters were rot p:,:scnt ; but it was
1 the deputies from the press that in
consequence of •:ements of the Clerk of the Peace for the
borough, and a communication from the Clerk of the Crown
—who urged_ that the interposition of a row of reporters
between the attorneys and the clerks of the court, and the
alterations in the table of the latter tended materially to inter-
fere with the public business—the committee felt themselves
bound to restore the fittings of the court to their original posi-
tion. While they came to this conclusion, however, they
expressed their willingness to afford the press the best accom-
modation they could, which would te consistent with the
requirement of the parties immediately engaged in the
administration of justice.
The Reporters did not think themselves justified in ques-
tioning the statements of the legal gentlemen as to the accom-
modation required by them. All they asked for themselves
was such accommodation as would enable them properly to
discharge their duties ; and when the grand jury box was
pointed out as the only available place for this purpose—
though previous experience of that situation had not been at
all satisfactory—they expressed their readiness to give it
another trial, which they accordingly did at she last winter
assizes.

afterwards announced t

The experience of that assizes has sufficiently proved that
the grand jury box is wanting in the three great requisites for
press accommodation ; Firstly, as will be seen by the state_
ments appended, those who occupy it cannot distinctly hear the
remarks of the judge, the counsel and the witnesses, even
though seated upon the front bench
Secendly, ingress to, and egress from, the box is rendered
difficult and sometimes impossible, by the spectators who
throng it, and by the interference of the officials of the
court.

Thirdly, the reporters are liable to be refused admission, or