The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-30 00:00:00

THE GOLDEN AGE.-THE POST-OFFICE.

The Times city article contains the following letter :
" Liverpool, Nov. 26.
" Sir,—ln the money article of an evening paper, we have
observed the following remark : It is considered somewhat
strange that the owners of the Golden Age should have de-
clined to take letters to Australia at the customary rate
allowed by the post-office, because the immense number that
would have Teen sent must have paid them, as it did the
Great Britain, far better than the £l,OOO granted to con-
tract vessels.'
"You probably are aware that the post-office authorities
have heretofore claimed the right to speculate on mails sent
by private ships, of whatever nation, paying for the service
performed 2d. on each letter, and charging for the same Bd.,
or a profit of 300 per cent. This demand on the part of
the Post-office was esisted by the owners of the Golden
Age, but the same time a tender was made to take the
mails for one-half of the amonnt of postage charged by the
Post-office, fairly concluding that a profit of 100 per cent.
was sufficient for the simple receiving and delivering the
mails.
" This proposition was declined, and an offer made by
the post-office department of 151. per ton measurement for
any mails the Golden Age would receive from it, being the
amount charged and paid by shippers of ordinary merchan-
dise by the steamer. This the owners, of course, declined.
Yet, desirous of accommodating the public, they again ten-
dered the ship for conveyance of the mails for the sum
usually paid to sailing vessels for the same service —viz.,
1,0001. This the department also declined, and there was
no alternative for the owners of the steamer but to decline
receiving mails from the post-office altogether ; but at the
same time, with a liberality worthy of praise, they offered
to receive letters and papers on board the steamer, and con-
vey them free of charge to Australia for any one who would
take the trouble to send them to the ship.
" The statement as to the large sums received by the
Great Britain for carrying letters is altogether erroneous, as
the entire amount for letters and newspapers, at the miser-
ably low rate paid by the post-office department, was only
911. 7s. 6d. Further comment is unnecessary.
"We are, sir, your obedient servants,
‘-‘ DEANE, YOULE, and Co.,
" Consignees of the steamer Golden die

413.ERCR0.7118Y WARD.

DINNER TO MR. EARLE.

A public dinner of the constituents and supporters of Mr.
Earle, took place last night, to celebrate the return of that
gentleman to the town council as one of the representatives
of the Abercromby ward. The entertainment took place at
Mr. Craig's, Mulberry-street. The viands and wines were
of the most excellent quality, and reflected much credit upon
the host. Between and sixty seventy gentlemen sat down to
table. The chair was occupied by GEORGE MAXWELL, Esq.,
and WILLIAM HANNAH, Esq., 61. D., officiated as vice-chair-
man.
The cloth having been removed and grace said,
The CHAIRMAN gave the toast of " The Queen," which
was drunk with all the honours and with a full chorus of the
national anthem, led by Mr. Wylie.
The CHAIRMAN then gave " Prince Albert, and the
other branches of the Royal Family," which was duly
honoured.
The next toast was " Her Majesty's Ministers," which
the chairman introduced by an eulogium upon the present
cabinet, and in particular upon Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Card-
well. _ _

The toast was drunk amid enthusiastic applause.
The CHAIRMAN then rose and said : Mr. Vice-chairman
and gentlemen, this is really and positively the toast of the
evening. It is the health of my respected friend, our guest
here, Mr. Earle. (Loud applause. Gentlemen, Mr. Earle
has resided so long among us, he is so regularly an Aber-
cromby ward man, and his public and private conduct for so
long a period of time have been so well known, that it
would almost be a work of supererogation of me to enlarge
upon his high qualities. He has before this occupied a place
in the town council; he has held the highest office,
that of chief magistrate of this great commu-
nity, and I am sure that we are extremely for-
tunate in having him for our representative. (Hear,
hear, and loud cheers). I think our thanks are eminently
due to Mr. Earle, for allowing himself to be nominated
when we did nominate him. (Hear, hear.) And, gentle-
men, as I had the honour of accompanying the deputation
which waited upon Mr. Earle, it would be unfair of me if
I did not state that the consent was given voluntarily by
him. There was no calculation ; the probability of a doubt
never seemed to enter his mind ; he willingly, cordially,
and unreservedly put himself into the hands of his fellow-
citizens. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, we fought for him a noble
tight. (Cheers.) When I looked back at what took place
in this ward only a week before, and when I reflected on
what we had seen of the strongholds, and of the almost in-
vincible character of the corruptionists on the other side, I
did entertain a fear that, even with the best intentions and
most honest zeal, we would scarcely be able to attain our
object. But when I saw the determined manner, when I
saw from what class it came, and when I saw the shoulders
put to the wheel, I soon came to feel a very strong convic-
tion that we wouldlbe where we are. (Cheers.) Gentle-
men I hope while we honour Mr. Earle, and while we are
proud to have him as our representative, that the election
will read a moral to the wards of Liverpool. (Hear, hear.)
It has again surprised me, when I look to what has been
the conduct of many since the municipal reform bill. They
seemed to have a doubt upon their minds as to what part
they should take, they seemed to be wavering, which I have
sometimes attributed to men really being careless, and not
looking to the consequences of municipal office. They ap-
peared to them to be matters of no consequence. Gentle-
men, they are matters of the highest consequence. (Hear,
hear.) They are not only matters of high local importance
to each community, as regards its good municipal
government, and as regards the state of their funds,
the necessity of having them properly attended to, and pro-
perly disbursed and accounted for. But, in my mind, mu-
nicipal honours are the stepping stones to parliamentary
honours ; and I think that many municipal electors take a
very narrow view indeed of the responsibility with which
they are armed in the exercise of their suffrage (hear, hear.)
I am quite sure that if many had resisted the temptations
which we knew, in many wards, had been offered to them,
and successfully offered to them, and had considered the
consequences which they were entailing upon their families
and upon the town at large, by sending a class of men to the
town council who, we know, have occupied seats there,
things would be very different. Gentlemen, as I have said
before, we cannot think too highly of Mr. Earle, in coming
so fairly, and candidly, and readily forward to second our
views. We have been successful, and we have been success-
ful upon pure and proper principles (hear.) I heard it
stated, and upon the best authority, among our opponents—
"We made no effort to keep Mr. Earle out." I said—
" Don't tell me anything of the kind. I was at the booth
all day, and you never fought an election with more deter-
mination to keep him out" (cries of hear, hear? and cheers.)
Gentlemen, the honour is not the less for having been hard
fought (cheers.) I shall detain you no further than to wish
that we may all long enjoy the honest, zealous, independent,
and fearless services of our representative, Mr. Earle (loud
and prolonged applause.)
Mr. EARLE rose to return thanks, and was received with
enthusiastic bursts of cheering. Ie said : Gentlemen, I
speak the truth from the bottom of my heart, when I tell
you that your reception of me is perfectly overwhelming; I
thank you, I feel extremely obliged to you for the friendly
compliment you have paid me, in inviting me to meet you
at dinner here to-day, and I have great pleasure in meeting
you upon this occasion. I thank my excellent friend, our
worthy chairman, for the kind manner in which he has pro-
posed my health, although I am perfectly unconscious of
deserving the eulogium which he has chosen to pass upon
me, and which I know he has done from a friendly feeling
towards me as a friend. (No, no.) I thank you, gentlemen,
also, for the manner in which you have testified your appro-
bation of the toast. I have become a member of the town-
council most unexpectedly to my mind ; I never dreamed of
such a thing. I have been returned by your unsolicited
efforts, and you did not exact any pledge from me. (Hear,
hear.) Nothing could possibly be more gratifying to me
than these circumstances. lam perfectly alive to the
responsibility of the situation in which you have placed me,
and I am determined to discharge the duties zealously and
fearlessly. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I may not always agree
with you in matters ; but I will say this that if I feel there
is any measure which I feel bound to advocate, and that I
feel conscientiously I am doing. an act which is beneficial to
the community at large, nothing shall tempt me to swerve
from the duty. (Hear, hear, and loud cheers.) I should
sincerely regret differing with you in opinion ; but having
taken up that line of conduct, I would not court your favour
by doing what would be dishonourable to myself. You are
all aware that I and some of my colleagues lost our former
seats in the council from having pursued that conduct.
Our places were filled by some individuals who did not
hesitate to make you promises, and thought it no dishonour
to break those promises the very instant they had obtained
what they desired. (Hear, hear, and loud cheers.)
I scorn such conduct—(renewed cheers)—and I shall never
adopt it. It may happen, perhaps, that my friend Mr.
Gladstone and I may occasionally differ from you. We
cannot see with the same eyes as you do, and you will pos-
sibly imagine that blindness has come over us. If you think
that, it would be an act of charity upon your part if you
would send an occulist to clear our eyes. (Laughter.)
Now, gentlemen, I think that our friends the tortes have
given us a very eminent man in that way, whatever you may
think of him. (Cheers and laughter.) You may look to
him, therefore, to cure us of that blindness. (Renewed
laughter.) Since I was turned out of the council, or kicked
out of the council, I am sure no man ever heard me com-
plain of the thing ; for the burgesses have a perfect right to
do so, and I should be very sorry that they were deprived of
that right. But, gentlemen, as I said, since that time
I have read the debates of Ethe town council
whenever I had an opportunity of doing so. I
can see that a great deal was said about economy there,
but I may remind you, gentlemen, that a niggardly expendi-
ture of money is not always economy. (Hear, hear). I can
bring you a case in point which will convince you of the
truth of my assertion. Some years ago the celebrated,
ocfferage OI
the town of Liverpool—a very grand plan. At that time the
period of whichl am speaking, the streets, the sewers, and
everything of that kind, were in the hands of a celebrated
board, who thought extremely highly of themselves, although
nobody else thought much of them. T mean the highway
board. (Laughter). I once belonged to that gallant crew
myself. (Renewed laughter). But I found I could do no good,
the parties were so linked together by political friendship that
they kept things entirely in their own hands—nothing
could be done. Well, gentlemen I think they were guilty
of the most infamous jobbing which ever went forward at
the time, at that very period. I do not say they did so in-
dividualip but that they were guilty of permitting it to
exist. pon the score of economy the streets were badly
levelled, tLe sewers laid down without the least scientific
principles, and abominably conducted in their workmanship.
Gentlemen, last year, the street in which I live, Oxford-
street, was taken up, and it was necessary to sink a sewer
30 feet deep at one part of street, and I think it was 24 feet
near my house, by which to carry off the filth of the neigh-
bourhood. The old sewer was exposed which the celebrated
board had laid down, which I recollect being put down my-
self, seven or eight feet under the ground, to carry away all
the filth of the neighhourhood. lam sure there are many
individuals here versed in mechanics and know what the
state of that sewer was when it was opened,—a perfect heap
of rubbish. Now, gentlemen, I have shown you that
money spent in that way is not economical. It is a wilful
expenditure of your funds. You have all of you paid for
these sewers, and I believe that scarcely any of them are now
applicable to the purpose for which they were intended.
(Hear, hear.) I thought there could not be much less than
from £lOO,OOO to £120,000 spent in that way in this town.
Yes, gentlemen, all more or less contribute to these funds,
and you might as well have thrown them into the Mersey
for what has been done. And now, gentlemen, you are again
called upon to subscribe money, that is to pay your
rates, for the new sewerage. I think you are very properly
called upon to pay these rates, and I will do this board of health
the justice to say that I think the town is greatly indebted to
their exertions, and I have seen a marked difference in their
proceedings since my friend Mr. Gladstone has come among
them. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) He is a man of a capa-
cious mind, and they have discovered that he can give very
good observations, and many of his colleagues have the good
sense to attend to his suggestions. Since the board of
health was established there were 30 miles of sewers con-

THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.