The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-08-26 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL CHAMBER OF GMAT ERCE.

The half-yearly meeting of this body was held at one
o'clock yesterday, Mr. Charles Holland, president, in the
chair. There were also present —NIT-. William Brown,
M.P. ; Mr. T. B Horsfall, M.P. ; Mr. J. C. Ewart, M.P. ;
Mr. J. Torr, Mr. R. Sheil, Mr. C. Bushell, Mr. Danson,
Mr. Clint, Mr. Walker, Mr. Brebner, Mr. Arnott, Mr.
Sellar, Mr. King, and Mr. Tomlinson.
The Secretary (Mr. Touson), read the following
REPORT

BILL TO AMEND THE L.IW OF PARTNERSHIP.—[n accorlarice
with the resolution passed at the spacial general meeting in Fe ruary
last, your council appointed a committee with full powers to carry
cut the opinions then expressed hy the cht.mber ; Ind, acting there-
on, a dr•putatio❑ waited on the Vice.presifent of the Hoard of Trade
ti enforce the views of the chamber on the government. A petition
against the bill, signed by the president, was forwarthid to Mr. Hors-
fall, M.P., and prese ted by him to the House of Commons. It
will, of course, be in the knowledge of members that the measure
w s withdrawn. While referring to the law of partnership, it may
be st 'ter! that the council in reply to a request from the Manchester
Commercial Association, have given their opinion in favour of a
compulsory registration of the names of all persons composing part-
nerships.
JOINT STOCK COMPANIRS BtLL.—Your council acted upon the
resolution of the chamber by peiitioiiing parliament fir further time
being given for the consideration of the numerous clauses contained
in this bill. The measure passed th-ough several reprints before
its third reading in the House of Commons ; an I Jour council took
every opportunity of intro ueing such amendments as appeared
desirable. Though all the suggestions made by the council were n, t
adopted, it is satisfactory to know that the most intlyirtant were
emoodied in the act—such as power to the° Local Courts of Bank-
ruptcy instead of Chancery, to wind up Joint stock Companies, and
more especially the appointment of official liquidators by the credi-
tors ar shareholders, in addition to those to be appointed by the
court.

JO.NT STOCK COMPANIES WINDINC-UP ACTS AMENDMENT BILL,
—This measure confers power on creditors to meet and choose a
person to represent them in ail proceedings for winding up compa.
vies not coming un ler the act named in the preceding paragraph.
The principle being similar to that suggested by your council, they
supported the bill.
ACT TO AMEND THE LAWS OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND AFFECT-
ING TRADE AND COMNIERCE.—ThiS measure is one for the purpose
of assimilating certain of the mercantile laws of England and Ireland
to those of Scotland; and, being in general accordance with the
views expressed by the Mercantile Law Committee of your chamber.
when consulted by the commission, it met the approval of your
council with tw i exceptions—viz., Ist. The proposes repeal of the
Statute of Frauds which requires contracts for a sum of £lO and
upwards to be in writing; and, 2ndly, the clause making a guarantee
0:or fors firm to cease upon a charige in the fi.m. The former
xception was met by the withdrawal of the clause ; but the latt-r,
your council regret to say, was not modified in the way they con-
sidered necea.ary for the safety of merchants or others receiving
guarantees. But ore of the clauses to which your council attached
much value, was, unfortunately, thrown out in committee of the
House of Lords, Its intent may be gathered from the healing—
viz., " Presentment of Bill of Exchange, if unacceptei, to be an
assignment to holder of the debt owing from drawer to drawer."
Had this measure passed, it would have given additional security to
the Bill of Exchange; and, as your council believe that whatever
adds to the validity of the Bill of Exena,geis beneficial to commerce
generally, they regret that the clause miscarried.
JUDGMENTS, EXECUTiON, &c., BILL.—A measure to "enable
executions to issue in any part of the United Kingdom under judg-
ments obtained in either England, Ireland, or Scotland." Your
council regret that this bill was withdrawn, as the object of it is one
which would be highly advantae,eous to the commercial community.
But it is understood that it will be introduced again next session.
In connection with this subject your Council are about taking steps
to obtain the introduction of a bill. "to enable parties to bring
actions in any part of the United Kingdom where the cause of
actions arose against parties residing in any other part of the same,"
and the desirableness of which was strongly urged by the Chamber,
in a report made by it to the Commission on the assimilation, of
the Mercantile Laws of England, Ireland, and Scotland, so far
back as 1854. Through the London Law Amendment Society (of
which the Chamber has become a member) a draft of the bill has
been prepared ; an t your directors will act in conjunction with
that society for forwarding the measure.
Tian DRAFTS ON BANKERS' BILLS.—To explain the law as t 4
crossed cheques, received the support of your council, and has
become law.
BANK CHARTER ACT, AND MONETARY SYSTEM.—The com-
mittee appointed to consider these questions have come to certain
resolutions, but as the subject is of such a wide and important
character, they are not yet prepared to submit a report. Mean-
time, it appears that•governmeut have not taken any steps for
terminating the Bank Charter, and it is not improbable that a
parliamentary committee will again have to examine the whole
question, before any action is taken upon it.
SOUND Dos., —The appointment of a parliamentary committee
"to enquire into the operation of these dues, and to consider in
what degree they are detrimental to the commerce of the country,"
afforded your C,,uncil the opportunity of pressing upon the legisla-
ture the views entertained by the Chamber; and two members
went up to support thosa views before the committee. The report,
which has lately been published by the House of Commons,
justifies, in a grea: measure, the opinions of this Chamber, by
declaring that "these dues are the cause of annoyance and injury to
niitish commerce, and that it is theref .re highly desirable they
should be abolished ; and that, " the longer the settlement is
delayed, the larger will p obabiy be the receipts by Denmark, for
which, compensation will be demanded "
HONDu Ens INTER-OCEANIC RAILWAY.—Your Council have been
requested to sanction the applintinent of V•,e President of the
Citatnber, as a member of any provisional committee that may be
formed for promoting the Honduras Inter-oceanic Railway, with a
view to investigate the merits of the undertaking • and, if approved
of, to recommend it to the support of the Chamber wth the

MONTR VIDEAN LOAN OF 1845.—Following up the steps taken
by your Council in referenee to this subject—as detailed in the last
annual re,ort—they have now the satisfaction of stating that a
settlement of the claims of the creditors have been effected mainly
at the instance and through the intervention of the government;
and, according to the last accounts received from the Foreign
Office, matters were proceeding very satls4actorily. Your Council
have already expressed to the Earl of Clarendon their best thanks,
which they now beg to repeat, for the attention which has been
bestowed by her Majesty's government and Mr. Thornton (the
British Charge d'Affai-es at Monte Video), on the representations
which this Chamber has been called upon to make in this matter.
FRES TRADE CONGRESS.—Your Counc 1 have received an invi.
tation to send a deputy to the approaching Free Trade Congress at
Brussels. As the object of the congress may, perhaps, be con-
sidered as coming within the scope of a political question, sod see-
ing that the laws of the Chamber do not permit of the discussion
of such matter, ft has been considered desirable that the opinion
of the Chamber at large should be taken upon it before a reply be
given.

POSTAL COMMUNICATIONS.—Your council have repeated their
representations to the treasury and the admiralty in favour of the
establisement of a regular postal service with Australia. A con-
tract has been entered into with government for it, and it is to be
hoped that the Australian colonies will now no longer suffer from
the want of such a necessary establishment. Applications have
also been made to government for the appointment of Liverpool as
a packet station for the West Coast of African mails; but they
have been refused on the ground that, although the trade of this
district with that quarter is the largest of any other in the kingdom,
the number of letters going to and from London is gre ,ter. Not-
withstandihg this decision, the proprietors of the steamers which
have the contract, have a lopted Liverpool as the port of landing
and discharging, though Plymouth is stilt retained for the receipt
and departure, ot. the mails.—The council have also g ven their
attention to the subject of the postal arrangements of the town and
with the north ; and they have Oa pleasure of reporting that the
local deliveries by letter-carters have been for some time past
commenced at an earlier hour in the morning, say at half.past
seven, which cannot fail to give general satisfaction. As respects
the mail to and from Scotland, tne miter is not lost sight of, and
your council wi 1 not omit to take the first opportunity of promoting
the wishes of the Chamber. Under this head, it may be observed
that, al hough the additional accommodation which has been
recently provided at the present Post-office may meet the wants Of
the next three or fou • years, there can be no doubt that the require-
ments of the service will ere long render it necessary that a building
of greatly increased size should be erected. Your council name the
snbject thus eerly in order that a good site may be suggested. It
has occurred to the Postal Committee that one might be provided
nearer the Exchange, which would combine the advantages of being
easily accessible to the railway termini!, the centre of business, and
th, Landing-stage, and which would, at the same time, tend very
greatly to the improvement of a district where such is much needed.
Beyond this the committee do not feel justified in interfering, as the
question is one which will have to be dealt with by the local and
Post-office authorities. When the time arrives that a site should be
suggested to government, your committee will be prepared to offer
their opinion.

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION WITH HOLYHEAD.—Your council
regret to observe that as yet but little progress has been made
towards the establishment of a system of electric telegraph with
Holyhead and the intermediate coast. It would appear that some
legal difficulty prevents the ace smplishmei,t; out your council
trust the Dock Committee will not omit the earliest opportunity of
making such an important provision for the benefit both to the
shipping and the dock estate.
BXPORT BONDS.—At the request of many parties interested,
your council put themselves in communication with the Members
for the Borough and Mr. Brown, M.P., with a view, if possible, to
induce the government to cancel the bonds which had been given
during the late war on the export of certain goods. So far, how-
ever, these efforts have not been fully successful, though some
relaxation has been afforded. Your council, nevertheless, finding
that a, very large number of these bonds (some thousands) is still in
Force,
in respect to !many of which the proper certificates are not
likely to be returned from abroad, for some cause or other will keep
their attention directed to the subject, in the hope of obtaining a
further increase of relief.
LIDHARY.—It is understood that a r2port will shortly be made
by the special committee on the subject, recommending the pur-
chase of certain works which will form the nucleus of a useful
library, and not cost too much.
CONCLUSION.—The Council have great satisfaction in again
referring to the very valuable aid rendered to the Chamber by the
members of Parliament for the borough and the southern division
of the county, which they feel sure will be duly appreciated by the
members of the Chamber.

The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, begged
briefly to advert to some of the subjects to which it referred.
As to the law of partnership, they would recollect that the bill
which the government had brought in on the subject had, after
having gone through several stages, been withdrawn, and that
the question had, for the present, consequently terminated. It
was fair to presume, however, that some further action, at
a future period, would be taken, in regard to se important a
question. (Hear, hear.) And the council concurred in the
opinion of the Commercial Association of Manchester, that, as
a preliminary to any bill that should be brought forward on
the subject, the registration of the names of all partners, in all
commercial concerns, should be secured ; for it was obvious
to every man engaged in business that, at present, there was
the greatest difficulty and uncertainty as to who really were
the parties with whom they were doing business in their
transactions. As to the joint stock companies bill, two very
important improvements had been introduced into it, and, he
believed, mainly at the suggestion of the Chamber. He
alluded to the substitution of the local courts, where such
existed, in cases of winding up any insolvent companies for
the Court of Chancery, and the appointment of a trade
liquidator, to be named by the trade creditors, or shareholder
contributories, and to act conjointly with the official liquidator
in the winding up of the company. (Hear, hear.) As to the
bank charter act, it had not yet arrived at the stage that it
could be presented to the Chamber, and less impatience would
therefore be felt, though the question was one of great interest,
that the labours of the committee, in regard to it, had not yet
terminated. The Chairman then dwelt on the absurd and
vexatious regulations of the government, in regard to the
cancelling of the bonds given during the late war, on the
exportation of iron and warlike stores ; and, after urging the
propriety of making Liverpool the port of departure and
landing of the mails from the west coast of Africa, concluded
by moving the adoption of the report.
...Mr. T. B. Horsfall,
M.P., seconded the motion. He said
You have gone Mr. President, so fully into the various
questions alluded to in the report, that it will be only neces-
sary that I should say a very few words with reference to them.
The first subject alluded to is the bill which was introduced
in the late session of parliament, having reference to the law
of partnership. You seem, I think, somewhat at a loss to
account for the rejection of that bill. lam of opinion that,
whether it was a good bill or whether it was a bad bill, it was
lost entirely by the mismanagement of the Vice-President of
the Board of Trade. (Hear, hear.) A bill was eliginally