The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-14 00:00:00

CORN-PORTERS' ASSOCIATION.

ON Wednesday evening, the general quarterly meeting of
this body was held at Bispham-si;reet. The chair was taken
by Mr. NICHOLAS KELLY.

The Secretary read the financial statement of the body,
from which it appeared that the funds on hand, after paying
every claim made on the Society, amounted to £l4 12s. Bd.
Mr. CULLEN moved, and Mr. BETtNEY seconded a motion,
that the statement of the accounts, &c., be adopted by the
meeting, which was carried unanimously.

Mr. 'Moses CULLEN said, before the meeting proceeded to
the election of officers, he would make a few remarks, and
he felt it his duty to do so, in consequence of the present
prosperous state of the association, when compared with the
time they had commenced ; and also, the happy prospect
which he saw before the body. (Hear, 'hear). When the
association was first started they had not much to encourage
them, unless that they had truth and justice on their side,
and with such claims they came before the public for sup-
port. (Hear, hear). They (the Corn-porters) laid their
cause before the public, and the result was that their fair
and just claims were considered by the merchants—the men
stood up as honest men before the public—they were recog-
nised by the merchants, they had public sympathy, and
above all, they had the powerful aid of the press with them.
(Cheers). If theileause was not a good cause, they would
not have such assistance with them, and that showed they
were right. (Hear, hear). The prospects before them were
even better, for if they had been so prosperous during the
last three months, why, they might with confidence look for
brighter prospects for the three months to come. (Hear,
hear). They would work gond men for a good cause
and whilst they had the aid and the assistance alluded to,
they need not fear of being successful. It was not an ille-
gal combination, for if it had been, they would not have had
any support. They did not proceed in the dark—they did
their work in the open fair of day, and before the public ;
they did not offer insult to any one. They (the
porters) did not rush headlong against the inte-
rests of the merchants, and their own, but they told their
wrongs, which were redressed, and then they bowed 're-
spectfully to the decision of the merchants. (Cheers.) There
was no man connected with any corn warehouse in Liver-
pool who need be ashamed of belonging. to the association—
it was based on true and] legal principles, and under the
sanction and superintendence of one of her Majesty's
—(hear,officers hear)—and he was happy to say, that in the re-
cords erime in Liverpool, there was not, he believed, a
single instance of any ono belonging to the Society charged
with crime of any description. (Cheers.) He hoped this
state of things would continue, and that as heretofore the
best understanding would continue between the merchants and
the men. At the next meeting, he said, the association
would have a bank book, and a considerable sum of money
to their credit. (Cheers.) Officers were then elected for
the current quarter, and Mr. Nicholas Kelly was unani-
mously chosen as president. In returning thanks, Mr. Kelly
said he was very glad to see such an amalgamation of the
men for the general good of the whole body. 'The employers
now knew that they had good men upon whom they could
depend, and when foreign merchants came to this great
town, the Liverpool merchants could with pride, point to
the sober, industrious, and intelligent class of men whom
they employed, and say to the foreig,nmerchant—The:Fe are
the men in whom we confide—they have charge of our pro-
perty—we place unbounded confidence in them, and they
have never deceived us." (Cheers.)—Votes of thanks were
then passed to the corn merchants, the press, &c. Mr.
Keating was chosen as treasurer for the next 3 months ;
and the usual vote having been given to the Chairman, the
meeting separated.