The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-07-03 00:00:00

ned by Mr. Hodson, Mr. Shell, and M

e health committee merely sought the

to confer with the finance committee on

the removal of the inconveniencies which at

present eonsthttly

'course of the brief discus-

place en the subject, it was denied by Mr

v and

S. H-olme that any

ch RICOH

e supporters of the resolution, ever

to dock committee did not pave a

1. any portion of them, other than a

Mr. C. 1

t would now go forth to the

tetoent was in confirmation

,yor when before the parliamentary

Holme referred was 'then

ittee did no

frotu the council to hold the

GARDENS COMMITTEE

committee were adopted, including

allowed to play every

gardens of Falkner square, on th.

. ,
ilition that only inhabitants of the square having keys be
wed to enter, and that any damage done be made good to
.•

the corporation

WATER COMMITTEE

The minutes of this committee were read

Mr. Holt, in moving the confirmation of the proceedings,
alluded to the escape of water which recently took place at
Rivington. Accompanied by two gentlemen of the council,
he stated that he visited Rivington a few days ago. He had
great satisfaction in seeing, on arriving there, that the
escape of water was not caused by any defects in
the embankment or in any part of the works. That
there was an escape, was very true; but not of that
alarming character one naturally associated with a large body
of water escaping and doing vast damage to the surrounding
country. The escape anpeared to spring up in one of the
ditches at the side. The body of water measured about
18 inches, being about 21 or 21 inches deep, and making au
escape of something exceeding 300,000 gallons in the course of
each day. For some time the escape was larger, but as the
water rose in the Rivington reservoir, singularly enough
the leakage decreased. The escape did not swell beyond
its natural course, the ordinary ditch formed at the side
of the field being quite sufficient to conduct it in its natural
channel. He therefore apprehended that no serious damage
could possibly arise, but perhaps indeed some advantage to the
surrounding country. A resolution was passed authorising all
the necessary steps to be taken, and measures were accordingly
then in progress.

Mr. Woodruff seconded the confirmation of the proceedings.
Mr. Alderman Bennett expressed his gratification at the
largely increased quantity of water which was being obtained
by the boring, in Green Lane.

Mr. Alderman Holme hoped the time would soon come
when water would be had in such abundance that they should
cease to congratulate themselves on a few additional gallons.
The proceedings were then confirmed.
The proceedings of the Library, Museum, hackney car-
riages, and bath's committee were adopted without any dis-

CUSSIOI3

The proceedings of

GAB COMMITTEE

committee included the following

THE GAS SUPPLY OP LIVERPOOL

The committee report that, in accordance with the
resolution of the council of the 13th of February
last, they have conferred with a deputation of the
directors of the Gas Company with reference to the
terms and conditions on which an inspector of meters
shall be appointed, and beg now to submit to the council,
for its approval, the following memorandum of such
terms and conditions to which the Gas Company has
acceded :

Memorandum of the terms and conditions upon which an
inspector of gas meters shall be appointed, pursuant
to the resolutions of the council of the 13th of February,
1856 :

Resolved,—That this council sanctions the appointment
of an inspector of meters ; and, also, that the borough
engineer do attend to the testing of the gas ; and that it
be an instruction to the special committee on the supply of
gas to confer with the directors of the Gas Company with
respect to the terms and conditions on which such
appointment of inspector of meters shall take place, and
as to the duties to be performed by such officer, and to
report to the council. thereon.

1. The inspector shall be appointed and paid by the
Corporation, who shall also provide an office, assistants,
materials, and plant necessary for the performance of the
inspector's duties.

2. It shall be the duty of the inspector to examine and
test the accuracy of all meters complained of by the
consumers of gas or the Gis Company; and also all
meters intended to be supplied to consumers by the Gas

Company,

3. Tht notice shall be given to the Gas Company, by
the inspector, of the time and place of examining and
testing by him of meters complained of by consumers, or
by, the Gas Company ; and notice shall also be given to
the inspector, by the Gas Company, of the time at which
meters proposed to be supplied by the company to con—
sumers will be brought to the inspector's office for exami-
nation and test by him,—and the company may have a
person, on their behalf; present at the testing of every
meter, whether tested on the application of the Gas Com-
pany, or of a consumer.

- 4. A margin of one per cent., fast or slow, shall be
allowed for error, and every meter found to register
within that margin shall be deemed, and taken to be a
correct meter.

5. The following fees shall be paid to the corporation
for the examination and testing of meters, viz. :-1. By
the Gas Company in respect of the examination and test-
ing by the inspection of every new meter proposed to be
supplied by them to consumers, for each meter from 1 to
5 lights, 6d ; from 5 to 30 lights 8d ; from 30 to 100 lights
and upwards, Is. 2. In respect of every meter complained
of, and examined and tested at the request of consumers,
for each meter from 1 to 5 lights, 6d ; from 5 to 30 lights,
Is ; from 30 to 100 lights and upwards, is 6d. The last
named fees, together with the cost of removing the meters,
if tested at the inspector's office, to be paid by the con-
sumer if the metre.is found correct, and by the Gas Com-
pany if it be found incorrect.

6. Before any metre complained of by a consumer is
examined or tested, the complainant shall pay to the Gas
Company the amount of all monies due from him to the
Gas Company, up to the day of the inspection of the
meter—the cashier or collector of the company under-
taking, on behalf of the company, to return any over-
charge to be fixed by the inspector as hereinafter pro-
vided for ; and the complainant shall also deposit in the
hands of the inspfctor the foregoing fee, and cost of
removing the metM if required to be removed.
7. The inspector shall give a certificate of the correct-
ness or incorrectness of every metre examined and tested
by him, stating the particulars and result of such test.
Such certificate shall be final and binding on all parties ;
and all meters certified by the inspector to be correct
shall be sealed or stamped by him with a seal or stamp to
be supplie by the corporation for that purpose.
8. The Inspector shall fix and determine the amount
due from the consumer to the Gas Company in respect of
the gas registered by any meter required to be examined
and tested by such consumer--but no deduction from the
amount claimed by the Gas Company, nor any addition
thereto shall be made in respect of gas supplied prior to
the commencement of a quarter of a year next preceding
that in which such meter shall be complained of or re-
quired to be examined and tested by the Inspector.
In the official letter accompanying the approval of the
above conditions, the secretary of the Gas Company states
that the directors consider that many points will arise
which it is out of their power to provide for by the pre-
sent memorandum of conditions ; but, as they arise, the
directors reserve to themselves the right of having them
discussed in the committee of the Council, and arranged.
The committee recommend the council to sanction a simi-
lar reservation in behalf of the council.

The committee further report to the council that the
following officers and servants will be requisite to carry
into effect the stipulations contained in the above condi-
tions, viz.:--An inspector of meters, competent also to
test the quality of the gas, at a salary not exceeding £2OO
per annum ; an assistant to the inspector, at a salary not
exceeding 4'100; a porter cr labourer at wages not
exceeding 41 per week. Proper offices and premises will
also be required, and also a plant for `the purposes of the
inspector's operations, and which it is estimated will cost
£l6O.

Air. Kitchen moved that Mr. Beloe's report to the recorder,
which appeared in the NuliniEßN DAILY TIMES, be referred
to the (nig rnmmittp.

fr. Hornby seconded the motion

he gas committee

referred to them, inasmuch as
)0 had been already expended, and nothing had

having any further business

Fernihough also expressed a hope that the operations of

ado that day

former oocasion of Mr. Beloe's
committee. On the present
occasion it was more particularly necessary that it should be
referred. There were very important points in that report
which entirely bore out all that the gas committee had reported
to the council. Therefore, if those facts were borne out, it

Was the

duty of the c

:o act upon the report, and he

""“-1 upon the council to follow the matter up until they got
the question fairly and honourably settled ; and he told them
this much,
that unless they did so, the consumers of gas in
Liverpool would take such steps themselves as would compel
the proprietors of the gas works to perform their duty. He
had not had the advantage of hearing the remarks of Mr.
Parker when the question was previously discussed. Mr

NORTHERN TIMES.

Parker enjoyed the advantage of generally speaking in
_that
council withottt being properly understood. (Laughter.) flow
the gentlemen who reporter for the press were able to report
that gentlbtiaan's speeches on many occasions, he was perfectly
at a loss to understand. (Laughter.) On the former occasion,
to his utter astonishment, on reading the papers the following
day; he found that Mr. Parker had been making use of,
and applying language to the gas committee, for which, had he
been aware of it at the time, he should certainly have called
him to account. ((beat laughter.) That language, Mr.
Parker', applied not only to the chairman, but to the members
of the committee—language which he felt sure would not
have been passed over at the time, if it had been known what
he was stating. Instead of the committee being, as Mr.
Parker had stated, puppets, he (Mr. Kitchen) was in a posi-
tion to prove that not only that gentleman himself, but others
were entitled to the honotir of that distinction. (Oh !oh !)
Ho had no hesitation in stating that the resolution, which on
the last occasion was proposed by Mr. Bennett, was prepared
out of that room, and that gentlemen were solicited to support
that resolution.

The Mayor: Mr. Kitchen must excuse me. The question
efore the Council is whether Mr. Beloe's report is to be
'quitted to the gas committee; and I really do think that it
air to go back to a former debate, and what some
,netnbers said when the merits o 1 the gas question were
formeili Cliisetissed. (11ear, hear.)
Mr. Alderman Bennett : I shall only say that Mr. Kitchen
is hazarding what he cannot prove.

is hardly f

The Mayor : I must beg of You to keep in order.
Mr. Alderman Parker : Being alluded to, sir, by Mr.
Kitchen-

The Mayor : Oh, sit down, this is becoming quite irregular.
Mr. Ki chen : When we refer to the gentlemen who oppose
the proceedings of this committee, I think we really are bound
to examine the motives which prompt those gentlemen-
The Mayor.: You really must not attribute motives. I
must again call upon you to keep to the question.
Mr. Kitchen contended that I.lr. Beloe's report bore out all
the statements of the gas committtee. The company had gone
on constantly increasing. The general expenses of manage-
ment and other expenses, at the time of the amalgamation,
were only about £14,000, which had now increased to £20,000,
and that in the face of a distinct pledge that the price of gas
would be reduced in consequence of the saving-
Mr. Alderman Holme : Mr. Mayor, if you permit my friend
Mr. Kitchen to go into this subject, I shall unquestionably
claim my privilege of replying to him seriatim, point to point.
lam especially sorry he has made one or two rem aiks. He
speaks of gentlemen being tampered with. If he meatis to
allude to me as one of those gentlemen, I tell him at once that
I repudiate it distinctly, I give it the flattest denial, and I think
that when he makes such remarks that he ought to name dis-
tinctly the parties to whom be alludes. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Alderman Parker : Being one of those distinctly pointed
to by name, I shall certainly claim my right of replying to the
remarks wnich Mr. Kitchen has just made.
Mr. Alderman Reline I I contend that the question is not
at all before the council at present. (Hear, hear.)
The Mayor again explained that the question before the
council had no reference to the merits of the gas company, but
was merely whether Mr. Beloe's report should be submitted to
the consideration of the gas committee or not.

Mr. Hodson : I am aia loss to know what Mr. Kitchen's
drift is. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Kitchen : I want to have this report referred to the
committee.

Mr. Hodson : The council are willing to do so, and they are
prepared to accede to the motion for the appointment of a gas
inspector. As you have gained your point, what else do you
require? What is my friend Mr. Kitchen driving at?
Mr. Alderman S. Holme ; The principle having been
settled, all the committee have to do is to rather their toga
round them, and die decently. (Laughter.)
Mr. Alderman Parker claimed to be allowed to make some
observations in reply to the remarks personal to himself which
had fallen from Mr. Kitchen. He would allow no man to
attack him with impunity, and he would ever express his
censure of the conduct of those who would allow themselves to
be dictated to by parties out of doors. He would not attempt
to deny that ho did use the language attributed to him, nor
would he hesitate now to repeat it. As to the intelligibility
of his remarks, all he could say was (pointing to Mr. Kitchen)
—"ecee, look at the chairman of the committee himself
(laughter) ; wherever he is, either in print or out of print,
nobody can understand what he means." (Great laughter.)
Mr. Alderman Dover thought that Mr. Holm° had been
rather hard on Mr. Kitchen. He (Mr. Dover) considered that
Mr. Kitchen's services had been most valuable, and that the
appointment of the gas committee had been productive of the
best results. The gas company had come out of the enquiry
unscathed, and he believed that the appointment of an inspec-
tor would give satisfaction to all parties.
It here appeared that the council had no objection to the
report being referred to the committee, and the discussion on
that head was accordingly stopped.
Mr. Kitchen then proceeded to move the confirmation of the
report brought up by the committee, lie recapitulated the
heads of the report, and observed that the agreement as to the
allowance of two per cent only as the margin for
error, would bo found to be most beneficial. In cor-
roboration of this, he mentioned that, of the
forty-four meters tested, the large majority showed a range of
error of 19 per cent., principally against the consumer, and
he therefore felt confident that the arrangement, on that head,
would give satisfaction to the public. With regard to the cost
of the enquiry, the returns from the treasurer's office showed
that it had not amounted to more than £260, and he should
say that never had a sum of money been more beneficially
applied. (Hear, hear.) The fitting of the office, and pro-
viding the testing apparatus, would cost about £l6O more, and
that would be nearly the whole cost the council would bo put
to in the matter.
Mr. Clint seconded the adoption of the report, and
defended Mr. Kitchen from the strictures that had been passed
on him.

Mr. Alderman S. Holme said that ho had been a little
annoyed when he heard Mr. Kitchen talk about gentlemen
being tampered with and influenced by parties out of doors.
When he (Mr. Holme) took up the question, he did it on
public grounds, and he could state, on his honour, that, at the
time he did so, be only knew four gentlemen connected with
the company, and he coin also state, on his honour, that, even
up to the present time, 'k `lid not know who the other pro-
prietors were. If Mr. Kitchen therefore alluded to him as'
being so influenced, he there and then repudiated the imputa-
tion. Now, as to the cost which the carrying out of the report
would entail on the town, he begged the council to make
themselves at once fully acquainted with. In the first place,
the inspector would have £200; the assistant, £lOO ; a porter,
52 ; and when they included the rent of offices, rates, &c.,
the annual cost would be something like £450; so that,
instead of having gas cheaper, they were going to have it
dearer, because the town would have to bear that £450,
spread over them in some way or ether,__ and they would also
have to pay for testing their meters. He, at the same time,
was not sorry that the committee had been appointed, for the
enquiry had shown that the gas company had been acting fairly
by the consumers, and that they had gas supplied to them in
Liverpool of the best quality, and at the cheapest possible
rate.

Mr. Sheil replied that, even if the annual cost were more
than £l5O, it would still be a judicious expenditure on the
part of the council. Tho gas company was, in reality, the
property of the public, and as the guardians and trustees of the
public, they were bound to protect their interest in every
respect.

Mr. Alderman Bennett thought there was no necessity for a
sub-inspector, and that it would be quite sufficient to appoint
some respectable professional man in town to make the neces-
sary tests whenever required to do so. He moved an amend-
ment to that effect.
Mr. Fernihough seconded the amendment.

•
Mr. Kitchen replied. He stated that the secretary of the
Guardian Society had already received several letters from
parties requiring to have their meters tested, and he urged, in
combatting the argument as to expense, that as a small fee
would be charged, the establishment would be nearly self
supporting.

Mr. Bennett withdrew his amendment, and the report was
unanimously adopted.

SPECIAL COMMITTEM ON TEM MIRCHASE OM THB BIRKENHEAD

DOCKS

The committee, in bringing up their report, regretted that
parliament had thrown gout the bill in connection with the
alteration of the docks, and stated that the corporation would
now have to complete the works according to the plans author-
ised at the time of the transfer. The works should be com-
menced on the let of September.
Mr. Hornby moved the confirmation of the proceedings.
He observed that they were all aware that the bill which the
council promoted, with regard to the Birkenhead docks
alteration, had been thrown out by the House of Commons.
He regretted very much that this had been the case. The
delay, he was quite sure, was as unpleasant and unwished
for by every member of the council, as it could be by
the community of Birkenhead. (gear, hear.) Common
sense would chew the necessity which made it the duty as
well as the interest of all to bring the works into play with
the least delay, possible. So far as the committee was con-
cerned no efforts should be wanting on their part to make
the docks not only productive to the corporation, but useful
to the community.
Mr. Alderman Dover said, it had been stated out of doors,
he did not know with what truth, that the opposition to the
Birkenhead Docks Bill arose principally from two railway
companies—the Great Western, and the Chester and Birken-
head Company. There was ample room for improvement in
both these companies. The shares of the one were at one
time 2.50, and now when nearly all other shares in the market
were getting up, they had got down to 61i. Just when the
shareholders saw a prospect of having their property im-
proved, the cup was now dashed from their lips.
He asked, was it true that that bill, which would
so mightily have improved the prospects of these un-
fortunate companies, defeated by the efforts of their
directors ? If that were so, he was at a loss to •understand
what the motives were. His object in rising was not to throw
any doubt upon the integrity of their motives, but that the
world should know that the trustees of these two companies
had been the means of defeating a bill, which everybody knew
would have immensely improved their prospects. He did not
accuse them of any wrong motives, but he suspected the wisdom
of their condult, and he greatly doubted whether they bad
shown ordinary judgment in such a course. (Hear, hear.)
He hoped that at the next annual meeting of the proprietors of
each company the question would be put to the directors--