The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-03 00:00:00

SPECIAL VESTRY,

PAYMENT OF RATE COLLECTORS.

A spEcial meeting of the Select Vestry was held at half-
past -nine o'clock, previous to the commencement of the
ordinary business, to consider a proposal made by the
Finance Committee to " alter or revoke se much of the
proceedings of the 23rd of January, 1849, as refers to the
mode of remunerating the collectors of rates upon cottage
oroperty." On the date specified, it appeard that the
Finance Committee had recommended payment to be made
to the collectors of rates on cottage property by a pound-
age of n per cent. upon the amount actually collected,
instead of a fixed salerf, as had been formerly the case ;
and that these collectors should give security to the amount
of £2OO. In reference to this system, the Finance Com-
mittee, yesterday, brought up the following report, which
they had received at a meeting held on the 29th ultimo,
The Vestry Clerk brought under consideration of the
committee the present mode of remunerating collectors of
cottage property. A return of the collections under th's
head was submitted to show, that coder this system,
these collectors are remunerated very unequally as amongst
themselves, each collector being paid according to the
actual money he collects rather than according to the pro-
portion of the entire amount to be collected, and the
closeness with which his collection is worked up. More-
over, the amount of remuneration is in a great measure
dependent upon the rate in the pound. If the necessities
of the parish require a high rate, the collector receives a
high rate of payment, aril a low one if a low poor rate;
and so on, proportionately. To obviate these objections,
and still retain the same stimulus to exertion in the col-
lectors which at present exists, it is proposed to remunerate
them not as to each £lOO collected, but as to each £1 of
the percentage itself.
e

The Chairman, Mr. Woodruff, proposel that the reeom
raeoation be adopted.
Mr. Shaw seconded the motion.

Mr. Jackson moved as au amendment that the collectors
employed in the commencement of the collection of cottage
rate should rcccive £2O in addition to the per tentage now
proposed, in consequence of the arduous duties they had
had to perform.

A lengthened discussion took place upon the subject,
which ended in the amendment being lost, and the original
motion carried, by a majority of 12 to 9.
Tnis closed the business of the sp,:;cial meeting.

MR. HARDY'S BEER BILL.—At a recent meeting of the
Finance Committee of the Select Vestry, a proposal was
made to adopt or recommend to the vestry a petition in
support of Mr. Hardy's b3er bill. The committee, how-
ever, very reasonably declined to depart from their pro-
vince by taking any steps in reference to the subject.

SELECT VESTRY.

The fortnightly meeting of the Select Vestry, took place
,n the workhouse board-room, yesterday. Mr. Church-
warden Woodruff presided, and the other members present
were—Messrs. Crawford, Denton, Mellor, Jones, Hand,
Chesney, Whitty, Cook, Richardson, Jackson, Syred,
Whitby, Shaw, Byers, Owen, Bairstow, Smith, Williams,
Critchley, and Luff.
WORKHOUSE CO3I3IITTEE.
The minutes of this committee were read. It appeared
that the number of vagrants admitted into the sheds
during the week were 250 males, 74 females, and 29
children, in all 353. The number of sick caves in hospital
on the 20th ult. was 536, including 37 fever, and 30 itch.
. The total number of persons in the house on the 20th ult.
was 1,937.
: Mr. Shaw moved the confirmation of the proceedings,
9
32 which did not contain anything of public importance.
37 The resolution was carried.
56
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS' COMMITTEE.
.50
io9 The proceedings of this committee were read and con.
5i7 firmed without discussion.
233
PENANCE COMMITTEE,
187
The proceedings of this committee were read.
129
136 The Chairman said the Finance Committee, finding that
177 the weekly returns presented an increase f out-door relief,
476' requested each of the relieving officers send in a detail
of the causes. He believed all the officers concurred, to a
considerable extent, that the increase latterly was attribut-
able to the liberality and generosity of the quorums
He was very glad to find that the quorums attended much
better than they had done, and so far, the duty of out-door
relief was administered much better. At the same time it
was exceedingly desirable that new members should bear
in mind that at that season of the year especially, if ever
there was a time when out-door relief ought to be kept
down with reason and propriety, it ought to be done.
(Hear, hear.) He hoped his suggestion would be adopted,
and that members would beer in mind the difference
between the summer and the winter season.
Mr. Denton said, he could not pass over the chairman's
remarks unnoticed. They amounted to a charge. (No, no).
The Chairman : I am sure no other gentleman around
this board views thorn in that light. (Hear, hear).
Mr. Denton : We are mostly guided by the relieving
officers in our apportionment of relief. We are guided by
their experience, and I think it was rather unwise of them
to have made the remarks they did.
The Chairman : They were called on to do so.
The subject then dropped.
Mr. Whitey put a question in reference to the cost of
the opposition to the Irish and Scotch paupers' removal
bill of last session.
The Chairman said the bill 'was before the House of
Commons for several months ; and were it not for the
united and viger,us opposition made by the parishes of
England, that most obnoxious bill would have been carried.
He considered that the parish had obtained very advan-
tageous results at a very small cost.
The proceedings were then confirmed.
The board then proceeded to the appointment of a
collector for cottage property. Out of the candidates
offering themselves, two had been selected by the finance
committee, Mr. William George, and Mr. John Robinson,
and on these names the board proceeded to vote. The
result of the voting was the election of Mr. Robinson, by a
majority of 12 to 10.
A letter was read from Mr. Braneker, resigning his seat
at the board in consequence of the pressure of private
business.
The Chairman announced to the board another vancancy
caused by the lamented death of Mr. John Bold.
Mr. Shaw gave notice that on the next day, he would
move the appointment of two members to fill up the va•
cancies.

Mr. Denton gave notice that he would, on the next day,
move the appointment of Mr. Satchell to fill one of the
vacancies.

Tho Chairman thought, after the recent polling, it was
exceedingly bad taste to put Mr. Satchell in that position.
Mr. Denton : I think it exceedingly bad taste of the
chairman to make such a remark.
Mr. Mellor : How can ye have better men than Mr.
Satchell and Mr. Hensley ?
The subject then dropped.
CAUSES OF PAUPERISM.
Mr. Syers moved, according to notice, for the appoint-
ment of a committee to inquire into some of the causes
of pauperism, and to report as to the means of
ramoving tham. He stated that be had received
very little encouragement to persevere in the motion, '
which had been almost universally condemned ;
but he should nevertheless submit it to the considera-
tion of the vestry. He then went on at con-
siderable length to contend that that board was the proper
quarter under existing circumstances, to turn with such
an object. He declared that the paid clergy did not
sufficiently perform their duty in probing the causes of
crime and pauperism, and declared that they were rarely
to be found diving down into dens of iniquity. He
denied that any of their chief magistrates had earned, in
this rezpeet, the title of a public benefactor, and declared
that the Council of Liverpool, out of their enormous
revenues, gave only £25 a year to alieviate the evils;
leaving the poor to be indebted to the bounty of a stranger
even for a cap of cold water in the public streets. After
a lengthened and impassioned harangue neon the causes
of crime and poverty. and the neglect of public bodies
generally (during which the meeting gradually thinned to
a very few members), Mr. Syers concluded by proposing
the motion.

Mr. Richardson said he would second the motion for the
sake of giving it a hearing.
Mr. Jackson declared Mr. Syers' intentions undoubtedly
excellent, but questioned very much whether it was in the
province of the Select Vestry to supply a remedy at all
adequate. Mr. Byers had overlooked some admirable plans
now in operation, and which might be enlarged and
strengthened, among which, might be mentioned the
reformatory ship, the industrial ragged schools in Soho -
street, and other similar institutions. He regretted that
the proposal to the Finance Committee to recommend a
petition in support of Mr. Hardy's Beer Bill, was not re-
ceived by that committee.

Mr. Bairstow denied that none of the chief magistrates
of Liverpool had been public banefactors, and instanced
Mr. W. Rathbone, who, if there was a philanthropist in
the country, was entitled to the name, and who had made
great sacrifices for the elevation of his fellow-men. Re
remarked also that the Corporation had supplied water
very liberally to the fountains which were erected for the
use of the public. Mr. Bairstow expressed strong
doubts of the advantage to result from the adoption of the
motion.
Finally, in deference to the generally expressed
opinion of the members present, Mr. Byers withdrew
the motion.
The Board then adjourned.