The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-07 00:00:00

BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Birkenhead Com-
missioners was held at seven o'clock last night, in the
Public Office, Hamilton square, Mr. John Laird, chair-
man, in the chair. Other members present—Messrs.
Rae, Bailiff, Willoughby, Baylis, M'Whirter, Golbourne,
Bell, Park, Hind, Wilkinson, Harrison, Aspinall, Keight_
ley, M'Donald, and Bradley.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
LIGHTING AND WATCH COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee were read. They
stated that Lieut.-Colonel Woodford had inspected the
police force of the township, and reported that they were
in a ♦ery efficient state. He also recommended that an
additional inspector should be appointed, and the commit-
tee had accordingly appointed William Strangway to that
position. They also recommended that £25 should be
granted towards the subscription in aid of the mother and
sister of constable Vaughan.
The chairman asked how it was proposed to dispose of
the money?

Mr. Circ'bourne replied, that it would be placed entirely
in the hands of the committee, a letter having been
received from the mother and sister of the deceased,
consenting to that arrangement. 3
The Chairman observed that he had been told that the
mother wished to get the control of the money. As a
small subscriber, he certainly would not be willing to
accede to such a course.

Mr. Golbourne said that that had been the first demand
of the mother, but that afterwards she was better advised.
He might also say that her ingratitude had greatly
paralysed the efforts of the committee.

Mr. Bradley asked the amount of the subscription.
Mr. Golbourne replied .e 350, and that it would have,
amounted' to £5OO were it not for the conduct of the
mother.

The matter then dropped, and the proceedings were
conlirmed.

The proceedings of the markets' committee were also
confirmed. They contained nothing of interest,

HEALTH COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee were read. In the
month just past, 45 deaths were registered in the township,
three were from diseases of the zymotic class. A memorial
was received from the inhabitants of Moore terrace, Ozton,
complaining of the nuisance of brickmaking, which was
commenced in the field opposite the terrace. The memorial
'bag referred to the committee.
Mr Bradley moved the confirmation of the report, and, in
doing so, read the following statement in reference to the
progress of building in the town :
Surveyors's Office, Commissioners' Rooms,
Hamilton-square, Birkenhead, Jan. 6, 1857.
A return:of the number of buildings and alterations in
the township of Birkenhead and Claughton, from 1847 to
1856 inclusive, according to the notices given to the
building surveyor :
Places of worship, Offices,
schools, pub! c Dwelling• workshops,
buildings, houses, Cottages. and Total.
and hotels. and shops. alterat'oas.
1847 ..... 2 35 .... 25 .... 26 ...„ Sy
1848 .......... „... .... t 1 21

Years.

11319 .. .
1830
1851
1832
1853 2 .... 8 .... 2 .... 17 .... 29
1854 4 .... 16 .... 2 .... 13 .... 35
1A55
1855 ....

Total

Average per ann. 2 .... 25.2 .... 24 2 .... 22 ..... 73.4
The increase in 11356 has been 3i times above the average
of the past ten years.
A return of the number of buildings and alterations in
the township of Birkenhead and Claughton, for the years
1844-5 and 6 :
Places of worship. Offices.
schoolsa üblic Dwelling- workshops,
Years. buildings, houses, Cottages. and Total.
and hotels. and shops. alterations.
1844 4.... 321 ..188..
1845 6. 371. . . 643 . 94 .. 1,114
1846
This return is extracted as a matter of interest to the
ratepayers, not as affording fair data for comparison.
Tha proceedings were confirmed.
Tho proceedings of the road improvement committee were
read and confirmed.

A desultory conversation took place on the report of the
surveyor, in reference to the adoption of streets.
The Chairman and other members expressed it as their
opinion, that it would be imprudent to deviate from the old
course, and to adopt streets before they had been properly
drained and sewered. The matter was deferred for the
present.

FINANCE CMIDIITTEE.

The proceedings of the committee. which were read,
contained the following, being the reply of the committee
to a letter from Sir Charles Trevellian, secretary to the
treasury, in regard to a memorial of certain of the inhabit_
ants, remonstrating against the library committee taking
premises at so large a rent as £BO a year:—
" Your memoriatists respectfully submit the following
remarks, in reference to the all .Rations contained in the
memorial of certain ratepayers of the town of Birkenhead,
transmitted to your memorialists with Sir C. E. Trevelyan'a
letter of the 20th ultimo, The Birkenhead Improvement
Commissionere, 21 in number, are elected by the
ratepayers._ Upon the Public Library Act of 1855 being
adopted for the district within the limits of the
Birkenhead improvement acts, at a public meeting of the
ratepayers held in February last, it devolved uaon the
commissioners to carry the provisions of the act into
execution. For the management of the library the
commissioners have a discretionary power to appoint a
committee, which they may form exclusively out of their
own body, or add to it persons not being commissioners. The
commissioners under this authority appointed a committee
of managemement, consisting of six commissioners, and five
ratepayers not commissioners. Mr. Jos. Craven, mentioned
in the ratepa3ere' memorial, is one of the five non-
commissioners. One of the first objects of the committee
was to provide a suitable place for the establishment of the
library, and after careful inspection of every building in
Birkenhead at all likely to afford the necessary accommoda
Lion, an offer was.made to take a building in Chester street
belonging to Mr. Wylie, at a rent of £BO per annum,
but Mr Wylie declining to let the premises for
a less term than ten years, the proposal was
given up, as it was thought that before the
end of the term still further accommodation would be
required. The committee not finding any other premises
suitable for a lease, soak temporarily the rooms now
occupied. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Craven, having entered
into an agreement with the Postmaster General to build
a new post office, proposed to provide accommodation
in the upper part of the building for the purposes of
the Free Library, at a rent of £BO per annum. The com-
mittee agreed that if tha rooms were constructed to their
satisfaction, and according to a plan submitted, they would
recommend the b )ard of commissioners to apply for the
sanction of your lordships to their taking the premises
The rooms have ,been completed to the satisfaction of the
committee and your memorialista. They consist of a large
room on the first floor, with a small room for business
connected with the library, and three rooms on the
second floor for the librarian's residence. The large
room is 44 feet 6 inches by 32 feet, and 14 feet
high ; it has eight windows and four fireplaces. The accom-
modation is in every respect superior to the premises which
Mr. Wylie refused to let for less than ten years at the same
rent. The largest room in the premises now oceupied is 20
feet 3 inches by 14 feet 9 inches, and 10 feet 10 inches high.
The committee have already purchased upwards of 3000
volumes, and after defraying all expenses of the current year
(terminating 24th April next), including interest on and the
first instalment of the loan of £lOOO, and also en estimated
further expenditure in books of £l7O, there will be £3OO to
carry over to the next year, The library rate for this year
is levied upon an assessment of £111,145. The rateable
va lne of property held by the ratepayers who have signed
the memorial ohjewing to the change of premises is £4139."
Mr. Keightley moved the confirmation of the proceed-
ings.

Dr. Baylis seconded the motion, and in the course of his
observations mentioned that the library committee
calculated that for two years more the loan would supply
books. At the end of that time the library rate would not
only pay all the expenses of the library, but would leave a
balance of £lOO or £2OO, which would be devoted to the
purchase of books and improvement of the library.
Mr. Bailiff took exception to the observations of Dr.
Baylis, itad particularly so because nothing had been said
to call for them. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Bailiff then handed
in a sealed- communication, which he had received in
reference to the subject
On being opened, it turned out to be a memorial,
numerocsly signed, protesting against the resolution of the
library committee, to take the premises in Conway street.
Mr. Bailiff supported the memorial. He contended that
the new premises would be altogether unfit for the purposes
of the library, and Oracularly because of the little accom-
modation which it was capable of affording to the librarian.
(Hear, bear.) He also thought that two hours a
day, or twelve hours a week, were too few to devote
to the lending library, in receiving and exchanging of
b Woks. He, therefore, begged to move that that part of
proceedings having reference to the library, be referred
back.

Mr. Aquincll seconded the amendment.
Mr. Harrison supported the resolution of the library
committee. Ho regretted that the memorialists had not
gone to the committee, previous to coming before that
committee, and they would have received an explanation
which would have prevented this discussion. In fact, several
of the parties who signed the memorial, told him afterwards,
that they did not know its nature. (Laughter.) The
library committee simply desired the good of the inhabitants