Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-31 00:00:00

FIN t• CB COMMITT3I.

The proceedings of th s committee were read, and con-
tained the following recommendatio! s, smong others :
Recomm,nriatlon to purchase a piece of land in Hors.-
street, crnitainiug 161 sTrare yards, for the sum of £1 000,
also a house a-id shop in Islington-terrace, for £l,lOO.
Recommendation t accept Mr. Venn's resignation of the
office of Sergeant•at-mace, ar d to appoint Mr. Fleet es his
'ttarporary sucere,sor, at the Same rateable salary—viz , £lOO
per annum. The committee also stated that the Fuiveyor
was directed to adveri3C the sale, upon !ewe, of the George
Hotel, Dale-street. The committee took into their conside-
ration tie request made by the Rev. Mr. Gillew, isf the
Arno's Vale Relorm:cary, Bristo', for a grant of £5OO, and
referred the vestion to the Town Clerk and the Borough
Giol Governor, to report upon. Having received
a report, the committee fully considered the sub-
ject, and finally expre,sed their regret that they could not
recommend the Cuuitil to accede to the application. A
vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Hornby, the chairman,
coupled with the expression of the deep regret that Mr.
liornby's determination to retire woad dep.ive tLe Council
of his valuable services, and recording th hear felt wish
of every member for tic future welfare and happiness. A
vote of t'lauks was els) passed to Mr. AlrLrman Holme,
for his valuable services as vice-chairman,
Mr. Hoasas moved the confirmati n of the recrmmen-
dation, for the purchases in Hurst-'t-r et and frlington-
terrace, which was seconded by M,. Alderman Holrae,
and carried.

Mr. Hom iny. in moving the second recommendation,
with regard to 'he office of Fergeatit-m-mace, Etrted
that the Finance Committee had come to the deter-
min:titian of recommending the C uncil t ) give up the
(thee in Lont'on which was eccupied by Mr. Venn, and
very property so, for he trusted that in future they should
have no occasion for the exp:nsir2. p.rliamer.tary contests
in which so much money had been spent during the last
few years. (flear, hear.) In the altered state of the
Enances of the C.:rporation, it would he ireurnb,tat upon
them to avoid parliamentary contests. The Council would
observe that Mr. Feet was spoken of rs a temporary
successor to Mr. Venn, becau,e it was thought possible
upon the determination of the Council to make some
alteration with reev'ird to the ogre of Sergeant-at-mice.
Tue gentleman who at present hed that office, ers alto the
deputt-regis•rar of the B'r ugh Court, and there was some
little technical iuconveniericc in having both oflres hold by
one person.

gr. Alderman ENME seconded the confirmation of the
recommendation, which was unanimously agreed upon.
Mr. Hemmer said, in na. v:n; the confirmation of the
general proceedings of the Finance Committee, the only
subject to which he wished to advert for a few moments
was the instructions which the committee had given to the
Tewn Clerk an 1 the Treasurer to prepare a raper', of the
financial position of the Council under the operation of the
new Act of Parliament called the Mersey Conservarcv Ant.
They were also aware that that Act of Parliament
tome into operation upon he Ist of January next, and the
committee consitered that it was exei,edingly desirable the
Conned should be in possession of the fullest information
with regard to their future income and liabilitit a at the
earliest possible date. In the ensuing municipal year, the
loss cceasioned by that Ant of Parliament would he less
sensibly felt, inasmuch as the C ;mien would be in receipt
of town dues fur four merits. But he belisved that in the
succeeding year, when the whole of the less would be felt,
the income of the Corperefon would still be found ade-
quate to meet all tile ordinary exper.diteue, and also, if the
Council felt so disp)sed, to cowl, ue the discretionary pay-
ments which the/ had le?eo in the habit of making
to the. charitable institutions of the town, end
for the maintenance of the Corporalen scheo!s.
(Hear, hear.) Of ceuree, he made these observations
upon the supposition that strict economy would be ob-
served is the mating meet of the Corporation income, and
that expensive cmtes's in Parliament would he entirely
avoided. (Elea-, beer.) Indeed, ho thought the Council
would find that fit the future its income would be tcoally
inadequate to maintain such coestant apelicetions for Acts
of Parliament.
Mr. Alderman Ilonmes accorded the confirmation of the
proceediogs.
Mr. Sem believ.d he should he in order if, at that
stage of the proosedirga, ha gave notice that it was his
intentien t ) move in a matter of some importance at the
welt Council. It was his intention to call the attention
of the r ext Corned to the necessity of a rc-arrangement of
the committees of the C uncil. He had, of couiw, no
intention of going into the merits of the question at that
isume.rare, Ix Jess./ R..... f fuglford," 'that
the gentlemen present might bare an opportunity, between
that and the next Council meeting, of giving the subject
their most serious consideration. If be might be permitted
to make the suggestion, be thoeglit it wo id greatly lersen
the difficulties of the queeticn if the retiring Chairmen of
Committ,s woell, in the irt real, meet, and bring up a report
of their ()Onion upon the subject, and any suggestions
they bad to (filar.

Mr. BANNEtt berg d to make a observation connected
with the last resolution which had been passed by the
Finarc3 Commtttee. He was sure it must be a matter of
regret to every member that the committee and the
Conceit were to be deprived of the services of a g,ntlernan
who had so 1. ng been at the head of the Finance Com-
mittee, who had met with the universal apt-oh ition and
cordial admirati ,n of every one in the Council, and whose
high character was appreciated not only there but by
every one thronghrut the town of Liverpool. (Hear,
hear, and applause) He felt it right to make this obser-
vation in order that the resolution passed might rot
rner ly exprrss the opi ion of the committee, but might
be participated iu by every coembar of the Town Council.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. GRAN S said there was one portion of the Finance
Committee's proceedings to which be felt it his duty to
take exception. It was that which recommended the dis-
continuance of the grant f .r the maintenance of an agency
in London. He approved of the discontinuance of the
Corporation Offi•es in London, but he cou'd not conceive
how. the business of the town, in cornection with the
b rough membtrs, was to be carried rn, if the
recommendation of the committee were agreed to,
dispensirg with the servlces of the London
sgent. The eno moat amount of business which
was conducted in London by their members rend. red it the
duty of the Couneil to afford every reasotaale facility for
the conduct of that business. Th le was also a very large
amount of business, irrespective of the Council, on which
deputations were in the habit of going almost weekly to
London. Small interes s required t.) be represented, and
to have their gri,vaeces brought before the committee as
well as large ones ; and, &though this did not immediately
involve the business of the Council, he conceived it was the
Council's duty to do something towards providing for those
deputations some place of meeting in London. He thought
they also rcquireci some ore in London who would watch
the various proceedings of the House of Commons, and to
furnish the Council with all bills and reports which might
by ary possibility be u=eful to the town. A very general
wish had been exp•es,:ed by the commercial bodies and
associations of Liverpool to have an agent, c'ammercially
speaking, in London ; but he believed they would fail in
carrying out their wish unless the municipal body also was
represented there. He understood that each of the asso-
&rations of the town bad joined in a request to the Finance
Committee to receive a deputatien upon the subject, and
h 3 thought it would be only prnper, in deference to a
strong general wish that the Finance Committee should
receive the deputation before fin dly e.eciding on the subject.
Ile begged, therefore, to move that that portion of the
proccedir.gs be referred back to the Finance. Committee for
re-c nsifleration.

Mr. ROBINSON seconded the amendment, thinking it very
irap.-Irtant that there sh,uld he an agency in London.
MAYost said it happaned by accident that a corer".
nicati,n from the Chamber of Commerce upon that snbj‘ct
was not laid before the Finance Committee at their last
meEtiqi. lie proposed t, read it now, so that it might
raise a fresh cmsideristioa upon the subject.
A letter from t!,e Chamber of Commerce. similar to that
laid before the Dock Committee on Thursday, expresirg
the opinion of that b-dv, that it was desirable to continue
the agency in London, and reel es'ing that the Finance
Committee would receive a deputation upon the subject,
was read to the °camel'.

Air. Alderman llor.ste said there was not the slightest
übje3tion to consider he subject, but at present the Finance
Committee, like all other committees, was defunct He
h i•ever heard 13:fere that tho commercial ass,&atiors de-
sired a eont'ereoce upon the subject. Toe Finance C
eAncoive that as the Council would have very little business
in Parliament for the future, it would not be necessary to
continue the agency. If, however, the commerci,l assccia •
tiocs thought it desirable that there should be such an
office, it would be for the Council to take into their consi-
&ration whether an amount should not be sabscribA by
the mun'cioality for the psrpt.se.
It was Enally agreed that the whcle finbjeet should be
ressry d for the considerati..n of the Finance Committee
ender the new Council.
M. Slim desired to make some r-m-Irks with
reference to the resolution of the committee upon
the applies ion of the Arno's Court Reformatory.
He was sorry to see an observation made in
london by a magistrate, when a child was brought
before him, that there was no reformatory to which the
child could be sent. He was still more sorry to find that