Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-17 00:00:00

by a crisis

Mir. Turner : Of course it would to some extent. Our
present average rate of interest is £4 9s 6d per cent., but a
great deal of the money upon which that interest is paid,
was borrowed during the Russian war, when the rate of
interest was high. We are now raising money-at four per

•
cent.
The Chairman: So that you are reducing your rate of

interest as your debentures fall in ?
Mr. Turner : Yes.
The Chairman: According to a statement made in the
report of the Board of Trade, your debts and obligations

under your existing powers, amount to £1.1400,000, and
your income, on a liberal calculation, may be estimated at
£600,000 per annum, so that your debt is about twenty
times the amount of your revenue.

Newport,
wilful

Mr. Turner : I believe that is so, taking our obligations,

The Chairman : In your estimates have you taken into
calculation the possible rating of the docks,.a bill for which
was this session brought into the house cf. Commons ?
Mr. Turner : I have made no calculation for the rating of
the docks.

The Chairman : If the docks were to,be rated, would it
not cause a great reduction in your revenue?
Mr. Turner: There is no doubt that' that would be the
case; but if we were rated we should in all probability find
itteceasary to increase our dock dues.
Mr. Merewether : Have you ever,•charged your maximum

Mr. Turner : I am not aware that. we ever did.
The Chairman : What would be the annual charge upon
you if Parliament were to render you. liable to rates ?
Mr. Turner : It would dopend upon the basis which par-
liament would adopt for- legislation. We could not be
rated upon the cost of our works, and it would be impossible.
to form an estimate of the burden which would be imposed?.
upon us, unless we knew the principle upon which the.
rateable value was to be calculated.
The Chairman : Are the Birkenhead docks rated ?
Mr. Turner : We have never paid rates since they earne
The warehouses in Liverpool amritted

into our possessior.

under a special enactment.
Mr. James Jeukinson Bibby was then called, and (
by Mr. Merewether : Resold that, jointly with his. partners,
he was largely interested in the steam shipping trade,
They
possessed a fleet of 18,1itea.in ships afloat, of
tonnage of about 5-0,00/J. tons.
The Chairman here interrupted the examination, and
said he thought it would be better to hear t
evidence before going into evidence in. rehe iereenncgeinteoeritnhgc
requirements
then called, and examined by Mr.
i‘r.sohii of t
Hartley
be tra
de.
Mr. waad.
was
Merewether z He said, I have been for thirty year; in con.
we have built every dock in nection with my father, en in
of the Prince's dock. Thethe Liverpool docks.
witness i4reNl'e‘ r 4poo Liverpool,
describedw i t with
thet li eweoxrckesppt exception
posed to be executed
e tuld r the present bill, which were for

aggregate

'fIIE.WIFE MURDER IN NEWPORT..
Nifatthew Francis was brought before the magisrates at
Monmouthshire, on Monday, charged+ with the
,nurder of his wife, Sarah Francis, as• reported.
Several Witnesses were examined,•and deposed: to the facts
we have already given, after which the prisoner made a
statement, by his OWII desire,,the .first part of which was
occupied with the details of. previous., quarrels with
his wife, in which she • had, he said, greatly
abused '&l4 struck hint, and threatened± to cut his
throat. It then proceeded.:—" On Friday evening I went
to Hawkins's house, where mywife was. Directly I went in
she insulted me. I sent for some beer and eggs, and my
m.y life .was
wife wade egg-flip. I offered her my glass, and after m.
goat deal of persuasion slie drank out of it., I. then put the
question to her, did she intend to live with me again ? She
rose.up the pint jug, and offered to throw.it at n'-e. telling
me not to put such a ql.:*stion to her: She bega „checking
inef.and I said she had.:better come home., that
back '
a complete misery to, me,., and that I woo.A, __ '
to,„ the gallows tha;...., be separated frog
mSoetuarnddayl morningtold
hel.,,- SI
iyeontttotophaetrlt.sieni: .
~,Am. to curse
asked her if she would 'come home 11' bad way, and
would ; there was.,a 'knife on tiip .' 4e. said she never
,:.• at the time, and.
I touched her on,. the
put your hands, on
was not thinkth me
~ wit] she. said, "Don't
things. ; I > ' sh oiled, me many dis-
gracefulsat down, ark I went out to.. the closet •anci
to myself about
her before begat, to. cry ;: then I thought
gabout it before., I brought it out intending
the razor 1 had in. my pocket ; I
to have it 0,
went into tit • .
home, bxound I had a piece of thread around it, and
frhouse again, I asked my wife again to come
andlntot to make 3,f00l of herself and me too. She re-
fused. I rose up and told her I was fully determined to kill
or:e I went out of 'the house. if she did not come with
mined me

)ner go.
r. OrL

She began to sing a song. I told her not to sing
songs,. she had mare need to sing jiymns. She laughed
aloud; at mo when I said that. Then I caught her by the
forehead, and said, Now,, Sarah, will you c,nie home or

• not?' She said she Would not. I said, 'What, never-coma
}tame ?' She said, 'No, never.' Ehen I drew the razor'
across her throat. She heaved her two arms lap, onl
caught me round; the neck, and pulled my face to hers, and
kissed me, I told her I had murdered her, and was willing
to die for her. The last words she spoke %vele, (Oh, no,
you shan't die.' I suppose she didn't think it was done toi
the'purpose, poor thing. That is all." This statement was
duly signed by the prisoner, who was then committed to the
assizes to take his trial.

THE PROPOSED REFORMS IN BANKRUPTCY.—An influen—
tial meeting in favour of an amendment of the Bankruptcy
Idivr,,adopting Lord John Russell's bill as the basis of the
proposed Reforms, was held i 4 the city on Ttw,,iday,