Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-21 00:00:00

TO THE ISURGESSES OF LIME-STREET WARD

GEN T LEME
THE period of my delegated trust as yourrepresentative
in the Town Council is about to expire. A deputation
of your body has done me the honour to wait upon me with a
view to its renewal. With pleasure I accept their invitation
and deem t therefore no „less a privilege than a dzty to addres
a few words to you on thq occasion.. Whether they shall•be
parting wcrds, or merely preliminary to a continuance of our
connection as constituents and representative, is a question for
your sole decision.
My conduct as a member tof Abe Town Council for the last
three years, is before you. is for you to decide how far that
conduct has exceeded. or, ,f4llen short of your expectations.
But this I think I may venture to say—all that I promised,
when, in compliance with. a numerously-signed requisition, I
placed my services at
.your 'disposal, has been zealously and
faithfully performed. " What I under ook to do, if you con-
ferred upon me the honcair of representing you, was simply to
discharge the important:duties thereby devolving upon me to
the best of my ability. Perhaps I may be allowed to add,
without incurring the charge of presumption, that even y•mr
opponents and mine cannot deny that this .pledge has been
fully redeemed.
Should there be, however, any doubt on this point, I shall
be happy to render the fullest possible account of my steward-
ship, whenever and wherever the opportunity is afforded.
The matters to which I alluded three years ago, when, at
your request, I •offered myself as a candidate for your suffrages,
have certainly not diminished in importance ; nor do they re-
quire less unremitting attention on the part of your represen-
tatives.

The Town Dues question has been settled, if not exactly as
we could have wished, and as justice demanded, still in a man-
ner far short of absolute confiscation. The part I took in
effecting a compromise, when nothing less than such spoliation
was sought by
i some of our envious opponents in the neigh-
bouring towns, s known to you all. For property held by as good
a right as that on which some of our assailants enjoy their private
estateswe have obtained some compensation, thou gh by no means
an equivalent: This question having been thus settled,it seems to
me a matter worthy of consideration, whether we should not
now endeavour to come to some similar arrangement with re-
spect to the River Weaver Tolls, which are so heavy a burden
on one important branch of the trade of Liverpool. These
Tolls are far in excess of what is necessary to maintain the
navigation, and the surplus is applied to county purposes.
This may be a very convenient arrangement for Cheshire
landed proprietors, who seldom have to pay a county-rate of
more than a penny in the pound, but it is not exactly in confor-
mity with the principle on which they assailed the Liverpool
Town Dues. -

The precise information !relative to the Corporate Estate,
ordered to be furnished on the motion of Mr. Robertson Glad-
stone, of the non-compliance with which order, after a lapse of
twelve months, I complained three years ago, has not yet been
supplied. It is most important that, wherever the hitch lies,
and whatever may be the motive for withholding it, this infor-
mation should be forthcoming ; and should you again return
me to the Council, I will continue to use my best exertions to
obtain it.

I have endeavoured, as you are aware, to prevent the adop-
tion of a new mode of disposing of Corporate property, which
I consider most unjust to the present ratepayers, since it
inflicts upon them increased taxation for the benefit of pos-
terity entirely uncalled for; and, failing in this attempt, at
least to insure publicity and fait competition on all occasions
of sale or lease. so as to obtain the best possible terms for the
public, and prevent even the suspicion of collusion and jobbery.
The importance of this question can hardly be over-rated.
With proper administration of the Corporate Estate, annually
increasing in value, and judicious economy in expenditure, I
believe there will•be no necessity for a borough rate•; but that,
otherwise, it will be unavoidable.
Although a complete separation between the Corpdrate arid
Dock Estates has been effected, the interests of the two are,
and must ever be, set interwoven, that a member of the Town
Council, anxious to do his duty, will always have to keep a
watchful eye on the proceedings of the Dock Board; and the
Council-Chamber is certainly the place in which• he should
direct the public attention to these proceedings whenever he
considers it necessary so to do. •And this duty has become all
the more important since the transfer of its jurisdiction from
the Corporation to a body of gentlemen, many of whom have
no interest in the permanent welfare of either estate.
The time may not be far distant when some determined
stand against the extravagant expenditure of a body so con-
stituted will be necessary, and especially on the part of the
owners of fixed property,• who are the persons most interested
in the proper management of the •Dock Estate. Should such
necessity arise, I trust• that I shall never •be• found wanting,
either as your representative, or, if that honour be denied me,
as a simple member of this great eommunity very largely in-
terested in its welfare.

Being firmly convinced, after much inquiry and serious
reflection, that the" rating of the Dock Estate, and all other
public property, towards the support of the poor, is a measure
recommended not less by its justice than by its expediency, I
Heeu OelS, 1.4a444 X ...1.•,11 ,osco tax. uu we au,
best efforts to accomplish that object, in whatever way they
may seem to be most likely to be available.
In conclusion, gentlemen, I venture to hope that no further
exposition of my serstiments or intentions will be deemed neces-
sary from me in this address. At your Ward Meetings, I shall
be happy to afford any other explanation which may be required.
For the present, therefore, I will only say that what you hive
found me in the past, you will, if you think fit to renew my
trusteeship, find me in the future,—a zealtus and painstak-
ing friend and advocate of every measure calculated, in my
judgment, to promote the prosperity of the town and port, and
the general wellbeing of the inhabitants.
. _

I have the honourio be, gentlemen; yours, very respectfully,
JAS.. R. JEFFERY.
Compton-house, October 3, 1859.

TO THE BURGESSES OF ST. ANNE'S WARD.
GENTLEMEN,
have been waited upon by an influential deputation
of your body with a requisition, most numerously signed,
inviting me to become a CANDIDATE for the Representatib.
of your Ward in the Town Council, at the ensuing Municipal
Election.
The clearly expressed opinion of so large a number of the
Electors, relieves me of any diffidence I might otherwise V. tve
felt in assuming such a responsible position ; I therefore
cheerfully comply with the request, and at once place myself
in your hands.
Should it be your pleasure to elect me as one of our Represen-
tatives, my best efforts shall be directed to the promotion of
every measure, having fer its object the weifare of the Ward
and the good of the community at large.
I am, gentlemen, your most obedient servant,
GEO, NICKSON.
•
16, Canterbury-street, Islington, 30th Sept., 1859.

TO THE BURGESSES OF PITT-STREET WARD.
GENTLEMEN,
ARequisition, numerously signed, has been presented
to me, inviting me to allow myself to be nominated as
a CANDIDATE to represent your interests in the Town
Council. I feel deeply sensible of the honour, and most
cheerfully accede 'to' that request, considering it both a duty
and a pnv,lege to endeavour to fulfil a public trust when
called upon in a constitutional manner. If, therefore .it be
your pleasure to elect me as your representative, it will be my
anxious study to discharge the duties of that important and
responsible position in such a manner as to promote the
welfare of the whole community.
The enforcement of Sanitary regulations, the improvement
of the dwellings of the poor, increasing the number and
extent of parks and playgrounds for the people, shall have my
earnest support. But, as a preliminary step to all these
important questions, and in order that the Council and also
the people of Liverpool may know what means there are for
the accomplishment of these great works, I will join most
heartily in the efforts to obtain an early and complete state-
ment of the nature and extent of the corporate estate. This,
I think, is one of the first duties to which the attention of
your representatives ought to be directed. If returned to
the Council it will-be my sole object, to the best of my ability,
to see that the public resources are exclusively and efficiently
employfd for the public good.
Keeping this principle in view, I may state that the
widening of Park-lane and the improvement of Cleveland-
square Market shall have my earliest and best attention.
Being a large ratepayer in the ward, my interests, I may be
permitted to say, are bound up with yours, and if I can serve
you and the town at large, I shall be happy to do so.—l am,
gentlemen, your obedient servant, -JAMES STEEL.
78, Duke-street, Oct. 8, 1859.

PITT-STREET WARD.
THE COMMITTEE for conducting the ELECTION
of JAMES STEEL, Esq., meet Every Evening, at Seven
ck, at the VINE TAVERN, Pitt-street. The Secretary is
in attendance Daily.
WILLIAM M'MILLEN, Chairman.
E. S. SAMUELL, 1 Vice-Chairmen.
D. M'CLELLAN, j
WM. M‘MILLEN, Jun., 1 Hon. Secretaries.
WILLIAM EVANS,