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

HACKNEY C,.RRIAGES COMMITTEE.

Mr. Woodruff moved, and Mr. Bennett seconded th©
confirmation of the proceedings, which was carried.

B kTtIIII COMMITTEE.

The proceedings were confi.med, on the motion of Mr.
W. P. Jeffreys.

GI is COMMITTICR.

Mr. Kitchen moved that the proceedings of this com-
mittee be confirmed.

The motion was seconded an I carried.
IffitKENHZAD MOCK'. CO? MITIZE.

Mr. Alderman Holme moved that the proceedings of the
Birkenhead Docks Committee be confirmed.

Mr. Graves said. considerine the great importance of
increased accommodation for the port of Liverpool, there
was naturally a very strong feeling out of doors on the
part of the commercial public, that the works should be
pushed on with all possible despatch. Although persons
might differ as to the extent of relief which the opening of
the Birkenhead docks would give, still, be the relief
small, or be it great, there were engagements which had
been entered into by the corporation and by the Dock
Committee, which made it compulsory that the works
should be carried on with the greatest possible despatch.
He might state that there was very great disappointment
felt out of doors, in finding that there were difficulties in
the way of carrying nut the works. It appears that the
difficu'ty (lid not rest altogether with the council, and he
was very glad to find, by the proceedings of the com-
mittee, that they were determined to do their part of the
work, by building that portion of the wall at the Great
Float, which it was the duty of the corporation to build.
But he believed that there was a difficulty in bringing the
landowners of the adjoining portion to fair and reasonable
terms. There was a coyness ori their part in coming for-
ward to meet the committee. Same had declined to give
an answer at all ; oth, r gentlemen had made proposals
which could hardly be aeeeeded to. and the result was,
that no combined action could be taken to proceed with
the wall which was absolutely necessary to the opening of
the fl rat. It was roost important to give water space
and he belived that if the works were pushed on, the
water space might be given within the coming year. 13..!.t
if it were found impossible to bring those parties to fair
terms then it would be the duty of the Corporation to
adopt some other course. lie had only risen now for the
purpose of asking the deputy-chairman of the committee
whether, in case the owners of the property refused to
entertain fair proposals, the building of the wall on the
part of the Corporation was not permissive, and not com-
pulsory ; and, if it was permissive, whether the Corpora.
tion might not allow the water to flow into the Great
Float, even although the walls of the north shore would
not:in the whole be completed?
iMr. Alderman Hahne said, in the abeence 'of the
Chairman he would give the best answer he could to Mr.
Graves. First, lie should give the most unqualified denial
te, „„„ seie
Council were not keeping the most perfect faith, and
proceeding with the works at Birkenhead with the
utmost rapidity. (Cris sof " Hear, hear ") If any gen-
tlemen would go there and see the huEdreds of men whom
the contractors had got at work upon the excavations,—
and the Council were aware that those gentlemen were
tied under a heavy penalty to complete the works within
a specified time, and he believed from their energy they
were likely to do it—they would see that the committee
were adopting every moans which were possible for them
to give effect to the intentions under which they were
completing the work, and tbat they were losing no time
whatever in pressing them forward. (Hear, hear.) Gen-
tlemen must recollect that the outer works had been
virtually stopped by the decision of Parliament itself,
and that it was impossible for the committee after
having had to encounter the opposition of the
Great Western Railway Company, and to carry on
a contest in Parliament to go on with the outer
works, and it would be necessary to go to Parlia-
again before the question could be fleetly decided and the
great external wores could be carried out. It had been
asserted that the Council were going on with works 10
miles from the centre of Liverpool, at the north end of the
town, and were neg,ecting the works at Birkenhead. But
he begged to say that such was not the fact, and the
noble Lord who made the remark must have been misin-
formed, or in ignorance of the real circumstances of the
case. (near, hear.) He was not going so far as to say
that there had been any unreasonable terms proposed by
the parties who were frontagers to the pool, but there
were about 70 acres at the aorta side of the pool belonging
to the Corporation, and the Corporation had given
directions to the engineer to proceed with the works there
as rapidly as it was possible to do. There were questions
connected with the new line of wall on the north side;
:here were a variety of landowners on the north side who
had to he negociated with; and one Act of Parliament
after another had been obtained for Birkenhead, and one
so overode another, and one so swamped another,
that it was almost impossible to ascertain what the
real ri ,hts and privileges of the Corporatioh were,
and what the real rights and privileges of the
landowners themselves were. (Hear, hear.) Ne-
gociations were going on with the various
landowners there, and he had no doubt that they would
be brought to a successful termination bye and bye. In
the present state of the negotiations, he repeated that he
did not say anything unfair or unreasonable had been
proposed, and he had no doubt, that with the able
assistance of their Chairman (Mr. Stewart), they would
come to a quiet arrangement, and the works would then
proceed. He believed the Council had power to build the
wall, and unless the frontagers wouhl pay a proportion of
the cost, the wall would remain the property of the
corporation. The land behind would not be available for
commercial purposes to the owners. It was only within
the last month or six weeks that the upper portion had
been so excavated as to permit the water to be put in.
Gentlemen should r( fleet that, with all the difficulties and
impediments thrown in heir way, the Council were, so
far as they were concerned, keeping full faith with the
Legislature. He was sorry that Lord Stanley of
.tlderley had not signified his intention of coming
there, for it would have given the committee great
pleasure to have met him, aces given him all the information
in ttoir power, showing that the works were proceeding
with the rapidity whi.h was re ssiLle. (Hear, hew.)
The proceedings were confirmed.
APPROACHES TO THE LANDING STAGE.

The Committee appointed to consider this sejnct passed
a resolution—th.t they saw no way to meet the difficulties
of the question but by a high-ley,' bridge, in which con-
clusiou a resolution from the sub committee of the Dock
Committee expresed concarrence.
Mr. EARLE begged to move the confirmation or the pro-
ceedings: He a iid he hoped the Dock Committee, in
considering the question, would reLet upon the great
ins nve, ience and the great danger to the inhab:t tnts on
both sides of the water io using the present approaches.
So far as he was concerned, he sho3ll be very happy, if
jii,:tiee was not do ie, to bead a strevuoas opp ion against
any acts or the Dock Committee in Parliament, unless that
were a sine qua non. It could be d ;ne, and should be
done, and ho hoped the town would take it up boldly.
He thought Lord Stanley would have ccnsulted his
own digrity better if, instead of earning round, and
g dng fi at to one place, and then to another,
to pick up what he thought necessary for
his owe vio ve, he had sought an interview with a'l
the authorities of the town, ar:d endeavoured to
make IlimsAf master of the subject, and not shew the
ignorance to did on many ncrisiens. (Hear, hear.) The
wiener he was informed of it the better, and Lord Stanley
w..s the head or. the Botra of Trade, or something of the
sort. What did he know about trade? He was stuffed
like an Oxford divine, with a certain a ,rt of thing, anal
must go b 7 it. Ile thought it very hard upon the town of
Lverpool, thtt he sh told have coma there and not have
made himself thoroughly and pAcetly master of the whole
abject in all its bearings in regard to the North of docks,
the Birkenhead Pocks, the Landing Stags, and everything
else. (Hear, hear.) It would be very well if a remonstrance
were addressed to Lord Eltanley, saying that ho had taken