Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-06 00:00:00

COMMT.TES,

The proceeding's of the docks and, quays' and
master porters' coomruittees, were confirmed. without
discussion.

THE STEAM-SHIP OWNERS' ASSOCIATION

A letter was read from Mr. Squarey, v secretary to the
Liverpool, Stearn-ship. Owners' Association, enclosing a
resolution of that body, adopted on the 3id inst., in reference
to the width or the -ptopOsed steam dock to communicate
with the Huskisson, dock. The resolution declared that, in
the opinion of the meeting, the contemplated width of
,250
feet would not, be sufficient for the requirements of the
steam trade generally, and that to giie adequate' accommo-
dation, it must be at least 300 feet.

The.letter was referred to the works', committee

CARGO :MANIFESTS,

Mr. M'lver begged to call attention to a subject of much
importance to the public, Four or five years ago, when
the transit trade commenced with France,. the customs'
authorities for revenue purposes required a detailed manifest
of all the contents of packages: arriving by the.. vessels.
Each statement extended:, to,, about It 3 pages ,in le4th.
Subsequently some judiCious and intelligent onatan-i-hease
'officer found that the same results could be. arrived at in
abotit-three lines. Five years, ago, therefore, they
commenced with a manifest of eighteen yards long;
and now . the customs were quite content with
half-a-dozen lines or thereabouts. It was the
same 'thing in many other, instances. All the iierld
was trying .to do without-forms,:but the lklersey Dock Board
alone was increasing its forms every day. BY the late dock
law, all consignees, owners; agents, &c., were required to
iu signed manifests, , foythe purpose, it was said, of
checking the dock. dues upon goeds,, Now,, he was not
going to say that. that might not be, laivfal, but he denied
that it was expedient; and,: to his mjnd, it was perfectly
incomprehensible how the members of thelship-owneri asso-
ciation, owners, agents, brokers, &c., had ever, willingly put
their necks under such a yoke as that. He himself was
punished. most- unmercifully in having to furnish the beard
with all thejnformation.required, for he had to keep two or
three additional clerks occupied upon the , making up of the'
manifests. Bat, what was' the fact in addition ? That in-
formation was not enough for the officials .of the board, but
they actually required at. his hands that he should furnish
such materials as would just amount to a system of espionage
more perfect even than that of the police of France. In
fact, when he wanted to know what was done in his own
own office, the , best place he could go to inquire at
would be the• dock office. It was actually.required now,'
that in addition tattle names of shippers,. the description of
loads, . the quantities. and numbers of packages,' he should
famish the:board with the measurements of bales and cases.
Now, that might be the law, but as one of the publio inter-
ested, and very much intereated in it, .he wpuld eeir the'
'board, as
,plainly as_a man could say it,. that, he would be
the first to hreak that
,law, and to bring it before the bar
,of
public Opinion.. There never was such a piece of D,ranny ;
to save-the dock
,board"from the chance of being pirated of
about,,td,,he was,to be pat to the expense of about t2OO.
The Chairman did not know why, Mr. M'lver should' be
.
required to give.the measurements of which he had spoken.
That some, enactment of the kiwi, was accessary, M'lver
would .he qnite convinced Of, if he had been a member- of
the dock board as long _as he_ (the chairman) bad been.
Before they had an arrangement requiring importers, and
also those, who sent ships outwards,,,,to give a correct tran-
script of their manifest, they were cheated, not to the
amount of 4d, but of hundreds and thonsands of Mounds.
They had no cheek whatever upon,- the. quantities of
goods exported by different vessels,
.andle was, sorry to say
that, althongh the: general character of the merchants and
shipowners of that, port were ex remelt' 'high, yet there
were individuals who took advantage of the' oppPrtunity
afforded them to a.,very .considerable extent. In many.in-
stanCeS dock dues were only paid upon, half the amount of
the articles ; in many instances one hundred cases were
hipped, and only fifty. entered.. The customs did not look
"sr these matters, and the only check which the board had
the payment of clock dues, was in getting an accurate
gnies ofgoods imported and exported
ny, the resfeetiYe-VeSiels.. They, checked one by the other,
and they found very great discrepancies frequently; and Were
abliged to write numberless circulars —in fact, they had an
office for the, express purpose of conducting such transactions.
Whether they went too much into details for the pUrpose,
he was not prepared to say.", He certainly was not aware
why the measurements were required, nor could he Conceive
how such particulars could possibly be necessary.. If Mr.
111‘Iver would leave it to the finance committee . to take the
matter, into their hands, he was sure anything which was not
necessary would not be required, for the committee 'had, of
course, no- wish whatever that any unnecessary 'returns
should be exacted. Bnt some return was absolutely neces-
sary, •
or the Dock Board would be cheated to a great extent.
(Hear, hear.). .

ount from.,tlAp eons:

M
r._Wlver said he wished to bring :before the board an.
intelligible idea of the infliction or affliction thus; unposed
upon the public out of doors;, The public were 'put to an
expense for the making up of these. returns three times
beyond that which the dock estate would lose in their dues.
It was an amaiing tact to him that the shipowners should
have wilfully put -their necks under snch a yoke.
The Chairman said, Mr. 111'Iver must observe that if
parties were able to defraud the estate of the dues, , the
additional amount must be leyied upon those who honestly
paid them. If the 'ShipownCrs complained of haiing to
:make returns which were absolutely, necessary for the pre-
vention of fraud upon the: dock estate, the only result would
'be that thoSe Who were 'honestly and fairly paying their
.dues would hate to pay so much more. (Hear, bear.)
lNl‘lver : It is not business ; it is fiddle-faddle,' the
making out of these%returns. It would be far better for me,
and others like me, to pay any:sum to compound for it.
Arr. Boult said, although there was a good deal of trouble
in making out the Se. :returns, he believed. the dock board
were 'perfectly, justified in calling for them: (Hear,.hear.)
There were numbers of dishonest parties professing to
forward: goods for nothing and making. a living out of the
dock and town dues. (Hear, hear.). For his ewn part,
although it, involved some expense, and gave a good deal
of trouble to the house to which he belonged, he did not
complain of the system adopted by the dock board. The
demand for measurements appeared, however,
.2 thing of
very, doubtful utility.

The Chairman repeated that the subject would be. con
sidered by the finance committee, and the discussion finally
closed without any resolution being proposed.
This concluded the bnsiness.

No SHIP SHOULD GO TO SEA without one of Saunders
and Co.'s Patent Selt-cleansing Charcoal Filters, cased and
fitted-up expressly for uxe on board ship. Note the Eldreimt,
§A.VIPERS & Co., 16, ?Luker-street, Liverpool.