Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-12 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL DOCK BOARD

Mr. Charles Turner occupied the chair at the usual
-weekly meeting of this board, held yesterday. The other
members present were Messrs. Smith, Graves, Bold, Farn-
worth, Brocklebank, Shand, Langton, Monde], Inman,
ltounthwaite, Laird, Hutchison, 'Rankin, Maclver, For-
wood, Segar, Tobin, Loc

:01111ITTET

The proceedings of this committ,
dations to accept the tenders of Messy,
Co. for the supply of cast iron cylinders,
the Birkenhead Dock ; of Messr•~ T '
Co., to supply twenty ,
sheet; of Messrs. Keats and Co., to.
„sheet lead. It was stated in the proceech—t,
committee had been appointed to consider in all its bearing
the question of the increased facilities for traffic across th
river, and to which sub-committee the resolution of tl!
Town Council on that subject was referred.
An annual report from the dock engineer wh.
the general state of the docks and dock works, with the
expenditure of the departments. _

contained recommen-

or and
red on

to be de
Bibby,

sheets o

supply of milled

I read, on

The report was an important document to the ratepayers,
but was withheld from the reporters. It states that there
was during the year an exnendi'

otks on the

turc on new

Liverpool side of the river of' '' 77779265. 3d.
Mr. BROCKLEBANK moved the confirmation of the pro-
ceedings, and the adoption of the report of the engineer.
Mr.RANICIN, in seconding the motion, said the report of
the engineer 'must be satisfactory to the board. As to the
Birkenhead works, they had done their very utmost to bet
them finished within the time specified by the act of Par-
liament. Such an amount of work, in such a short time,
was perhaps without parallel.
Mr. MoNnEi. asked if there was no alterations to be made
at George's Dock.
The enninmA.N said there was nothing before them with
reference to George's Dock.
In reply to Mr. Laird,. the CHAIRMAN said a copy of the
report was to be supplied to each member.
The proceedings were confirmed.
The proceedings of the Warehouse Committee were read
.and confirmed without comment.

MARINE COMMITTE

This committee had no meeting last week ; but the sub-
ject of the line of telegraph along the docks, which had
been put forward by them in the previous week, and which
was deferred, was brought-on for consideration.
Mr. MoNDEL said they would recollect that, in bringing
this report forward, it was in somewhat of a crude state.
He apprehended that they could not bring out any plan at
present, but what must be verycrude. They had consideted
the number of stations that would be requisite for the well-
working of the line. Eleven was their present number, but
he did not know whether it would be desirable to confine
themselves to this number. It was thought that
this subject might be better considered when they
came to enter into the contract with the par-
ties for workii it. "Five of these stations were for
their own use. The engineer and the electrician stated that
a simple woden hut would form an intermediate station, at
a very slight expense ; but the committee would be very
happy to have suggestions from, any member
.of that board
-who thought himself competent, or who had a knowledge of
the question. They should learn a good deal when they
came to contract with the parties. He had no doubt, mean-
time, they had altered the contract for six months, so that
they would have the power to take the line into their own
bands if they found it did not work well, by giving 'six
months' notice. It was his own individual opinion that
ffte-y should keep a wire in their own hands, for their own
purposes, and let the remainder, and have connected that
wire with the central police and fire station, andinake other ar-
rang,ements which he,apprehended they could not do if it
got into the hands of a company. However, the board had
passed a resolution that it should go into the hands of a
company, and it was their duty to do the best for the work-
ing of it. There was one party which must be specially
gr'eved, and that was the Bridgewater Trust. Their prin-
ciple dock was isolated. He thought it was hard upon them
to restrict them from sending messages through the wires on
their own business. He moved that the advertisement, as
drawn out, be inserted, for tenders for working the line.
Mr. INMAN seconded the motion, and said the Bridge-
water Trust Were no more aggrieved than other parties. .

---
Mr. GitavEs said it must be quite impossible that in a
matter of this sort every possible contingency 'could be pro-
.-vided for in an advertisement for the first time. They were
asked to confirm what appeared to be the basis of an ar-
rangement between that board and any party tendering for
the working of the telegraph. It appeared to him that it
was desirable they should, as far as possible, determine what
the vi.-ws of the board might be upon any point that might
strike any member of that board, before they confirmed
that advertisement. On reading it over, it struck him that
there were points upon whica that board might express an
opinion as to how far they were desirable for the greater
utility of the telegraph at the south end of the town. He
observed that one of their stations was worked in the fire-
police depot ; and it struck him, and he would suggest, that
a station should be placed at the south-west corner of the
Stanley Dock, within some fifty yards of the police-station
there. The reason he made this suggestion was, that a
party being always at this station, it would be extremely
desirable that they should have a communication with it,
in case of fire, to both extremities of the town. Following
out this idea, he would suggest that it would be desirable to
rim a wire to the central police-station of the town. He
was aware that, by an act of parliament, they had no power
to do this, but with the consent of the corporation there
would be no difficulty ; and he had reason to think the
Health Committee would be favourable to this. They
would then have the power, at all times of the night, to
have communication with the fire-office in case of any
emergency. He would also suggest that they should reserve
to themselves the right, in the tender, of placing the wire
-where it was necessary for the estate. In reference
to Birkenhead, he would suggest that it would be of very
great importance to have a communication across the river by
means of a telegraph. When the cable was laid to
Holyhead they would require, and the public would require,
to have messages transmitted to Birkenhead. A. station
should be kept at Birkenhead for the same cost as one on
this side of the water. Mr. Mondel spoke of letting the
wires for six months. He (Mr. Graves) was of opinion
that they would get no respectable party to come forward
for the public utility, if they thought they were to be dis-
:l3laced in six months. lie hoped whoever entered into the
arrangement would enter into it with the view of holding it
for years, and that they would be prepared to go hand-in-
hand with the board to develope the line, at an expense
which, while it would be profitable to them, would be eco-
nomical to the board. Mr. Graves concluded by suggesting
an alteration in the wording of the advertisement.
Mr. MAclvnn said the stations must be defined [before
they could get anybody to come forward and tender.
Mr. FoawoOD said he apprehended that it was intended
that whoever took this line of telegraph, took it with the
view of connecting it with some other line, and extending
its usefulness, and that it was not to be let to a party for
working itself merely. It was the wish of the board that
the line should be commercially useful.
Mr. Tonne thought the suggestions of Mr. Graves were
well worthy of consideration. He thought it exceedingly
desirable that the police-station should be ahle to communi-
cate with all parts of the town, and to the dock estate, which
was more especially the subject under consideration, and
also that they should have communications from all parts of
the dock estate. As their operations grew wider, the neces-
sity bcame greater for this. As they extended their dock
works, they must resort to artificial means in order to con-
centrate them ; and he should be glad that the Bridgewater
Trust, and Mr. Maelver, and other gentlemen who carried
on an extensive business should have a wire in their offices,
and in the different establishments in the various parts of
the town.
Mr. RANKIN said it occurred to him that some one of the
Present stations would not be wanted for a long time, and
that ethers were too close together, that one in some places
might answer for two,
Mr. 13ema
issued,
it suggested that!
before the advertisement was
tee should would be very desirable that the Marine Commit-communicate with either one or both of the
telegraph
The
valuabrernpanies. He thought they might throw
The board le as to the working of the line.
working it. „ perfectly ignorant as to the manner of
the marine Committee
same time he would, suggest,_ that
they issued their adveee take into consideration, before
torr,ttsement, the propriety of advCrtis-
ing the Holyhead
one person on more adV;?tiap„li. also. Both might be let to
,7eous terms than one. This ad-
vertisement should come before the board before it was put
in the papers_
The CHAIRMAN said, with
respect to the Holyhead
must
head tele-
that involved another consider
graph,
recollect that the marine semaphore had to
be workyed. It
: ivas' worth 'Consideration whether the
heir ha should keep tl
sernap4ore in t was
I,doubtful ie
marine,
whether they should give the Holyhead teßrra
be into
other hands. There was no doubt some basis should be
down for a tender, but at present no basis could be laid
down which they were sure would work. Whatever basis
they would lay down now might have to be materially
altered as they gamed
experience. Therefore, he considered
it of great importance that the line should not be let at first
for more than eamonths, rnanths, so that they might be in a noel-
.if the •partyshould not be willing
tion to resume the line,
to Amide t 9 Any alterations they might propose, Other-