Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-07 00:00:00

WALLASEY COMMISSIONERS,

The monthly meeting of the Wallasey Commissioners
was held last night, at the Public Offices, Egremont.
Mr. N. Caine presided. There were also present—Messrs.
Pooley, Hill, Hughes, Wilson, Holmes, Parr, and Daunt.
The Law Clerk read the minutes of proceedings of the
works and health committee since the lastp meeting.
Mr. Pooley moved the adoption of the minutes. He
said it would be observed from the minutes that a
good deal of work had been gone through, but none
of it of a character calling for any special remark.
Some of the worst parts of the roads that required im-
proving they had recommended to be taken up forthwith,
and also the road which it had been resolved should be
proceeded with previously, but which had been postponed
until the present time. The matter at New Brighton he
would not now allude to. There had been an appeal
made to the General Board of Health, by Mr. Rowson,
against his assessment, but it had been confirmed, and
was paid. (Hear, hear.) As to future works and
improvement which had been suggested, he should
have something to say on the subject before the clerk of
the works was appointed. They had accepted the tender
of Mr. Sharp, of Lancaster, for iron, and thought it
advantageous to do so in the present state of the
market.

Mr. Holmes asked the price per cwt.
The Surveyor : 5s in one case, and 5s 3d for the large
castings.

Theaminutes were then adopted.
Mr. Pooley moved that John Mason be appointed dark
of the works.
Mr. Wilson seconded the motion.
Mr. Hughes moved as an amendment that James
Ridenough be appointed.

Dr. Pa-rr seconded.
The votes were then taken, when there were 4 for
each candidate.
The Chairman gave his casting vote in favour of
Mason.

---
The proceedings of the Finance Committee were read,
and confirmed without discussion.
The Clerk then read the

REPORT OP THE FERRY COMMITTEE

their v

TO THE WALLA.SF.T LOCAL BOARD OF FIF.ALTTU.
One of the earliest ncts of your committee, on its appointment,
was to depute its chairman, Mr. Pooley, and the chairman of
your board, to obtain Messrs. Coulborn's sanction WAALr account-
ant being employed to examine and verify the statements and
estimate of the receipts and expenditure connected with the
maintenance and working of the Seacombe, Egremont, and New
Brighton Ferries. Such sanction having been' obtained, Messrs.
John Bewley and Son were instructed to make the investigation;
and on the 30th September they presented a report, verifying, in
the main, the statement of receipts given by Messrs. Coulborn,
but affording no information on the question of expenditure,
which they stated Messrs. Coulborn declined at that time to
furnish.
The next step taken by your committee was to employ Mr.
W, F. Rudd, late manager of the Woodside. Ferry, to furnish an
approximate estimate of the probable working expenses ; also a
valuation of the ferry properties and plant attached thereto
respectively, and of the boats employed' in working the ferries.
On the 18th October Mr. Rudd made a report, wherein he
estimated the annual working expenses of the three ferries, with
six boats, at £10,468. The boats anet plants, he stated, he was
unable to value, Mr. Coulborn haVing declined to give him
authority
.to do so, but he considered six new boats suitable for
these ferries could then be built for £33,000.
The ferries of Egremont and New Brighton, including land,
buildings, staging fixed and moveable, machinery, &c., were
also valued by Mr. Rudd ; but as he had not the particulars of
the leases, under which the ferries are respectively held, before.
him, your committee do not consider it necessary further to refer
to the valuation so made.
The I eases. &c., having been unreeervedly placed in the hands of
your law clerk by the Messrs. Coulborn, the committee were
enabled to form a judgment of their own, and having done so,
whinetg hto ail
they considered it desirable that an interview with Messrs. Co
Color
-
1
,o
born should be had, for the piir
not there was a probability of pnorsiewoafrdasacnedrttartgy com
arrangement for the purchase of their .
' interest hi the ferries. An
interliow took place, which resulted, in yaw colntntttee rzcout, •

~,10,000 for

mending an offer to be made to Messrs. Cots Thorn of £3t5,..,_
the purchase of their interest in the Egremora and New Brighton
Ferries, the lease of Seacombe being also transferred to the board,
the purchase money to be payable one-half in cash, and the
remainder by the mortgage of the board, bearing interest at five
per cent.; for a period of ten years, and the boats to be taken by
the board at a valuation, and to be paid for in like manner. •
The recommendation of your committee having bees, approved
by the board at its last
the meeAting, the offer
nlborn. was ac,ordirigly made,
issrs.. Co
and at once rejected by

Your chairman, however, shortly afterwards received a letter
fromfir. Coulborn, suggesting that either Mr. Caine alone, or
and one other member of the committee, should be delegated
-et Mr. Beloe on their (Messrs. Coulborn's) behalf. That
4 wholly on the
!aterest
irevent the

to me‘...
the purchase money for the ferries be accept,.
bonds of the district, which might bear a lower rate of
than £3 per cent. for the first few years, in order to r
laying of a rate, and those points being arranged, tz,„
arbitrator should be appointed who should be limited to a
maximum and minimum price.
Your committee, therefore, deputed your chairman and Mr.
Pooley to confer with Mr. Beloe, with whom they had several
interview*, which resulted in a communication being Made by
your committee to Messrs. Coulborn, to the following
—" That the ferry committee would advise
Messrs. Coulborn's off,— -

rbitrato
bonds, authorised by tl
but that they unanimously decline to
to agree to the fixing of any maximum or minimum pri
To that communication no reply has been returned.
Your committee, therefore, feel that any further attemp
negociation would be fruitless, and that the only c
Messrs. Coulborn notice, in writing, under secti,
Wallasey Improvement Act, 1858, requiring the
whether or not they aKa willing to treat with the
their interest in the said ferries, and to pro
the consideration to be paid, and the terms and
such purchase settled, in case of difference, by arbitratio
provided by the act

rison sole
mortgage

Thiscoldse, your committee, after giving the question their
anxious consid►aration, urgently recommend your board to adopt.
Jan. 3, 1839. HENRY POOLEY.
Mr. Pooley said, he was glad the Ferry Committee had
not been too hasty in giving notice to Messrs. Colbourne,
otherwise the public might have blamed them. Private
negotiations they. had found impossible, but the com-
mittee were unanimous in the course they had taken.
He moved the adoption of the report.
Dr. Parr seconded the motion.
The Chairman said, there would be no difficulty in
geting the money, he was happy to say. (Hear, hear.)
The report was adopted.

The auk said, since the report was drawn up, he had
received a letter from Mr. Colbourne. He then read
the following letter, which was received with much
laughter :

" New Brighton, Jan. 4, 1859

"Dear Sir,—l have hesitated as to the necessity of
sending any reply to your note of the 30th ultimo,
inasmuch as the ferry committee knew my decision
when
_passing their so-called unanimous resolution.
My offer to Mr. Caine was based upon the principle
of a maximum and minimum price, and when he and
Mr. Pooley were appointed to negotiate with Mr.
Beloe, I understood that, in thus adopting my sugges-
tion, the equity and fairness If that principle was fully con-
ceded. To my surprise, your committee suddenly changed
sk me to abandon the very

_
nd now cooll
essence of my proposal;
trouble taken in placing at their disposal
which, with the assistance of their
Bewley, and the aid and experience of AI

Ind that, too, after we
xiled ac

int
intant, Mt
Rudd, th

.
late manager of Woodside Ferry, qught to have en-
lightened even a ferry committee of the Wallasey Board
of Health. For what purpose, may I ask, has all this
information been sought and obtained, if not to en-
deavour to agree upon an approximate value ? It is
now about twelve years since the first Wallasey, Ferry
Committee was appointed, and successive committees, an-
nually elected, have continued to meet and pass resolutions.
To me it appears that there has been either a lack of
intelligence in grappling with so large a question as the
acquisition of the ferries, or an insincerity or timidity in
dealing with it. At all events, I think the public will
agree with me, that these committees have served a
tolerably long apprenticeship in the art or mystery of
doing nothing. How much longer is this to last ? Let
there be no mistake. Coulborn Brothers are still willing
to transfer their interest in the Wallasey Ferries, and to
accede to the wishes of the board in arranging the mode
of payment, but they must be met in a business-like
nanner, and with that spirit of fairness and liberality to
which they are entitled.—l am, dear sir, yours truly,

To "T.- K. Hassan, Esq.'

Wm. R. Colanoitiv.

A letter was then read from Mr. Rowson, sent with a
cheque for £658 135 3d, and asking for a copy of the
apportionment and account of the expenditnre for the
road for which he was assessed. .

The Chairman said the—money hal been paid in
accordance with an order from the Secretary of State,
upon Mr. Rowson's appeal. The case might be a warning
to others who objected to pay their rates.

A letter was read from Mr. W. Colbourn, the owner
of the ferries, drawing attention to the importance of the
the commissioners making some better provision for the
anchorage of vessels out of the track between Seacombe
and the landing stage.
Mr. Pooley said when the new wall was built, the
anchorage would be better; at present the rapidity of
the tide caused fewer vessels to anchor between Seacombe
and the Landing-stage, than any where else in the
river.

A letter was read from Mr. Garrett, of the Victoria
Hotel, callin,;, the attention of the commissioners to the
bad state of the road between his hotel at New Brighton
and Montpelier-crescent. - Referred to the health and
works committee.

A resolution was passed, authorising the borrowing of
an additional £2,000 on security of the rates, for the
carrying out of the works of the Seacombe sewerage dis-

A letter was read from Mr. Hill, asking the com-
missioners to consent to the drawing up and hearing of
a case, to decide as to the liability of houses under £lO
rental, to the special district rate.
The commissioners agreed to the request.
This.concluded the business.