Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-02-01 00:00:00

WEST" DERBY WA STE LANDS.

(IMPORTANT MEETING, YESTERDAY.
Yesterday, a public-meeting of the trustees and corn-
missioners • of the West Derby waste lands, together
- 'with tlie freeholders and copyholders of the township,
was held at the 'Coinmissioners'-office, Harper-street,
Low-hill, for the purpose of adjusting the accounts-of
the trust estate, disposing of the proceeds • arising
therefrom, end transacting the general business. Mr.
Plumpton presided; and in 'addition to a large geneaal
attendance, the follbwing trustees were present;:—
' Messrs. J. P. Heywood, J. Hodson, R. Higg,in, Thomas
Molyneux, George bat, S. Sergentson,'W. IL Anthony,
L. Heyworth, and R C. Lowndes.'
The Clerk to the Commissioners read the statement
of accounts, which showed the;gross amount dispoeoble
by the trustees to be L 1,044 ;Ns. The solicitor's bill
amounted to £29 os.-11d., and the surveyor's account
- to £l9 125., leaving a net balance of £996 7s. to be dis-
posed of at the discretion of the meeting.
- Mr. RADCLIFFE wished to know how the £9OO voSed
• last year had been disposed of ?
Mr. LOWNDES, the treasurer, replied, and went
into several details as to the respective amounts
expended on different improvements. He stated
that they had paid the Corporation of Liverpool,
towards the expense of altering West Derby-road,
the sum of £5OO ; and they had also voted £5OO to the
TinProvement Committee to be ,expended in widening
Mr. RADCLIFFE said he took exception to the man-
ner in which the trustees had hitherto disposed of the
money, and moved the following .resolution :—" That it
. is, in the opinion of this meeting, desirable that the
practice during the last few years of making grants of
money towards effecting improvements in the township,
be discontinued, inasmuch as such grants, however de-
sirable -the improvements may be, are liable to the
objectiol that the grant is not strictly in aid of leys
and taxes, and that it would be preferable to resume
the practice formerly adopted, of making specific grants
in money to the public authorities, in the municipal and
rural portions of the townshimiin aid of works of a per-
manent nature; and for which 'leys and taxes might
be impoied."
Dr. GLAZEBROOK seconded the iesolution, and in doing
so he called the attention-of the meeting to the articles
of agre3ment made in 1753 and 1713. He contended that
the first vote of money was for public benefit and advan-
tage; in other portions of the agreement it was in case,
of leys and taxes; and it was also for specific objects
that of highways and poor rates. The Highway Board
had thought that they would be entitled to have a
specific sum of money voted to them so that they might
reduce the rates;
The CFLAIEMAN—Mr. Radcliffe,. you appear on behalf
of the Highway Board.
Mr. RADCLIFFE—No; I come here as an owner of pro-
perty in the township.
The CHAIRMAN-,--It has been argued that it seems an
extraordinary application to be made by a body about
to expire;' that-your days are numbered, and in fact in
a few months all your functions will cease; that a new
Board will' 'then 'be created, and the' new Board may
properly make this application to the Commissioners.
Mr. RADCLIFFE said he would only remind them that
when the Highway Board was appointed last March, he
read the clauses of the agreement to the general meet-
ing, and the meeting then instructed them to take pro-
ceedings. He came here, however, on the present occa-
sion, entirely on his own account, and he had not taken
any action with the Highway Board. The resolution
he had moved would be followed up by another,—that a
certain surd be voted to the new board appointed under
the Local Government Act, in aid of works of, a perma-
nent nature, and that an equal sum be given to the
Town Council in respect of the portion of the township
within the municipal' boundary.
Mr. HEYWOR:FH—YoiI don't mean by permanent
nature macadamising the roads, but permanent improve-
Mr. RADCLIFFE said 'he alluded to such things as
sewers, &c.
Mr. HEY WORTH thought the deed freely gave it into
the power of the, trustees' to deferniine for what special
purposei the money should ,be,given. (No, no) It
was not for the • Highway
_Board to determine whether
they should give the Money for the general improve-
ment of the roads. The discretion was given to the
Commissioners as to what way the roads should be im-
proved by means of their money.
Dr. GLAZEBROOK argued that the deed only applied to
purposes in case of leys and taxes, and as the Highway
Board were the executive of the parish for the repairing
and maintaining of the roads; the committee could not
limit the power: of -the- Highway Board, and_use the
money for the purposes which were not authorised. If
that were not so, the Commissioners and the Highway
Board would be brought into: collision. For instance,
the commissioners of waste lands might think that eel--
'Lain bye-roads should be widened and improved, and the
Highway Board might think differently. - .
AIR. ANTHONY gave it as 'the result of his experience
on the Highway Board that where money was applied
for on account of the general rates, it was granted by the
eommissioners„ and if it had not been grante„el, a lunch
:heavier rate would have hid to be laid
..upou the
parishioners.
Dr. GLAZEBROOK said this was only done in, individual
instances, and had nothing to do with the discretionary
power of the deed. .
Mr. RADCLIFFE said he was only anxious; as to the
futnre disposal, of the money. There had been one
grant made- fo a gentleinan five miles out
,of LiverpoOl
for merely directing a road. They. might say that it
was in aid Of leys and taxes, but he denied that it was.
since then, they had actually.veted £5OO out of .the
township altogether, Which they had not a shadow of a
right to do. 'lt might benefit the West Derby people,
but they could not say that: it was in Aid of their taxes,
and he was sure that a vestry meeting would never have
saddled them with such an expense. Again, in the
grant they had. made to Mr. 'Cooke, the commissioners
might come into collision with the Highway Board.
He wished, however, that these things might be by-
gones, and that they might act only, as regarded the
future.
Mr. litisinz read some clauses of the deed, and con-
tended that it was for the majority of the meeting to
decide in what way the money should be granted. He
'Moved, as an amendment, that the funds in hand for the
present year he voted in, reduction of the poor-rates for
the township next year, both rural and municipal.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. WENSLEY thought it would be more satisfactory
both to copyholders and freeholders if the money were
paid into the poor-rate, as then both the rural and
municipal part of the township would participate equally
in the amount;. and he therefore begged to second the
amendment.... . ,
• Mr. lim*oon—But that money, when collected, is
the property of the landowners and copyholders, and not
of the tenants.
RAbcrIFFE--Yes, it springs from them ; it was
their grants of land that created the trust.
Mr. 11Erwoon thought that it should not go in relief
of poor-rates. It was a little sum-
' Mr: WENSLEY—It would amount to 2d. or 3d. in
the pound.
Mr. HEYWOOD—I don't think it would be a penny.
After some further discussion the amendment was put,
an-I negatived by 16 to 12.
At the request of the Chairman,
Mr. RADCLIFFE consented to withdraw his original
Inotion ; and to move that £4OO out of the money now
in hand be appropriated to the new board under the
Local Government Act for West Derby, in aid of works
of a permanent nature; and that a similar sum be given
to the Town Council on account of the part of the town-
ship within the municipal boundary.
• Dr. GLAZEBROWE seconded the motion; and it was
carried by a large majority..
Mr. RADCLIFFE then proposed that it was desirable
that the grants heretofo
as Practicable;
made to the schools be discon-
tinued as early cticable • and that, in order to les-
sen the inconvenience to the charities as much as pos-
sible, one-fifth Of the amount
,now granted be reduced
each year.
Dr. GL. said that the deed authorised the
grants to the school.
Mr. Rola said, since the principle of education was
embodied in the deed, and the practice having obtained,
thought he light it would be most ungracious in them at this
time of day to stop it. He begged to move that the
usual grants be made to the schools.
Radcliffe, Ya.enux seconded
grants 'were°. i the following
the amendment; and Mr.
Derby orderednational School withdrawn his motion,
Edge-hill,lnfant School, £lO ;
to be made to the schools :—West
Nationale ioob School 4,15d20 ; Knotty Ash Girls'
and Boys' S6lOOl,
Mill-lane School, 1210 ; St.' Anne's,
_ £10;
Boys' and Girls' Scho01, St. Oswald'
l £2O ,
'West Derby, ,El 5 ;
Gate-mill Roman C St.
jusdeß,somscahnooC,atholic.
Catholic School, £10; and the Lan-

cashire Female Refuge in Mount-vernon, £lO. Total,
£l4O. - - -
On the motion of Mr. Hindle, resolution was passed
to the effect that the accounts, with details, be printed
and circulated..
Mr. RADCLIFFE moved—" That the nionervoted last
-year to be disposed of by the Improvement Cionimittee,
and not expended, and in respect of which no legal
liability has been entered into, in not expended, and
that the sum be added to the general balanceln hand."
Mr. Hindle seconded the motion.; and aftersome slight
opposition, it was passed by fifteen to five.
The meeting then separated.

COLONIAL CHURCH AND SCHDOL

SOCIETY.

'Last evening the annual meeting. of the, Claughton
branch of the above society was held in the School-room
of Christ Church, Claughton. The Rev. Dr. Itlakeney
presided. The proceedings having been opened with
singing, the Rev. J. E. Blakeney offered up pralier.
The CHAIRMAN said his aucEence were already well
acquainted with the claims and objects of the society
whose interest they were met together that evening to
promote, and the Rev. Mr. Sing, who appeared amongst
them es a deputation, was not a -stranger. ,to them, for
they had heard him before, he hoped not ordy with
pleasure but with profit. (Hear, hear.)
The Rev Mr. KING said there 'was no subject an the
face of the globe on which people wanted stirring up so
much, as the Colonial Church Society—the very best
society, he believed, that existed on the face of the earth.
There were certain generalities regarding the colonies
which were taken up and not aetdupon. For instance,
the greatness of the colonies, that the sun never set
upon the :British dominions,•and so forth. But these
things were not realised, and our responsibility with
regard to the people in our colonies was not felt as it
ought to be,; else, how was it that the income of the
society was so small, when their object was so good. Now,
it was their duty to take the gospel to their people in
their colonial brethren. The principle upon which
Christ himself acted was to ga.,forrn into all the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature. But if he
were a mere free-thinker, a philosopher, and if he looked
on the Bible as a mere system of ethics without reference
to its inspiration, he should question very much .the
propriety of preaching the gospel to the heathen,
because when the gospel was carried to them, their
condemnation was the greater if they rejected the truth.
As a mere philosopher,-he Would say, "leave the heathen
as they are:; but as a Christian man, he would obey the
gospel command to preach the gospel," and 10, lam
with you, wen to the end of the world." Now,
wherever our people were, there the society sought to
take them the gospel. The society sent earnest, men to
places' that were very destitute, and-where the people
needed the agency employed. But then the society
went further ; it had to do with schools. - The people
would be educated. We heard in this day of uneducated
classes. There were no such classes. It was a monstrous
untruth to say that there were uneducated classes, There
were plenty of people who could not read or write cor-
rectly, but there was no person who was notin some sense
educated, and if he was not in the school of Christ he Was
in the school of the Devil. He believed there was a
moral progress going on every day ; and it was grati-
fying to think that they could assist in educating the
young and training them to Christ instead of leaving
them to be trained to the Devil. Now, the society
began in the right place. They had 101 schools in
Canada alone that they sustained. Again, there was an
important work which they were carrying on amongst the
French Canadians, of whom there were a great number
professing the Roman Catholic religion. Men might talk
as they liked of commercial advantages and secondary
influences cementing- two peoples. Now, he believed
that there was not but religion that would bind
peoples toe.ether lastingly. Some people would point
to rreland? There was nothing to bind her to us; so
far as the Roman Catholics were concerned : and the
same remark applied to the 700,000 French Roman
Catholics with their foreign sympathies, resident in
Lower Canada. They did' want to have English liberty,
and live under the protection of English law.; but they
did not want English religion, and tried all their might
to subvert Protestantism. Now, the society sought to
evangelise the masses of the Roman Catholic Canadians
by sending men and women of discretion among them,
to convert them to Christ, and make true Protestants of
them. The rev. gentleman then proceeded to state that
the society also sent missionaries abroad to pay attention
to our sailors when in port. Our people on the Continent
were also cared for by the society, whose agents, whilst
they were not allowed to proselytise, were at all events
allowed the privilege of ministering to the spiritual wants
of British residents and sailors at thirty-three different
stations on the Continent. The rev: gentleman con-
, eluded by a heart-stirring appeal on behalf of that
branch of the society's 'operations which had reference
to the spiritual necessities of 60,000 fugitive slaves resi-
:-dent in Canada; and made a special request that the
ladies would, from their cast-off wardrobes, prepare
articles of clothing for these fugitives from cruelty, who
suffered great physical hardships in Canada owing to
the excessive cold. A friend in Liverpool had volun-
teered to send packages of clothes for these poor people
' in Canada, fieight free;' and he thought such an offer-
ing as he habluggested would be exceedingly acceptable.
' The Rev. J. E. Blakeney having eloquently addressed
the meeting, a vote of thanks was accorded to the Rev.
' Mr. 'Ring; and a similar‘tribute having been paid to the
Chairrnan, a collection was made, and the proceedings
concluded with devotional exercises.