The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-08 00:00:00

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this CoMmittee were tend. • They com-
. prised the following report on the probable income- and'expen-
: (Mute of the corporation for the year ending Ist of September
last, and' ending the 31st of August next :
"The committee report that they have investigated the
accounts of the corporation, and considered the state •of 'the
income and expenditure, and that they are of opinion that the
income of ste corporate estate from all sources Cannot be- esti-
'mated for the current year at more than £204,389; that the
amount of obligatory expenditure cannot he etimatcd at less
th,n ' a gross surplus of £25,038 ; and that the
'‘(;1');1' i nuance of branches of discretionarY eXperiditere (sehools,
;Tic chariOes, and observatory) for the public.benefit of the,
-_ii,!.,abitants, hitherto sanctioned annually by the council, mint
lie stated at £3,147'; .arid also sundry improvements already
sanctioned by the council. £2,000, making £5,147, leaving an.
avai!able sup plui of £19,891. Last year the council voted out
cf its surplus income an amount eituil to that payible by the
several townships without the borough, with respect to the
watch rate=. If this arrangement be zontinued for the present
year, relief would be afforded to the ratepayers of the borougli
to the following amounts :
Parish of Liverpool £8,525 9 1
Extra parochial place of Toxteth Park 1,378 4 0
Township of Everson 881 19
_5
Do. West D4by
Do. Kiikdaie

£11,814- 18 2
The prosecdings also contained the following recommenda-
. Sirius :—Recommendation that; the staff of the' treasurer's office
Is- arranged as. follows : H. M. Hutton, now Second clerk
at the salary of £l2O, to be chief clerk at the salary of £2OO
per annum ; Mr. Benjamin J. Owens; now c7eik in the [teas
- office. Cornwallis street at the
.salary of £BO, to" he
sts,istani clerk at the salary of £lO5 per 'annum ; and thai the
:Sa!aly of Mr. Richard Houghton, out-door Collector,.be in-
' sleased from £l5O to £175 per annum, the consideration of
which was postponed at the last monthly council, pursuant to
tii standing orders. Recommendation to accept the tender
.of
s'essss.ltearsiets for the- supply of coals to the (aro!‘ ion
ishm -- ents at the following prices, viz. Bast C.Sal,
nt 124 par ton ; hest engine ditto, 8s 6.1 per ton; nut slack,
lion the best King coal, 6s 81 per too; R'commendallon to
make a grant of land, containing about 500 square yards, in
the parish of Walton, to trustees for the purpose Of erecting
schools thereon ; and to vote the following gratuities to the
- public charities, viz.—The Dispensary, ....-Pl5l -10 a; Northern
Hospital, £100; Southern Hospital. £100; Royal Infirmary,
£105; OAkhaltnie Institution, £100; Refuge for the Desti-
tute, £25; Mulles' Charity, £3O; Lying-in Hospital, £3O;
District'Provident Society, £lOO. Recommendation to grant
a sum to each of the townships within the borough equal to the
amount of watch rate payable by such township respectively.
Mr. Alderman S. Holme, in moving the confirmation of
. the first recommendation, said that it would be requisite for
him to direct the attention of the council for a moment or two,
to one or two subjects, the details of which had been just
brought before them. The first question to which.he would
- ask their attention was the subject of the memorial from the '
. waiters of Liverpool, with reference to the employment of the
servants of the Town Hall after their hours of duty, at the
Town Hall establishment. That memorial was referred back
to the committee, in consequence of a strongly expiessed
. opinion on the part of the. council, that the sercants of the
Town Hall establishment should not be included iu the reso-
lution of the committee. It had received, in consequence, the
reconsideration of the committee, .and .they were of ,opinion
that the restriction was intended to apply to, the officers of the
corporation w.hci 'received yearly salaries, and not to the mere
servants who ,received 18s. or 20e. a week wages. (Hear,
hear.) The business of these servants terminated in winter
about four o'clock, and in summer at five- o'clock in the
afternoon, and the committee thought that if the restriction
applied to them, it would prevent them from keeping small
Shops, to which their wives could attend, than which there
could not -be a greater hardship on men receiving such very
'small wages. (Hear, hear.) The memorialists stated their
opinion that the corporation should mill, the salaries of these
men to an amount that would render it unnecessary for. the m
to go out at night; but the committee were of opinion that the
. wages they received fiom the corporation were adequate to the
duties they were called upon to perform, and.did
,not feel it
right to ask the council to increase their salaries, (Hear,
. hear.) The next subject was-the recommendation to increase
-• the salaries of 'one or two of the parties who 'had been adianced
from a lower to a higher position in the treasuret's office, 'Ho
had hefore"gorie into the circumstances of these prornotione,
Krd it was unnecessary that he should repeat them. (Hear,
Theis' ivtii another ant ject, however, to which he
"Sbould direct the attention of the council ; he alluded to t 4
applicatien of the clergyman of Walton foi the:piece of 1 tad,
ontaissihg about 500 square yards, at the bor6isgh gaol, for the
irtit-pose of electing a school there. The corporation had there
erected residences for all of their 'officers connected with the
gaol; and these men, with their families,-had ren-iov, d there.
• Their children numhered nearly 100; and as there was no
• school neaterthan-Walton, about a mile distant, the clergyman
of Walton, aided by some benevolent individuals, were raising
a sum of money sufficient to build a school in which these
children could be educated, and they asked the corporation to
• appropriate a piece of land for the site. It:was a small piece
of land, worth £3O or £4O, which could be readily spared,
and the committee asked the council to appropriate it for to
desirable a purpose. M.. Holme then moved the confirrim-
tion of the first recomnaendation:is•lo, the changes -in the
treasurer's office.
The recommendation -was unanimously confirmed.
Mr. Alderman S. Heinle,' in moving that the tender of
Messrs. Kears'sy, for the supply of coals to the corporation
essablislnsats, at the prices above stated, be accepted, said
that on-cancellin...: the contract with the late contractors, the
committee apps rd to the most respectable parties who hail
previatisly 'tendered for contracts up to the 31st Mardi, wheit
the Jimal yearly toilers would be asked for.
Wosdruff asked, bow Many were 'called on to tender :a
and if the memorial from coal proprietors, in reference to this
subject, had been considered.
Mr. Alderman S. Holm° replied, that nine parties were
asked to tender, and that the memorial 'referred to by Mr.
Woodruff had been fully considered.
.-
The recommendation was confirmed. -
Mr. Alderman Holme then moved the third recommendation,
that a grant of land in Walton be -made to trustees for the
purpose above stated.
Mr. Hodson asked if, supposing half the officers of the gaol
were dissenters, the finance committee would recommend .a
grant of land for building a school or chapel for them ? '
Mr. Alderman Holme replied that it would be time enough
to answer that question when such a case arose.
Mr. Beckwith : It may arise at any moment. (Hear,
hear.)

M. Alderman Holme replied, that the school would be for
general purposes, and that all children would be received and
educated there.
Mr. Hodson urged that that was not an answer. He was
willing to make the grant in question, but he wished to
know if a like grant would be made in the case of dissenting
officers.
Mr. Alderman Pinker replied that that' could deal with facts,
not supnositions.
Mr. Alderman Dover observed that the land was not for the
purposes of a church, but for a parochial educational school, in
which the most liberal education would be afforded, It would
be I:kewiee a great boon to the neighbonihood.
Mr. Alderman Holme said that when a piece of ground
was asked for the Mechanics Institution, lie at once voted
for it. He was quite prepared to answer the question of Mr.
Hodson.
The Mayor reminded Mr. Holme that he could not commit
• the. finance conmaittee to any precedent.
Mr. John. Stewart observed that there was no analogy
between this case and the one suggested by Mr. Hodson. If
Mr. Alderman Holme acceded to Mr. Hodson's proposition,
.he (Mr.. Stewart) for one, as. a member of the finance com-
mittee, would not be bound by it. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Sheil objected to the grant as a violation of the
municipal reform bill, under which they sat. They were
expressly excluded from granting money or any part
,cf the
surplus revenue' of the corporation for any purpose but the
general benefit ,'Of the ;inhabitants and improvement of the
rowo. The application.of the proPerty of the corporation in
th's instance would' not be for the general benefit of the
inhabitants or improvement of the town, it being in fact.out of
the borough altogether. (Hear, hear.). He was sorry that
the chairman of the' finance committee should have had
recourse 'to the talk 'about - the admission of Dissenters

to the school as a' 'reason for making the grant. How
Could the children of Dissenters—how' could the children
oii•Roman Catholics be Sent to, a 'School which would
be under the initiediate direction of the rector, vicar, and
curate of the Parish, and in which those doctrines alone in
which they believed would be taught? To use the language
of the Chief Jti'stice of England, such an argument was a
" mockery, a delusion, and a snare." He recollected that in
• - the early days of the corporation, application was made for the
- f e simpledof the land on which the Roman Catholic schools in
Seel street stood, and that
,it, *as denied', and justly 'denied,
because, aecordifig to the act of P'arliament, they It no right
to apply the corporation funds to any exclusive purpose. But
there was also appended to the resolution refusing the applica-
tion a declaration, that no part of the funds of the corpora-
tion should ever be granted to any school which was not
entirely under the direction of the corporation. (Hear, hear.)
Ile was under the impression that that was a standing order.
but as the town clerk allowed the recommendation to be
inserted in the proceedings, he supposed he was wrong.
Mr. Alderman Helme, after a brief consultation with the

town clerk, said that he would save the tiny.. Gf the mini' by
withdrawing the recommendation. The, 42ud section of the
~standing.oruers had been just placed in his hands, and lie saw
that it was fatal to the resoluden . By that section it was laid
,down as the fixed principle of, the corporation that no grant
should be made in aid of any school which was not entirely
under the-management and control of the council. lie should
therefore .withdraw the recommendation, but he might state
that the piece cf laud was only worth about £26, while the
parties in question wero going to expend £6OO for the benefit
of the corporate officers. ,
Mr. Brantley. Moore, : It is but right to state that the
town clerk .was ,not ;present when this was ,discuSsed in the
finance committee.: .

Mr. Alderman liohne ; He was in London at, the time,
otherwise pur attention would have been called to the standing
order. (afar, hear.) • • _

The recommendation was withdrawn, and the matter
dropped.
Holme said the next subject to which he had to direct
the attention of the council was the report of the probable
income and expenditure of the corporation for the year begin.
nine the Ist September, 1856, and ending the 3lst August,
1857. The matter spoke for itself, and all he should need to
do was just to move that the report bc printed, and a copy.sent
to each member of the council in the usual course.
The motion was agreed to,

Mry Hoinie then moved that the following grants he made to
the public charities as usual :—The Dispensaries, £157 103:
Northern Hospital, £lOO ; .Southern Hospital. £lOO ; Royal
!Infirmary. £lO5 ; Ophthalmic Institution;::£loo,; RAuge for
the Destitute, £25; Ladies' Charity, .P 0; Lying-in hospital,
£3O ;- District Provident Society, £lOO. ,
Mr. Anderson mid he committee, of the Reforma
tory Association would be able to prove that they were saving
to the town such an amount as to entitle them next'yeae to a
share of the gratuities.
Mr. Hodson concurred in Mr. Anderson's remark, but at
the same time urged that the ragged schools, -which prevented
crime in the first instanCe, had even a greater claim to a
gratuity.
. The motion 'was carried.

Mr. Mime said he had next to MOVP, which he did with
some reluctance, that the grant of £11,815 bo made in lieu of
watch rate payable by the ou townships.
Mr. Alderman Dover said, he regretted the remark with
which Mr. I.lolme had introduced the motion. The council
could no more refuse to pay that money, than they could refuse
to pay any gentleman money they owed him. Honourably,
.and he even thought legally, the township were entitled to that
grant. There was no corporation in England which had not
to pay parochial rates upon its property.
Tho motion was carried.
Mr. Holm° then moved the confirmation of the general
proccedings;which was also unanimously carried.