The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-01 00:00:00

THE UNITED KINGDOM ADVANCE AND
DISCOUNT COMPANY,
BARTHOLOMEW CLO,E, WEST SMITHFIELD, LONDON, E.C.
Established. under the Limited Liability Act.
CAPITAL, £25,000.
This Company having now completed their arrangements, are in a
positi n to make immediate money advances, in sums of £lO lOs to
,t NO, from three months to five years, to parties in want of cash,
which applications will have the immediate attention of the Company,
and the amount paid within three days.
NEW FEATURE —Sums not exceeding £5O may be had on the per-
sonal security of the borrower, by special agreement, particulars of
which will be forwarded on application to the Secretary.
The Company have to inform the public generally, that they are
prepared to make cash advances to suit the convenience of Tradesmen
and others, by way of deposit of Goods, or other available security.
Annuities, Reversionary Interests, and Life Policies purchased.
Tradesmen' Bills discounted at the current rate.
rospectuses, with every cape se stated, forwarded to any part of
the United Kingdom on receipt of two postage stamps.
GEORGE REED, Secretary.

LECTION OF COMMISSIONERS

RATEPAYERS' LIST.

At a large and influential Meeting of Rat,payers, it was resolved to
nominate the following gentlemen Candidates for Commissioners at
the ensuing Election

FOR TARES YEARS.
GEORGE HARRISON, Civil Engit.eer, Grangeftield,
CHAR. ES COOK, 13, ewer, Ozton road,
WILLIAM HIND, Mer bent Birkenhead park,
EDWARD RRETHERTON, Solicitor, Hamilton square,
WILLIAM HENDERSO ,Se dsman, Market cross,
JOSEPH TIMMIS. Tea Dealer, Market street,
JOHN A. BARNETT. Wi o Merch nt, Hamilton street,
FOR ONE YEAR
JAMES HIGHTON, Gen Isman, Clanghton.
' E. G. WILLOUGHBY, Chairman.
Committee Rooms, Castle Hotel, Cheater street,
May 28, 1857.

TO THE RATEPAYERS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF
BIRKENHEAD AND CLAUGHTON.
Fueow Toweteltere,
Pis a fact well Icil6we to the Commissioners of
BirkeLhead, that a xery huge proportion of their
Constituents would like to have a Charter of Incorporation obtained
for this township ; and also, that the desire for a charter, which is now
bezoming very general, arises principally from a conviction that it
would prevent the Commissioners from influencing the election of
their own beey,in the open and isgracefel manner which they have
for many years done, and.whi.h they still continue to.do, and which
they ever will do, so long as the present wretched system is tolerated.
It might reasonably hate been expected that the Commissioners
who cannot possibly be ignorafit of these facts, but who are them-
selves opposed to the obtaining of a Charter, doubtless because it will
curtail their power and influence, and place more power and influence
in the hands of the Ratepayers. would have ceased to meddle in th e
election in the open and unblushing manner they have been accus-
tomed to do ; but, on the contrary, we find them this year inter feting
in a more than ordinarily obj ctionahle mann, r. They have com-
menced at least six weeks before the day of election to arrange their
plans and organise a Committee for the purpose of returning the
whole of the retiring Commissioners, seven in number, who go out of
office by ',tenon, and, not satisfied even with that, they have also
nominated an ex-Commissioner in the place of Mr. Bryant, who has
voluntarily disqualified himself by non-at endance, before the expira-
tion of the three yews for which he was elected.
You are aware that they have organised a Committee, containing a
long list of persona said to be pledged to the return of their nominees,
many of whom publicly repudiate any such pledge on their part; and
doubtless many of those who have really given in their adhesion to
that list. have been i .duced to do so, we bout reflecting upon the great
impropriet, of pledging themselves before they know who will be
brought forward, or by ouch sweet influences as are usually resorted
to in elections, but which are a disgrace alike to those who offer and to
those who accept them.
The great plea put forward by the Commissioners this year is,
that the re-election of the retiring seven Commissioners and the
ex-commissioners to make up the list of eight will secure "unity of
action."

Now, it so happens that in the praint Casa TIM ry OF ACTION
does not mean GOOD GOVERNMENT, but it means EXACTLY
THE REVERSE.

'I he Ratepayers have, as reapeets the last two years especially, a
great right to complain that there has been sadly too much UNI rY
OF ACTION, one mind has mo; ed, seconded, and carried every
resolution that ha-, been come to. amendments have been almost if
not Ilto;ether unknown, and no one w;11 pretend that this is or can
he a healthy state of things. Whether this has been brought about
by the skilful use of a material influence and position of so much
weight, that it required more virtue to resist it than really existed, or
from super,or intelligence, or from dinner parties and the like, it Is
not worth while inquiring—the fact is palpable that there is far
too much UN YOF AC ['ION.
There has been too much U ITY OF ACTION in the voting away
the enormous average expenditure of .e 2,000 per annum for Law and
Parliamentary Expenses, by a body who cannot pay their Bondholders
2 per cent. inter eat, and upon the amount of whose debts, the interest
due in art ear has accum dated to su h an extent. that upon a Bond
for .el,OOO at the present moment advertised for sale, there is an
arrear of interest dug of .6370; and upon other Bonds, probably much
larger Kilns than even thtv. . •

There has been too much UNITY OF ACTION, in default of which,
the Commi,sloners, as a body, have been guilty in neglecting to obtain
a Chart rof Incorpor tion. They cannot plead the expense el her of
obtaining it or of working it in the face of past and present lavish
expenditure. They are everlastingly go ng to Parliament for some-
thing or other; but the pro arl.ty of asking fora Charter, seems never
to have been present dto to, it arent.,l vision. .
There has been too much t LAITY OF CTIO .4 in forming the
Committee for the re-election of the retiring Commissioners. The
name of the Chairman of the Commissioners stands first on the List;
an wth the exception of two or three, alt the Commission, rs, except
the Candidates for re-electicn, have signed it. There are, it *arms.
but two, or at most three out of twenty one, who have sufficient sense
of propriety, or sufficient independence to say, kt the Ratepayers have
a voice in the matter.

The nomin; tlon of the retiring Commissioners has not emanated
from the Ratepayers; it was first ,ettled by the Commissioners„:a
fact so well known that it will not be attempted to dispute it.
There has been too much unity of action in reference to t e most
upporraut question which has come before the Commissioners for
consideration for many years ; that is, the question of retaining .he
present liability of the Docks to be rated to the Township Rate. It is
well known that the presiding genius at the Commissioners' Board
said, " if the rating of the Docks was insisted upon, he would not act
upon the Parliamentary Committee," and such was the unity of
action displayed on that occasion, that the rating of the Docks " Was
lett in the hands of the Chairman."
There was so much unity of action, that the CommisAoners present
at that meeting actually resigned their functions, and delegated to
one man only of their number the power to say whether, or not, the
immense property of the Corporation of Liverpool should be for ever
free from payment of Rates.

There It-asbeen too much unity of action in reference to the pay-
ment of to the Chai man of the , ommissioners as compensa-
tion for supposed deterioration in the value of his land, by the sale of
some sdjo ning land belonging to the Commissioner 3, without certain
restrictions. Mr. Luau says, "Y, u have sold that land with the
liberty of building terraces; you had no legal right to do so, anti as I
have tan .l in the immediate neighbourhood, I shall sue you for dam-
ages." It appears that the land sold by the Commissioners has been
repudiated by the buyers, and has reverted to the - 'cmmissioners, so
that the depreciation of Mr. Lenin's land has not taken place. Bat
the Law-clerk says, "As we agreed to pay Mr. LAIRD £1,500. we
have now the power to tel the Land with liberty to build terraces."
It is fair, then to co elude that land is worth more with that liberty
than with the restriction, and if so, ,ir. LAIRD can sell his land, with
liberty to build terraces, more than he can sell it with a restric-
tion as to terraces.

Then whit is the 561,5C0 comnensation for? And why did not any
of tho Commissioners appeal to Mr. Lam) to forego his claim to this
41,500 cn these grounds, and also on the gr,iund that he himself, as
a Commissioner, executed the condltio ,a of the sale, and especially as
he pompously announced his willinmess to allow his petty int-rest in
the Gas and Water C,mpilny to b - disposed of by arbitration, because,
he believed it would be for the interest of the Ratepapers. Why ?
Because there was too much unity of action at the Board.
There was entire unity of act ion amongst the Directors of the
British Bank.

The fact is, wo want greater diversity of opinion, the present com-
position of the Board is of too homogenous a character. We want a
vigorous healthy opposition; we want men who will protest against
the vast expenditure going on; we want tam who will advocate the
right of the bondholders to he paid a better share of the income at
the disposal of the board, and which could easily be done by exercising
economy; above all, we want men who will advocate the necessity
of placing the local representation upon a more constitutional footing.
Ratepayers of Birk..nbead, do pot pledge yourselves to any Lis
irrespective of the character of the cauctidates ; but select from
every List that may be org mised, the best games, and set dictation
at defiance. A RATEPAYER.