Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-09 00:00:00

GARDENS COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee did not contain any-
thing cf public interest.
Mr. GARDNEa moved that the poceedings be confirmed
which passed.

CHURCII EXPENDITURE COMMITTEE.
Mr. WAOSTAFP moved that the proceedings b 3 confirmed,
which was carried without discussion.

OBSERVATORY COMMITTEE.

Mr. AIKIN, in moving the confirmation of the proceed-
ings, stated that the advantages of the Observatory were
beginning every day to bs more and more felt. Tice num-
ber of chronome-ers tested was increasing considerably.
Scarcely a day passed over that benefit was not conferred
by it upon some one. The institution had became a kind
of model observatory, not only in that, but in other coun-
tries. The Board of Trade had closely imitated the
arrangements adapted in ir, and the city of New
York was forming one on almost precisely the same
plan.

Mr. WAI,STAFF seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.

WATER COM3I ITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee contained the follow-
ing :—" Recommendation that Mr. Thomas Morris, Mr
William Bryan, and Mr. William Jones, jun.. be promoted
from the rank of third-cliss collectors to that of second
class collectors, and that their respective salaries and
poundage be calculated at the rate of £lBO per annum ;
that Mr. J. B. Roberts and Mr. Charles Gibson be pro-
moted from the rank of second-class to that of first-class
collectors, and that their respective salaries and poundage
be calculated at the rate of £2OO per annum, and that
the respective salaries and poundage of Mr. Thomas
Ashcroft and Mr. John Jackson, be calculated at the rate
of £220 per annum."
Mr. WOODRUFF moved the confirmation of the proceed-
ingl, with the exception of the reclmm.ndations for
promotion and increase of salaries, which, according to the
standing.rule of the Councii, must remain over until the
next monthly meeting. lie read the following return in
reference to the supply of water :

There has been delivered for the use of the towns during the last
four weeks a tota' cnautity of 293,21-;,09 gallons of water, of which
149,772,000 gallons we e from Ilivington, and the quantity pumped
14 ,445,000 galon4, or thereahauts —making a weekly total of
73,554,00) gallons or thereabouts.

Daring the. s ,me period last year the qua Itity of water delivered
was 177,229,000 gallons.
Thus the quantity of water s! ands—

For 1857...
For 1856...,

...... _233,218,909
177,229,,,00

Exmss of 1857 over 1855 .............. 115,989,000
Or 60 per cent.
The proportion of Rivington water to w,ter pumped from the Iota:
wells has been curing this period :
Fint week
Second „
Third „ Ditto.
Fourth „ .
* June, 1856—Complaints ,:irty water ..........16
1857 Lit o

Less in 1857 ..3
* Jaw, 1856—Comp:aints no water....
1857 Ditto

Less in 1857..
.112
Water distribatod since last meeting of the Council :
F.rst Wcek, May 30.—Rivington water, 35,422,356 ; well water,
32 933,332. Tutal, 68,110,688.—Proportion of Rivington to well water
about 9 to 8.
Second Week, June 6.—Rivington water, 35,042 524 ; well water,
36,415.931. Total, 72,458,575.—Pr0p0rti n of Rivington to we.l
wa er nearly equal parts.
Third Week, June 13.—Rivington water, 33,851,647; well water,
36,813,848. Total, 75,665,493 —Proportion of Rivington to well
water nearly equal parts.
Fourth Week, June 24.—Rivington water, 43.455,639 ; well wa!er,
37,217,744 Total, 50,673,333.—Pr0p0rti0n of Rivington to well water
about 7 to 6.
The proceedings were confirmed.

act of the Council itself which did so. (Hear, hear.)
Therefore, whatever delay might have arisen in conse-
quence of that act, he begged to be allowed to stand
absolved from it. It was represented at the time, that the
Surveyor had a great deal of labour in connection with
other duties, and had not time to devote to matters
extraneous, comparatively speaking ; and he believed it
was but justice to that gentleman to say that he had done
as much as it was possible for any human being to do to
second the efforts of the Committee in that respect (Hear.)
But it was a master which required great contideration and
a great deal of time. It was not a thing which a gentle-
man could take up one hour, and lay down the next, or
ge through by fits and starts at any odd moment he night
have to spare. What he had done in reference to the
plans laid before the Council, some two months before, he
believed were as well adapted fnr the purpose, in every
respect, as it was possible for plans to be, so fir as con-
venience and arrangement went. Bat the surveyor, like
all others, could only do a certain amount of work. One
reason of the delay, therefore, was that his time had been
so fully occupied by other matters, of very great
portance to the Council and the public generally, that it
w-14 rendered utterly impossihle for him to go on with the
plans. The committee had therefore no means at their
disposal. They were shoved aside by the resolution of
the C_ until, which placed the matter in the hands of the
surveyor. Another circumstance which contributed still
further to the delay was the fact, that whan the plans were
laid out before the Council upon the last occasion, any
farther progress was, to some extent, suspended, by the
resolution carried at that time to have the levels of the
surrounding locality arranged and altered before anything
further was done. A joint committee was appointed,
consisting of the members of the Law Courts, and
Library and Museum Committee, for the purpose of
considering the questions of the levels ; but in consequence
of the surveyor having been engaged, as the Council were
aware, upon very important business in London, nothing
had been ever done in that respect. With all possible
anxiety, therefore, upon the part of the committee to get
the work forward, their hands had been tied, not by any
act of theirs, but by the act of the Council. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Picton then moved that the proceedings of the Library
and Museum Committee be confirmed.
Mr. WOODRUFF seconded the motion.
Mr. J. R JSFFERY stated that he bad himself received a
letter from Mr. Brown in reference to the delay. Mr.
Brown wrote to him very despondingly indeed, and said—
" Instead of having the gratification of seeing the building
myself, I begin to fear that not only I may be disappointed,
bat that my grandchildren may be disappointed in seeing
its erection." It appeared that Mr. Weightman had had
more work to do than he could possibly get through. It
was due to Mr. Brown that they should take such steps
as would facilitate the erecti mof the building. He was
informed by gentlemen more competent to Ore an opinion
than he was, that Mr. Wordley, who was at present in
the employment of the Corporation, and of whose time not
more than one-fourth was occupied, was in every respect
quite competent to take up the plans whore Mr. Weight-
man had left them, and to bring them to maturity. He
therefore suggested that Mr. Wordley should be instructed
to carry out the plans under the direction of Mr. Weight-
men.

Mr Siam agreed in the main with what had been said,
but did not think it would be advisable, or according to
rule, to adopt Mr. Jeffery's suggestion. He understood
that the former resolution adopted by the Council was to
refer the plans to the surveyor, leaving it to him to call in
the aid of any architectural talent he might think ad-
visable. He suggested that the committee should be
requested to have the building proceeded with forthwith.
Mr. KITCHEN said the committee had been only waiting
for the surveyor to return from London, in order that he
might be present to make the necessary arrangement. He
having returbed, it would !I'm be immediately taken up.
The committee were all anxious to proceed with the least
pos.4ible delay.
Mr. HonsoN said, although he was a member of the
committee, he should like the Council to express an opinion.
The committee sat many times. They asked for plans,
but the plans remained in seatu quo for a considerable
length of time, owing to the amount of labour which was
thrown upon Mr. Weightman.
Mr. GARDNER thought sufficient had been said there on
that occasion to produce the effect of expediting the work.
Mr. l'untr., said he would move an amendment to the
effect that the letter of Mr. Brown be referred to the com-
mittee,. and that the committee be instructed to proceed
with as little delay as possible towards the erection of the
building.
M. A. C. STEWART seconded the amendment.
The MAYOR said he did not think he could put an amend-
ment which would tend to supersede the surveyor and the
reso ution of the Council.

Mr. J. R. JEFFERY denied that the amendment could be
taken to have the effect of superseding the surveyor or of
interfering with a previous resolution of the Council.
The MAYOR though}, if it meant anything at all, it must
mean to supersede the resolution of the Council which
placed the carrying out of the work in the hands of the
surveyor.
_ _

A. Fong and irregular discussion here followed, during
which some ruemi- ers spDke several times. The
Deputy Town Clsrk was requested to read the resolution
of the Council, referring the work to the surveyor, but
on being read, it was found to contain the worls, " under
the directions of the committee," and did not appear to
include any specified permission to the surveyor to call in
the aid of other arch;tectural talent.

Mr. Piero` said if the Council would give the Library
Committee a carte blanche to go on with the building, they
would proceed with it at once.
The MaYoa said in consequence of precedirg resolu-
tions, no such authority could be given at that moment to
the committee. He suggested that the letter should be
simply referred to the committee.

Mr. Sum urged his amendment, but the Deputy Town
Clerk gave it as his opinion that the instructions it con-
tained was not in order.

Finally, the letter was referred to the committee,
after a bewildering dismission, in which several members
addressed the Council simultaneously.
The proceedings of the committee were then con-
firmed.