Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-01 00:00:00

SELECT VESTRY.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Select Vestry was
bald at ten o'clock yesterday, in the Workhouse Board-
room. Mr. Churchwarden Woodruff presided, and the
other members present were Messrs. Whitby, Bairstow,
Richardson, Syers, Crellin, Denton, Hughes, Shaw, Craw-
ford, Syred, Chesney, Williams, Owen, Gibson, Critchley,
Szaida, and Whitty.

WORXITOUSE CO3fMITTICE.

The minutes of this committee ware read, from which
it appeared that the number in the vagrant sheds last
week was 372. The nnmbar in the sick wards was 497
on the 24th instant. The total number of paupers in the
louse on the 24,h instant was 1,830.
Mr. Suave moved the confirmation of the proceedings,
including the appointment of Mr. Davis, as ward master
of lunatics, and Mr. Earle in the room of Mr. Roberts,
promoted,
The proceedings were confirmed.

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.

Mr. OwEza moved the confirmation of the minutes.

Mr. Dimas said, he had listened to the minutes.
but heard no reference made with regard to the
subject of fourteen children who had been registered
as Protestants, bu: had been Hider the tuition of the
Roman Catholic priest during the past twelve months.
Although au application was made to Mr. Cowes for per-
mission to examine the register, he understood it was
refused. He thought that under those circumstances
something ought to have been said with reference to that
subject. He had heard Mr. Whitty complain, and very
justly, upon former occasions that the R.,man Catholic
children were not divided from the Protestants. Now, on
Iris part, he cr uld say that, as a Protestant, p-otestantism
was as dear to him as catholicism wss to Mr. Whitty, and
he should require, as a Protestant, that pericular attention
be paid to the registering of children. The vestry were
the guardians of the children, and ought to see them
brought up in a proper way, and in the religion of their
forefathers. He hoped the committee would take the
subject into consideration, and see that the rule was car-
ried out.

The CHAIRMAN : Does Mr. Denton mean to iminuate
that there is any partiality towai'ds any one class ?
Mt. DENTON : I made no insinuation ; I merely stated
the truth

Mr. Owes said, the statement had taken him altogether
by surprise. He had not heard of fourteen Protestant
children being brought inro the schools as Catholics, and
if he had heard of it, he should at once have made
inquiry. He thought it would be be for Mr. Denton
to give formal notice of his inquiry, and he did not believe
any one could have an interest in putting a stop to it.
(gear, hear.)

Mr. WHITTY thought it very irregular that the subject
ahoeld eime on in that way. It d.h;closed to the Board the
fact that some person must hold communication with
members of the board, from the regular manner of bring-
ing subjects under the notice of committees. If such an
irregularity had taken place as Mr. Denton complained of,
it ought to have come before the Indushial Schools Com-
mittee, at their last meeting.
:Mr. DENTON : So it ought.
Mr. Winne' said, any abuse which was in existence ought
to have been brought by the proper officers before the
Industrial Schools' Committee. He had, himself, always
abeteined from introducing anything at the Board until ho
saw that it had been brought in due form before the schools'
committee. As a personal reference had been made to
him, he could aPure Mr. Denton that he would join wirh
him at any time in endeavouring to maintain the impar-
tial zeeulatioa of the schools, which he deemed it most
essential to support. He felt bound to say, that if there
was any irregularity of that kind now, it must
have occurred through the negligence of the
officers of the institution. The proper and
reguler course was that such subjects should come before
the Industrial Schools' Commieee, and not before thet
Board, where the details could not accompany the state-
ment, and the public might be deceived with regard to the
CV et particulars.
tr BArasrow said the vestry eithor had, or ought to
have certain regulations for cond..ctin„e the establishment
under its care. When a get.tlernen nailed upon him with
reference to the religion of some children, the answer he
gave was, that as there were certain regulations for con-
ducting the institution, any application having reference
to one of its departments, must be made according to
'those rules, and that he could receive no private com-
munication upon the subject. He thought that for Mr.
Holmes to have come to a private member like Mr. Don-
lon, and made a communication to him, en the strength of
which Mr. Denton got up at that Board to censure the
conduct of the schools, was a thing which the Board ought
get to tolerate. He did not care who the officer of that
establishment or of the schools might be, who conducted
himself in such a manner, he should be made amenable
to the committee. The least that officer night have done
was to have consulted with, and reported to the committee,
and not nave done it in such an underhand and disgrace-
ful manner as he had done upon this occasion.
Mr. De TOY : There is a general ground to justify Mr.
Bolme so far as t` at g-,es.
The CHAIRMAN : There is nothing on the minutes about
this subjech and I cannot allow the discucsion to go any
further.

Mr. DSNTON : He made several applications to Mr.
emstas to examine the books, in order to see whether the
register was rig it, and he was refused.
Mr. BAIRSTOW : Way did he not report to the com-
atittee ?

The CIiMRMAN : There really is nothing to justify this
dismission. Mr. Denton's statement has been replied to,
and I must now call upon you to pro.2eed with the regular
business.

The proceedings of the committee were then con-
firmed.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee were read.
The Cii&IRMAN reminded the Board that at their last
meeting, he had brought under their notice, a bill, before
Parliaments to exempt from rating buildings erected for
aeientific and literary purposes. It was agreed that two
petitions should be forwarded against the bill, one from the
chnrchwardens and overseers, and the other from the vestry,
which were presented in due course. Th. Finance Committee
hire-Aisle communicated with the members for the borough,
wad forwarded to them their views, impressing upon thorn
the necessity of offering to the bill every opposition in
their power. The committee received answers from the
members almost immediately, and he believed the power
of appeal was assented to upon application being made.
This appeared to be considered by the borough members
satisfactory enough, but the committee did not think it
satisfactory. In fact, they did not see any necessity for
the bill at all. The act of Parliament already in existence
appeared to them to go quite as far in the exempting of
such institutions as was desireb e, if not farther ; and the
eommittee therefore determined that unless the bill were
altered or considerably modified, they would oppose it at
every stage possible. On Friday last, circumstances were
}resented before the Finance Committee which made them
consider it highly undesirable to allow the bill to pass in
its present form without some opposition. The committee
therefore determined upon sending himself and the Vestry
Clerk forthwith to London. In ordinary circumstances it
was a very good ride that such e step should receive the
sane, ion of the Board before being put into execution, but as
the- e was every probability of the bill going into committee
on Wednesday, to wait until the meeting of the Board for
the confirmation of that resolution, would have rendered it
too late to adopt any energetic measurers to get the bill
thrown out, or considerably modified, They proceeded
therefore to London on Sunday, and returned last night,
at some considerable personal ineaoyedenee to etch of
them. On Monday morning they first of all saw etch of
the members, who received them very favourably, entered
most fully into their views, and he believed were quite
prepared to undertake what they requested. The mem
bers contented also at once to accompany them to the
Peor-',aw B)ard. They had an interview with the P,or-
law Board, and the Board consented to move—if no other
parson would—in the house, almost the very amend-
ments which the committee suggested. Pram the
impression made in London, he believed it was very
doubtful whether the bill would be proceeded with, bet if
it were, it would be very considerably modified and
altered so as to render it almoseharmless. (Hear, hear.)
24) thought Liverpool might congratulate herself upon
this °cession, as upon many others, in being the
foremost to defend parochial interette, and in
being the means of preventing a bill from
pewee g which would have impo'od additional
burdens upon those who were the least able to boar
them, and have exempted a large numbers f persons who
had most means. (Hear, and cheers.) It bad been tco
much the habit to tax the poorer and middle orders • of
society, and to exempt the rich. There were 45,000
houses in Liverp ;o1 ocelpted by poor people, every one of
whicb was taxed frequently is 6d or !2. • It was, therefore,
en absurdity, as well as a severe injustice, to introduce a
bill at that time or day which proposed to exempt rich
zstitutions from any share in the payment of taxation, in
order to lay the additional burden upon poor occupants.
However, he believed .the spirit of the nonce was, now
against any extension of that principle of exemption, and
he hoped the vestry would always take care to protect poor
tradesmen, poor widows, and other struggling persons,
from being compelled to pay for themaintenance of wealthy
institutions. (law, hear.)
Mr. Batas-row moved that the proceedings of the. coin•
mittee be confirmed, which was agreed to.
• Mr. Dayrort then moved, according to notice, that when-
ever a vacancy occurred at that Board, a fortnight's notice

should be given of the name of any person to be proposed
to fill it up.
Mr. Sniw objected to the motion, as involving practical
inconveniences which it would be difficult to get over.
It would be impossible to be always prepared with the
name of a person to be proposed at the moment a vacancy
was notified, and a delay of another fortnight would thus
be occasioned, whereas the act of parliament directed that
every vacancy should be filled up within a month.
Several other members pointed out practical objections
to the 'notion

Mr. DENTON finally, with the permission of the Board,
withdrew his motion.

The Board shortly after adjourned.