Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-18 00:00:00

DOCK COMMITTEE.

The weekly meeting of this Committee was held at one
o'clock yesterday—Mr. Charles Turner presided, and the
other members present were Messrs. Rankin, Robinson,
Brocklebank, Evans, Gladstone. Barber, Holden, Mondell,
Anderson, Rlunt hwaite, Clint, Hubback, Bold, and Halhea I .
The tender of Messrs. Jones and Jump was accepted for
constructing a double office for the use of the Customs, on
the quay of the Brunswick Dock.
The Warehouse Sub-committee produced returns of the
landing of the wool cargoes of the several ships referred
to in the correspondence between Mr. Harold Littledale,
and the Town-clerk.

The Chairman said the returns appear to be pretty fall—
they were returns of the wool landed each day, and the
dates of the delivery orders received from the parties to
whom it belonged, He suggested that the subject should
stand over until next week, in order that the members
might compare and consfler the returns.
The suggestion was agreed to.
It was agreed that the sum of .ElO instead of £l5 should
be charged to Mr. J. Curfey, pie--master of the Clarence
Basin, for the rent of his residence.
The Chairtnan reminded the Board of several applica-
tions which had been- received at the last two meetings,
from officers, for increase of salary. Those applications
had been referred to. and considered by, the Finance Com
mittee, and the result would be now stated :
Mr. Rankin stated on the part of the Finance Com-
mittee, that they had considered the letters, but taking
into account that their functions wonld so soon cease, and
that the new;Board would probably take into consideration
the whole of the salaries, they thought it desirable not to
make any recommendation to the Committee at present.
Applications were read from James Love and Richard
Whitford, warebouse-keepers of the Stanley warehouse,
for increase of salary, in consequence of their being longer
employed than other warehouse-keepers under the Com•
mitten. The Committee declined entertaining the appli-
cations.

A letter was read from the Collector and Inspector of
her Majesty's Customs, stating that since the reduction of
the duty upon corn to a nominal import of one shilling the
quarter, the business of assessing the quantity entered was
entrusted to the occasional inspection of the officers of the
Waterguard ; but it had transpired that the accounts were
very incorrect and unsatisfactory, as regarded the interests
of the shipowner, the honest trader, and the revenue of the
docks as well as of the crown. In the port of Hull, and
other ports, where there was a large importation of grain,
there were what were called sworn meters appointed by
the authorities, to measure all corn imported, and on their
returns the duty was paid as well as the freight; but in
Liverpool, where the importation was probably larger than
anywhere else, there appeared to be no constituted party
to take any account of the grain, and the master porters'
considered it no part of their duty. The writer, there-
fore, urged upon the Board the necessity of haying some
reliable authorities appointed.
Mr Hubback said, he believed a good deal of irregularity
took place in the measurement of grain, but whether it
would be the duty of that Board to appoint sworn meters,
he was not prepared to say. It appeared to him, that if
the shilling duty was paid to the revenue, it should be the
duty of the revenue to see that their work was done
properly. It was a subject which he thought the master
porters' committee might well take into consideration.
He thought it all bore upon the question to which, as the
Board was aware, he had paid a good deal of attention,
the desirability of appointing traffic managers. That
subject reminded him, also, of the position in which the
report upon dock fines at present stood. They would all
probably recollect, that in consequence of his absence,
owing to a domestic calamity, when the report was brought
up there it was introduced by Mr. Rathbone. Some
exception was taken to the report, and it was referred to
the Solicitor, with the view that he should prepare clauses
embodying the recommendations. These clauses, as they
were aware, had not yet been prepare 1, and the report had
not been adopted. He, therefore, took that opportunity
of stating that next week he would move the adoption of
the report, seeing that it was very desirable it should be
upon the books, and that the new Hoard, when consti-
tuted, should take the question up, as he was more and
more convinced, by what was going forward, of the
desirability that there should be some controlling power
over the master-porters, as to the mode in which the
cargoes were landed upon the quays; and that controlling
power, it seemed to be the opinion of the committee, might
be invested in the traffic managers. He, therefore, gave
notice, that next week he would move the adoption of the
report.
Mr. Gladstone suggested that Mr. Hubback should
attend the Master-porters' Committee, and assist them with
any suggestions he could offer.
Mr. Hubback undertook to do so, adding that he should
be very sorry, seeing how many of the master-porters of
Liverpool o,,,teA, that they should have the power of
measuring the grain, witisees some better officers than
appeared at present to be upon the dock quays.
Mr. Brocklebank : Do you flud discrepancies irequeudy
occurring between the quantity invoiced and the quantity
discharged ?
Mr. Hubback : Very great, indeed. I had a cargo the
other day discharged from Marseilles, the difference
between the invoiced quantity and the quantity landed
was 200 quarters in a cargo of 1,800.
Mr. Mondell said the inference might be that the invoice
was a faulty one.
The subject was then referred to the Master Porters'
Committee.

A letter from Messrs. D. and J. M•Donald, complaining
of overchage in the Albert Dock, was referred to the
Albert Dock Committee.
The Chairman stated that he had received a note from
the Recorder as follows :—" Sir,—l have the honour to
transmit a minute of the Conservancy Commissioners,
directing the manner in which the election of the elective
members of the Mersay Conservanci, Docks, and H arbour
Board in to be conducted on the Ist of January next, and
appointing me returning officer of the election —I have the
honor to be, 6cc.,—GILBEIZT HENDERSON." The note en-
closed a copy of the minute, which we have already
published.
Mr. Evans : The Recorder is sh,fuclge, and I think it is
rather to lower the dignity of the Bench to make him
the president at an election.
The Chairman : Well, that is• in the discretion of the
Commissioners.

Mr. Brocklebank presumed that the Dock Committee
would provide voting papers for the public, according to
the regulations laid down, and he thought it very desirable
that those papers should be placed in some office of that
building, where the public could obtaia them.
The Chairman said, there would be forms in the hands
of the Secretary, a week previous to the election, which
the public could obtain.
Mr. Ilubback suggested that it would be very well to
have lists also prepared of all dock rate payers who ware
qualified to become members of the Board, in order that the
public might know whether they were voting for duly
qualified persons.
The Chairman sai 1, Mr. North, the solicitor, was of
opinion that it would be very laborious to make out such
lists, but any one could refer to the books in a moment.

Mr Gladstone did not think it would be by any means
very laborious.
Mr. Evans said, it would be the duty of the Recorder,
as returning officer, to see that only qualified persons were
elected, that any candidate not qualified should be rejected.
The Solicitor said, the Recorder was in the office tha'
day for that very purpose.
No modon was macro uppn the subject, and the general
business then closed.

After the ieporte.s left,
The Chairman read a letter from Mr. John Stewart,
relative to some property forming the two corners of streets
opposite the dock gates, in the north district, which that
gentleman was instructed to purchase, and which belonged
to Mr. JAr es Thomson, brewer. Mr. Stewart stated in
his letter that the price demanded by Mr. James Thomson
was £l4 000 ; but that having caretully valued the whole,
he recommended that the sum of £10,250 should be
offered,.which sum, he believed, would be accepted. The
Chairman explained that this property and another cne
formed the remaining portions necessary to complete the
lot which was already in the possession of the Dock Com-
mittee

Mr. Evans : More land ! Why, we shall have land
enough soon to appoint a gamekeeper.
Mr. Stewart mentioned that the rent of the premises
situated at one of the corners, and being a public-house,
was £260 per annum ; that of the opposite corner, being a
beer house only, onsiderably less.
The committee confirmed the revromendation of Mr.
John Stewart, and agreed to give £10,250 for the property
in question.

FRIGHTFUL COLLISION ON THE NORTH LONDON RAILWAY.
—On Wednesday morning a collision of a frightful charac-
ter occurred on the North London Railway, near the Hack-
ney station, by the sudden exit of a coal train from a siding
near that station, at the tine of the approach of the 8 20
passenger train from Bow, the latter cutting the former in
two, and destroying the bulk of the waggons composing the
train. The driver of the passenger train, in consequence
of the hazy state of the atmosphere, was unable, it is said,
to perceive the coal train crossing the down line from the
siding for the up line until he was close upon it, and as b )th
trains were proceeding at twenty miles an hour, the col-
lision was, as may be imagined, of a terrible nature. For-
tunately there were but few passengers in the train, all of
whom, however, were more or less injured, but none, so
far as our reporter could learn, dangerously, The engine
of the passenger train was partly dflaLolished, and Mg Of
the earriagee were shattered.