The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-16 00:00:00

Court of Common Council.

A Court of Common Council, the first since the vacation,
was held yesterday at Guildhall—the Lord Mayor pre.

siding,

CITY TREATS.
Alderman WITERLOW brought before the Court, as a
quest ion of privilege, the expenditure incurred by the special
committee appointed to superintend the erection of the new
roof to the Guildhall, for refreshment, trips in the Maria
Wood, and other items of a similar character. He prefaced
his motion by disclaiming all personal feeling in the matter,
and said the only reason for his taking the course he had
done was that in a matter which, according to his opinion,
affected the honour, the credit, and the prestige of the cor-
poration of London, it was a due), which devolved upon this
Court to take means to prevent proceedings of a similar
character from again taking place. (Hear.) The worthy
alderman then proceeded to state that he held in his hand
three warrants for the payment of the respective sums
of £25, £5O, and £270, which money had been expended by
the Guildhall Improvement Committee for breakfast, enter-
tainments, and for an excursion in the Maria Wood, and he
said he felt assured that when the committee in question
was appointed the court had not the least idea that they had
delegated to it the power of expending so large a sum of
money for such objects—(heer, hear)—he would therefore
propose as a resolution for the adoption of the court that it
was their opinion that theseseverel sums had been expended
for purposes not contemplated by it, and that in future no
such expenditure should be madeby any committee without
the sanction of this court. (Hear, hear.) The only question,
as it appeared to him, was whether, under the several orders
of reference having relation to the work that was entrusted
to this committee, they had the rover to spend the money
in the way they had done, and it appeared to him that those
clearly did not authorise any such expenditure. (Hear,
hear.) The committee had thought fit to give an entertain•
ment upon the occasion of the laying of the first stone of
the roof, to have breakfasts and other entertainments, and
also to have a trip up the rivet in the Maria Wood, and
they had expended £340 of the City's cash upon these ob-
jects, which, it appeared to him, had never been sanctioned
or contemplated by the court when the committee was ap-
pointed. He had no wish to enter into any further details,
or to pay anything that was calculated to give offence to the
committee, or any member of it. The money was gone and
could not be got back---(•;heat., hear," and a laugh)—but he
hoped the effect of his resolution would be to prevent such
a thing from occurring in future.
Mr JOHN KELDAY, the chairman of the Guildhall Im-
provement Committee, seconded the resolution, and he at
the same time said he felt obliged to the worthy alderman
for bringing the matter before the court, and that the
explanation he had given to him on the subject justified
him in taking the coarse of seconding his motion. He could
only justify the proceedings of the committee upon the
broad principle of precedent. (Hear, and a laugh.) This
committee bad only done what had been done by other
committees, and atter what had now taken place such a thing
could not occur again. The committee of which he had the
honour to be chairman were most anxious to carry out the
wishes of the court, and in making this expenditure they
had acted entirely upon the precedent afforded by the pro.
d
soaythtehrastimthie course was arighthelacracuormmwittes,but
was not at all
prepared
one,
or that it
ought to be continued. He had no objection to offer to the
resolution of the worthy alderman, and under the circum-
stances he felt himself justified in seconding it.
Mr RICHARDSON said that he was one of the committee
c
i li
to o f
whose proceedings had been brought under the consideration
help •
of the court, and he could not
.expressing his surprise
committee should have seconded
such a resolution, and thereby attempted to throw upon the
members of it the blame of an
expert
for which he, as
chairman, was alone responsi e.
lavish expenditure
the proceedings
he had protested against such expenditure being
made for entertainments and
similart objects, and the chair-
man told him, when he inquiredthathNv ere the money was to
come from to pay for them, af 8 need not trouble him-
self about that, as they had and appropriated for the
purpose, and that the money would not come out of the
the state of the
city's cash. This being case he thought the
chairman was going a little too far in seconding the present
resolution, and throwing upon the committee generally
blame for which he alone was responsible.
Mr RIIDE.IN wished to ask the hon. member whether he
was not one of the party whojoined in the trip in the Maria
Wood and in the other festivities of the committee, (Hear,
hear, and a laugh.) _
Mr RICIIARDSON admitted that he was, but said that
this had nothinn to do with the question. He was induced
to take a share in the enjoyments that were provided by the
representation of the chairman that there was a fund to pay
for them irrespective of the city's cash.
Alderman WATERLOW said that after what had taken
place he hoped he might be allowed to state, in explana.
tion, that the warrant for the largest sum that had been
paid, namely, for £270, was signed by the hon. member
who had just addressed the court. (:k roar of laughter.)
Mr RICHARDSoN said that this was true, but he had
acted under the responsibility of tho chairman of the com-
mittee.
Mr PRICKER said he had always been opposed to the
principle of special committees expending money in enter-
tainments without the sanction of this court, but he could
not help saying that he thought the present proceeding
was rather an extraordinary pantomime, and, that one
of the members of a committee who had partaken of all
the festivities and enjoyments that had been provided,
and, no doubt, to his great dElight, should turn round
and endeavour to clear himself by kicking his chairman.
(Laughter.)
Deputy LOTT expressed his opinion that the matter had