The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-21 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

CITY OP LONDON COMMISSION.

The Royal Commissioners appointed to inquire into the
state of the City corporation re-assembled yesterday, at
the official residence of the Premier, after an adjournment
from Friday, the 9th instant, and resumed their investiga-
tion. The Commissioners present were—the Right Hon.
Mr. Labouchere (the chairman), Sir John Patteson, and
Mr. Cornwall Lewis.
The first witness examined was Mr. Samuel Hopwood,
clerk to the Commissioners of Paving of St. Andrew's Hol-
born, and St. George the Martyr, who stated that' he at-
tended by the direction of the Commissioners of Paving,
to complain of the street tolls levied by the City corpora-
tion on ail carts of non-freemen entering the City. The
traders in his district, when they fetched their goods from
the warehouses in the City to their own premises, or when
they delivered them to their customers, were liable to these
City tolls, which were exacted several Times in a single
Iday. The cart of the poor laundress on entering the City
had to pay like the rest ; and when the corporation was
petitioned on the subject, they refused all redress. The
other parts of the metropolis had to maintain their streets
,
1 in proper repair at the expense of the
ratepayers of the
district, without exacting any tax from carts passing
through them, and he did
not see why a different rule
ought to apply to the City.
Mr. Ambrose Moore examined—I was a silk manufac-
turer, and resident in the city of London for about 40 years,
but retired from business six years
ago. lam still a free-
man and liveryman ofthe City.
The Chairman—Are there any points with reference to
this inquiry to which you do desire to call our ,attention. Mr. Moore There are, but they are points relating not
so much to the details as to the general outline of the cor-
poration.no My feeling is that it would be wrong to abolish
the corporation, or to attempt to unite it with the other me-
tropolitan districts ; but whatever course might be pursued
with regard to the creation of a new corporation, I see no
reason why the old City should be deprived of any of its
privileges which are applicable to the present time, and
such as are not injurious to the general interests of the
public.
The Chairman—You mean that you would be sorry to
see the City deprived of its municipal institutions, or to see
them merged into municipal institutions for the whole of
London ?
Mr. Moore—l do ; and I think that a general confede-
ration of metropolitan corporations would be inexpedient,
and would be inconvenient to the Government itself.
Again, I have been connected with the borough of Mary-
lebone; and I cannot see any advantage which that borough
would from being incorporated, and it would be
inconvenient to the Government, if the control of the
police af Marylebone, for instance, were in the hands of a
local body. . .
The Chairman—But .it does not follow if Marylebone
were incorporated into a separate municipality, that that
municipality would have the control of the police?
Mr. Moore—Certainly not, but I believe such a munici-
pality would complain if it had not the same powers con-
ceded to it as the borough corporations throughout the
country possess in regard to police and the like.
The Chairman—Does not the existing law already ena-
ble the parliamentary boroughs of the metropolis to obtain
charters of incorporation, if therchoose at any time to
apply to Parliament for them ?
Mr. Moore—No doubt of it, but lam still of opinion that
it would be inexpedient that they should be municipally in-
corporated. With respect to the City police, 'I think that
it is very well managed at present, and therefore Lknow of
no reason why the City should be depriied of the privilege
of managing its Own police, as well as of other of its ancient
privileges. Again, no doubt the City magistracy is an ano-
maly, but it is an ancient privilee'e which has never been
abused. The City magistracy has done honour to itself, and
I believe the general impression is that it has very well
administeredjustice. Whilst the City continues to elect
its own magistrates they ought to be elected for life—
the election Of the magistrates of London periodically
would be very injudicious ; and whether the aldermen are
to continue magistrates or not, I would have them chosen
for life, because the Court of Aldermen is a very useful
body, and they have other duties to perform which render
it desirable that they should be independent men.
The Chairman—With regard to the municipal constitu-
ency in the city' of London, do you see any objection to ap-
plying to the City the same municipal franchise as that
which prevails over the rest of the country?
Mr. Moore—My own opinion is that it would be prefer-
able, for the sake of simplicity, and for other reasons, that
whatever is the parliamentary franchise in the City, the
same should be the franchise for the municipal electors. I
would assimilate the two, If the parliamentary franchise
is good in the one case it is good in the other.
The Chairman—Have you considered the privileges of
the City with regard to the trade of London—are they ad-
vantageous?
Mr. Moore—They are no longer advantageous under the
circumstances of the present times. I would abolish the
City tolls levied on carts, because they are a needless to-
terference with the traffic of the City, although I do not
see that there is any very great hardship in them. The
City metage and every restriction upon the freedom of
trade I would abolish, I would also sweep away the ex-
clusive privileges of trading enjoyed by freemen.
The Chairman—Have you ever been connected personally
with the corporation ?
Mr. Moore—No, I have not, but I have paid consider-
able attention to the City elections. .
Mr. C. Lewis—What is your opinion with regard to
the wards of the City ?
Mr. Moore—l think the wards are now very unequal, and
that they ought to be rendered more equal. The smaller
wards might be amalgamated, and the larger ones
divided into two or more. The wards of Bassishaw
and Coleman-street, for instance, might be added to-
gether, and that of Farringdon Without might be di-
vided into three separate wards. This would leave the
ward boundaries in a great measure undisturbed, and
would overcome some difficulties with regard to the ward
Charities. r would have one alderman and from three to
five common councilmen for each ward. This would re-
duce the Common Council from 206 to 100 members. The
country corporations have one alderman to three council-
lors, but in London, where there is more business to be
done, I would have an average of four common councilmen
to one alderman. I would have the aldermen of the City
continued as magistrates and elected for life, but remove-
able for a proper cause. I would have the Lord Mayor
elected by the Common Hall, from the aldermen who have
filled the office of sheriff. The sheriff of Middlesex ought
not to be appointed by the citizens of London, but by the
Crown, the same as the sheriffs of other counties. I would
still have the sheriff of London elected by the Common-
hall. The Lord Mayor has the power of nominating to the
office of sheriff; but this privilege I would transfer to the
Court of Aldermen, and require notice to be publicly
given of the nominations made. I would retain the fine
imposed upon persons refusing to serve as sheriff, but I
would put an end to the practice which has existed of
putting up candidates who are unwilling to serve merely
for the purpose of exacting the fine from them. I would
have the electors in the Common-hall assimilated to the
electoral body for choosing members of Parliament. The
said elections ought not to last more than one day. I would
have the election of chamberlain placed in the hands of the
Common Council, and not of the general constituent body.
I would allow the Court of Alderman to continue as a se-
parate court. It is generally a respectable and independent
body, although, perhaps, there are not so many of the
highest class among its members as might be desirable.
I would have the Court of Aldermen elect the recorder,
subject to the approbation of the Crown. I would put in
the power of the Court of Aldermen to appoint one
or two police magistrates in the City. The effect of this
would be that an alderman who did not wish to act as a
magistrate would' not be compelled to do so. He would,
therefore, occupy the same position as a borough justice in
a place where there is a stipendiary magistrate. At the
same time, I would retain to the alderman his power to act
as a magistrate if he thought fit •, and if this change were
effected, so as to relieve those aldermen who had no time
or inclination for the exercise of their judicial functions, I
think that many merchants in the City, who were now
deterred by the magisterial duties attached to the office,
would not be any longer unwilling to serve as aldermen. I
would have the salaries of the police magistrates fixed
by
the Common Council, and the appointments made subject
to the approval of the Secretary of State. Ido not know
of any authoritty
over or control that could be placed the
brokers of the City which would be better than that exer-
died by the Court of Aldermen. Ido not say the regula-
tions of that court with regard to the brokers are as good
as they might be. I would reduce the rent charged by the
City to the brokers. The Court of Aldermen institute pro-
secutions against brokers for fraud, and my belief is that
the supervision. they exercise affords a security to the
public. The committee of the Stock Exchange only ex-
clude members from their body in cases of default or mis-
conduct, which is a private process, and unlike that which
takes place before the Court of Aldermen, who are inde-
pendent men, and willhave cases fully and publicly inquired
into. It is well known that a higher class of members at
present refuse to join the corporation of the City and fill
its offices. The reason why this is the case I believe is
because the representative body is too numerous, too
antiquated in form, too political in its conduct, and
because a very inefficient class of persons belong to
it. If you were to reduce the number of members,
and simplify the forms, I believe that more respecta-
ble men would not object to,connect themselves with the
corporation. I can see no reason why the upper classes
in t'he City Should think it beneath them to attend to the
public interests of the City,' when we find that in Liver-
pool and other large towns the leading men take part in
the affairs of their respective municipalities.
The Chairnian—Do you think that the pageantry in the
city of London has any influqnce in deterring eminent
merchants from accepting corporate offices?
Mr. Moore—l do not know that a man of intelligence,
acting as Lord Mayor, would wish to see men in armour
riding before , him. I am not, however, for altogether
abolishing the Lord Mayor's show, but for introducing tom
of superior cultivation and taste, who would improve it.
The Chairman—Then you think that the show might be
better got up ? (A laugh.)
-Mr. Moore—Yes. I think the practice of t
ma-
gistrate of such a city proceeding in public toyil7 chief e
stminster
to receive the approbation of the Crown on his
I
a Plmay-
inent, is a ceremony far from u
would not abolish it altogether; nsoei!Zs : and, therefore,onld les any manxactly have
the Lord Mayor dress in the same manner as
would do when merely going to church. A higher class of
men', if they were induced to take
s the office, would soon
at present existing in the
pro
correct all the errors of-bld
arrangements of the procession. I would not abolish the
annual banquet at the Guildhall. lam in favour of the
mainienance of a decent splendour, and even a magnificent
hospitality by the
cbief magistrate of the metropolis of
this empire. The dinners connected with the committees
of the sorporatien,
I consider, are too numerous. With
respect s
4. s the conservancy of the Thames, T think the cor-
n
poration, however well-meaning, are not properly qualified
fur the discharge of such functions, and I would vest them
in the Crown.
Mr. C. Lewis—You said that you saw.no advantage
which Marylebone, or the other Parliamentary boroughs
of the metropolis, could derive from the extension of
municipal institutions. Do you think that the City de-
rives any great benefit from its present institutions?
Mr. Moore—l think it does derive advantage from its
institutions, but that advantage might'be increased if its
institutions were improved.
.1 ,
Mr. C. Lewis—Tell us what advantage the City derives
which Marylebone and the other boroughs might not derive 1
, i'3
from those institutions? . , '1
% . Air. Aire-ra gq.it chiefly on the gromul of 404t4 an,4:,