The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-16 00:00:00

Cri'Y OF LONDON COMMISSION.

SEVENTH DAY'S SITTING.

The royal commissioners appointed to inquire into the
state of the corporation of the city of London, met yes-
terday in the Judicial-office of the Privy Council, for the
purpose of resuming their labours. The Right Hon. H.
Labouchere presided. Sir John Patteson and George
...lornwall Lewis were also present. But three persons
besides the representatives of the public journals were in
attendance as spectators when the chair was taken.
The first witness called was—
Mr. Jchn Remington Mills. He stated that he had
been for many years both a freeman and liveryman
.of London. His chief anxiety in wishing to give evidence
noon that occasion was with regard to the election of
sheriffs for the city, respecting which there were many
abuses. He retired from business in the year 1804, but
some time afterwards, while residing in Stamford-street,
he vas nominated for Sheriff entirely without his know-
ledge. In 1848, Aldermen Finnis and Lawrence were
chosen, but they were excused, and two unconscious citizens
were chosen. He considered that the Court of Common
Council of 1748, made it compulsory for Aldermen to
serve if they were nominated ; but in this, and other
cases, excuses were made, and they were at the time
relieved from the responsibility. No doubt there were
private views which induced the livery to act as they
did upon such occasions. It was the rule, he believed,
that no Alderman could be Lord Mayor unless he had
served the office of sheriff.
Mr. Lewis inquired whether the witness thought
that the expense attendant upon the duties of the office
compelled parties to pay the fine rather than serve.
Mr. Mills believed that they chose to pay the fine
rather than undergo the trouble of filling the office. He
believed that the chief part of the mischief lay with the
under-sheriffs, or those who were desirous of becoming
so, because if they could only get their friends to
serve, they (the wider-sheriffs) were certain to realize
Is, large amount of emolument. Should a party be
desirous of becoming sheriff, or of evading the office, all
that was necessary for him to do was to employ
what was termed " the longshore" men, who, under
their managers, would muster sufficiently strong to
obtain a show of hands in Common-hall, to carry the
nomination of the parties either way most conducive
to their own interests. He complained still further that
the fines paid by those refusing to serve, were not
paid in a proper manner to those funds to which it had
been ordered that they should be applied. He thought
it would be well for the Commissioners to make further
inquiries into this matter, in order to do away with the
grievance.
J. D. Powles, Esq.,rwas the next witness. He had
for 16 years been chairman
of one of the dock compa-
nies. He thought that the chief evil connected with the
working of the corporation was the control they pos-
sessed as to the navigation of the river Thames. Be
would not complain of the way in which it had been
managed by the corporation, but of the system. The
Navigation Committee consisted of 40 persons, whose
previous knowledge and position in society gave to them
no standing by which they were at all fitted to take the
charge. Some years ago the dock companies brought
a bill into Parliament, the object of which was to obtain
a committee to superintend the navigation, composed
jointly of common-councilmen and parties connected
with the dock companies, but the bill was opposed and
ultimately withdrawn. It was not at all probable that
merchants would join in the body of the corporation,
where they might obtain an opportunity of becoming
manbers of the navigation committee, for the simple
reason that they had not time to attend to the duties,
and because we do not join the body we are excluded
from any management in an affair so deeply interesting
to us.
Mr. Lewis said, he observed that there were four
harbour-masters'; would the witness say who appointed
them ? The salaries be found to be severally 500/.,
400/., 3501., and 300/. per annum.
Mr. Powles replied that the choice of the harbour-
master was vested in the Court of Common Council. He
believed that no special qualifications were necessary for
either of the situations. He had never heard of any
complaints as to the mode in which the duties had been
discharged. He considered the metage dues to be most
objectionable.
Mr. Lewis wished to know whether the witness con-
sidered that the metage dues had not been originally
framed, more with regard to the convenience of the pub-
lic than as a source of profit to the corporation ?
Mr. Powles did not know. Their imposition now was,
in his opinion, most objectionable. Nothing of the kind
took place at the docks. He would suggest the desira-
bility of a Chamber of Commerce being established,
composed of corporator; and merchants, not for the pur-
poses of general municipal duty, but for the diffusion of
fit and useful laws for the regulation of the commerce of
the city. He would propose that the chamber should
eonsist of six members of the Corporation, and 10 or 12
East India, West India, Assyrian, Brazilian, and other
merchants. Unless they had something of this sort, the
city merchants never would be satisfied with the Corpo-
ration, nor would ever these defects be remedied as it
was at present constituted. He thought that by this
mode a channel might be supplied by which effective
representations might be made to the Government and
other bodies, as frequently as occasion might require.
He could not think that such a plain, and simply com-
mercial arrangement, could possibly be objected to by
the corporate authorities.
Mr. J. Hawkins Elliott, one of the Common Council-
men for the Ward of Candlewick, was next called.—lle
had been fop five years member of that court, and had
paid some attention to the (hales of the office. He had
lung carried on business in the City, and long resided
there. He was of opinion that the inquiry into the
state of the corporation was necessary. Its area he be-
lieved to be too circumscribed ; if it was bad, the sooner
it was reformed the better ; if good, there existed no
reason, of which he was aware, why its benefits should
not be extended. Intelligent men were wanted in the
corporation ; and indeed he would say that he objected
to the general principle. To the present constituted
Court of Aldermen he objected. They were elected
without sufficient regard to their qualifications. They
were constituted magistrates for life, and after all they
were not in a position to be independent in the dis-
charge of the duties of their office. He (Mr. E.) would
propose that the wards be divided into 12, and the
Common Council be reduced to 180 members ; the wards
might be so altered for municipal purposes, but there
might be some difficulty in altering the present boun-
daries in cases where charitable institutions might in-
terfere. The Courts of Common Council were in general
conducted in an orderly manner. Ho did not think
when any confusion arose that it was caused simply by
the numbers of which the Court was composed.
Mr. Elliott then withdrew.
Francis Bennoch, Esq., Deputy of the ward of Crip-
plegate Within, was then called. He stated himself to
be a warehousemen, residing in 'Wood-street, Cheapside.
He had been several years in the Corporation of the
city of London, to whieh he bad turned his attention
for some time, and of which he had been a very active
member. He might say that he was sent into the
Council in consequence cf a movement made on the
part of the Corporation at that period in opposition to
the wholesale traders, whom they attempted to make
pay for their privilege to trade. Within the last two
years they had summoned 4,000 pe.rsolns, and frightened
300 into taking up their freedom
parties had had their goods taken an some instances
away and soldN be-
cause they refused to take up their fre
rous reforms had been attempted by the Cmor.p oraujone,
and many days had been spent in such attempts
; at
the same time they had never been able to carry it out.t
They had always been defeated, either by a combination
of their own officers or by the livery companies. For
this purpose there had been several committees.
The Chairman.—What became of the last committee?
Mr. Bennoch replied that it continued its sittings
un-
til the Royal Commissions were appointed, and then it
was discontinued. They had adopted a report pro-
posing the periodical election of aldermen, and a vast
extension of the municipal franchise. He thought it
would be absurd to attempt the adoption of the
Municipal Reform Act to the city of London. Its large
extent, its peculiarities of commerce, and its charities
were different to those of any other place. Before he
had concluded his evidence, however, he would put in
a scheme which lie thought would be an improvement
upon the present system. Mr. Bennoch then went on
most minutely to show that in many instances the funds
of the City had been from time to time wasted. He
alluded to the large amounts paid by the corporation to
Sir Hugh Myddleton and his heirs ; to Sir Thomas
Gresham for the markets ; for the construction of bridges
over the Thames, not one of which was now in good
order. He then alluded to his scheme for a new bridge
over the Thames between Blackfriars and Southwark
bridges, and ridiculed the idea of the corporation's plans
to relieve Ludgate-hill and the western part of the me-
tropolis by a new street from Bow-lane to Earl-street,
Blackfriars ; lie proposed to have a new one directly
leading to the west-end. As to the New Cattle-
market at Copenhagen-fields, ho believed that the ar-
raufsenients were upon a much too expensive
scale. As to the mode of appointing the corporate
committees his opinion was that the mode of their
psealdeciestiot was not good, but calculated to lead
seek their own aggrandisement, instead of
making
thThe dinner: public welfare th primary consideration.
of each coilimltntde other creature comforts the members
to about 3001., e. enjoyed during the year, amounted
paid to tavern-keepers, &c. Frequently
it happens that a piece of plate, or something of that
to
kind, is presented the chairman, at the end of their
terms of office, if
anyar: surplus remains.
certainly, that the He thought
to the effect that it was
through the number of dinners they had that a better
attendance was obtained,
be regarded as being
an insult to the whole of thed members of the Corpora-
tion. The total amount annually expended for the
above purpose, was between 2,00 i. and 3,000/. He
believed that the appointment of me
the Navigation Committee, and similarotherrneto such as
not anything less than a farce. Doubtless, 'aTheos;ewvaers
were
ut not
well all parties desired to do their duty, they
fit for it. This, perhaps, might be remedied
idea of an Amalgamated Chamber of Commerce,l,utig
as allusion had been made to that day, he felt convinced'
would not work a single week. It would be far better
-to have a committee, practically appointed with the
duties of the special bjects for which it was appointed.
The chief difficulty of a mixed committee of Common-
Councilmen and merchants, would be found to be, the
constant objections which would arise in the whole of
the body as to the measures the joint committee might
bring up, though he was not fully of opinion that the
Common Council, as at present constituted, did not re-
present the interests of the whole body of the citizens of
London. Be suggested that the Commissioners would
do well to call for a return of the total sums of money
expended for the last ten years ; also to call upon the
Hall-keeper to furnish them with an account of all the
=ways paid for any purposes, such as might have been
hinted at by other witnesses, Be had, in the case of