The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-23 00:00:00

MR. DOULTON, M.P. AND THE BOARD.

Mr. SMITII (solicitor to the Board) said he had
written to the solicitorsin the bankruptcy pro-
ceedings relative to Mr. Furness, requesting them
to furnish the Board with any additional informa-
tion or evidence which Mr. Furness, might have
given on the occasion of his examination as to his
transactions with Mr. Doulton, and not have been
furnished to the Board. In reply to which he had
received a letter from the parties stating that the
whole of the evidence taken on the shorthand
writer's notes had been furnished to the Board.

This gave rise to a short discussion, in which it
was urged that the shorthand writer took notes of
everything which was said, whether evidence or
not, and that such shorthand writer 13 hould be
applied to for a copy of his notes ; that the
evidence supplied to them was only the legal evi-
dence, and what they wanted wa3 the whole state-
ment ma le by Mr. Furness before the Registrar in
Bankruptcy.

The CHAIRMAN said lir. Furness would attend
before the committee ou Tuesday next, and probably
would then give all the information that was desired,
as he did not see clearly how they would be able to
get it by any other means.
The subject then dropped.
BRIDGES FOR STEAMBOAT LANDING-PLACES.

The Works and General Purposes Committee
submitted a plan of a bridge for the Westminster
steamboat landing-place,, and recommended that the
engineer should obtain tenders from certain firms
for that and other similar bridges, to the number of
about 12.

The recommendation was agreed to, after the
addition of some further names to the list of firms
which were to be invited to tender.

THE BARRIERS AND BARS IN THE METROPOLIS.

The committee also recommended that a commu-
nication be addressed to the Secretary of State for
the Home Department requesting him to receive a
deputation from this board on the subject of the
bars and barriers in the metropolis, with a view to
the appointment of a Royal Commission for the
purpose of inquiring into the evils arising from these
obstructions, and as to any rights, or supposed
rights, of any parties to maintain such bars, and as
to providing a remedy in the matter of legislation.
It having been moved that the recommendation be
adopted,

Air. SHAW moved as an amendment—" That
the report be referred back to the committee to pre-
pare a written address, showing that the expense
of cleansing, lighting, paving, and repairing these
streets is borne by the ratepayers cf the metropolis,
who have not the use of them, and that the rate-
payers are moreover taxed to open out other routes
for traffic to reduce the nuisance caused by these
bars and barriers ; also that ratepayers and shop-
keepers whose businesses are seriously injured and
sometimes ruined by railway companies, receive no
compensation, and houses and property of indivi-
duals are largely deteriorated in value by the proxi-
mity of railways, especially underground railways,
and entitled, as the law now stands, to no remune-
ration ; that these bars and barriers tend to increase
the number of street accidents, and are also nuisances
which the inhabitants of some localities so protected
would desire to get rid of."
The amendment having been seconded,
Mr. FREE3IAN complained of Mr. Shaw's proceed-
ing in bringing forward such an amendment, when,
in fact, the recommendation of the committee was
only made in deference to him. He thought that if
the barriers were swept away in the manner pro-
posed by Mr. Shaw it would be such a confiscation
of private property as the Board could never con-
template. The houses which were built within those
barriers were built under certain conditions entitling
the owners of such houses to have their streets free
from ordinary traffic. Those conditions constituted
rights which could only be done away with by giv-
ing compensation, which would amount to a sum it
reould be impossible to pay.
The amendment was negatived.
After the transaction of some unimportant busi-
ness, the Board adjourned.

A very large number of artificers and labourers
employed in the Royal gunfactories at Woolwich
have been discharged from the department, and
others have been suspended, in consequence of the
existing orders for the year having been completed.
Many of those retained are employed intermediately
three days in the week, or on half-time. A good
deal of local distress is anticipated in consequence
of the want of employ►pent. The two departments
of the Royal Arsenal, namely, the Laboratory and
carriage departments, aro working over hours, both
having abundant orders on hand, the former in the
supply of an enormous amount of the new Snider
ammunition, of which they turn out 11 millions per
week. A portion of the cartridge cases, to the
amount of 150,000 per day, are provided by the
contract firm of Ely, Brothers, Gray's-inn-road.
The shell foundry of the same department is also
engaged in casting the Palliser shot and shell in
large quantities for India and the North American
stations. The forges and other branches of the car-
riage square engaged in the manufacture of the
new species of wrought-iron gun-carriages, slides,
&c., aro in full operation night and day.