The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-01 00:00:00

7 Mr. GittsnAm was understood to adhere to is statement
t of the former day, and to add his opinion that the Committee
had only half done the business they had been authorised
by the Court to do.
Mr. ASLICTIL,T supported the amendment, and ex ressed
an ardent wish that the Court would do as well as talk some-
thing.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. STACY said there was uo necessity for the amendment.
The report, if agreed to, would be an adequate security to
the public, and the piers would no longer be dangerous.
Mr. PRIOR strongly supported the amendment, and urged
that a concurrence in the report would merely give rise to a
vast diversity of plans and speculations, and occasion still
greater delay. The plan of Mr. Walker had all the elements
of a sound and good construction.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. HEPPELL trusted that the Court would negative the
amendment, and agree to the report. Lying as they did
under the charge of having neglected an important duty,
they ought not to give up their whole power on so serious an
occasion to a Committee.—(Hear, hear.)
Alderman T. WOOD hoped the Court would adopt the
amendment. Apart from the recent accident, it must be
acknowledged that nothing could have been worse than the
floating piers.—(Hear, hear.) They were incommodious,
without order, or regularity, or plan, and there was about
them a total absence of security. He was :satisfied that, as
conservators of the River Thames, they were bound to do
something for the security of the public, and at the present
season. Erections of piers ought not to be made upon the
principle of private property. All erections of the kind ought
to be swept away, and permanent places of public accommo •
dation ought to be formed by the Corporation.—(Hear, hear.)
The Corporation would be adequately reimbursed by the pub-
lic, and they would obtain an economical superintendence
through the agency of the Watermen's Company. They
would also get rid of the dangerous competition between '
rival steam-vessels, and of the noisy and annoying nuisance
of the touters.—(Hear, hear.) He was of opinion that the
best plan to pursue in the construction of steam-boat piers
was, to make them the adjuncts to the bridges, by which they
would be completely protected; and he believed that if the
Corporation would adopt the suggestion, they would find the
Watermen's Company ready to pay for the whole outlay, and
to take the whole management upon themselves.—(Hear,
hear, and cries of " No.")
Mr. HICKS, although he proposed the original motion that
the Court should agree with the report, said he certainly pre-
ferred the amendment, upon the principle that " If 'twere
done, it were well if 'twere done quickly."
Mr. HARRISON was decidedly against suspending the stand-
ing orders, especially to give to the Committee a power which
ought to be exercised by the Court itself.
The LORD MAYOR, in answer to some observations made
at the commencement of the discussion by Mr. Anderton,
who warmly thanked his Lordship for the example he had
set to the Court and its Committees, said, that from the in-
spection he had, with the aid of some of the officers of the
Corporation, made of the piers on the river, he had ascer-
tained that, with the exception of one or two, they were all
in a very bad condition, constructed of rotten barges, and
affording no protection to the public ; and that the officers
had been instructed to make a report to the Committee upon
which they could act, which had been accordingly done.
The amendment was then negatived, and the report wat
agreed to, and referred back to the Committee to be carried
into execution.—Adjourned.