The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-30 00:00:00

now stand, and as we think they should be permanently regn-
latea ;
Thirdly,—The state of the warehouses and places of deposit
for bonded goods.
Under the first of these heads, we find that the classes, sub-
ordination and duties of the department at Liverpool, are simi-
lar to those of London ; the whole being superintended by a
Collector and Comptroller, who correspond with the Board in
London, and receive directions from it.
- The duties are also stated to be performed in the same man-
ner as in London, and with equal accuracy, since the Surveyors
General by their inspections have prottced more regularity in
attendance, and more industry on the part of the officers.
The new method of paying the Landing Waiters at Liver-
pool, in part by.fees proportioned to the work they perform, is
an exception to this similarity ; but as it is now carried on exe
perimentally only, and as it has been the subject of separate
reports from us to your Lordships, we shall take no further no-
flee of it in this place. -
The point in which the discipline of this port has appeared
to fis most prdmineidly defective, is the want of a constant and
real superintendence over the conduct of the out-door department.
The authority for this purpose, and the responsibility for ex-
ercising it; resides constitutionally in the Collector and. Coin)-
troller ;
,but we are fully satisfied by our inviries and by 'ell
the evidence laitkebefore ua, that the duties otiebese
ipersons in
their own officeiovhere theylare constantly eittiged in
.the pre-
paration of documentary papers, and in the business relating to,
the receipt and remittance of the Revenue, render it impossible
for them personally to superintend the transactions which be-
long to the qua •s and warehouses. The only responsibility
therefore which can, as we conceive, be made effectually to
attach to them for the duties of others, is that which relates to
the conduct of the in-door department, connected with the dis-
charge of their Own immediate functions.
We think that some of the laxity which, we have alluded to,
may, in addition to the 'causes we have pointed out, be attri-
butable to this circumstance, and we are-strongly of opinion,
that no time should be lost in applying a remedy to it, and in
assigning to some other officer the important charge which the .
Collector and the Comptroller are unable to execute.
We concur therefore with the Committee of the Board of
Customs, in recommending; the appointment of a new- officer
for this'purpose, and we think it most essential, that he should
be chosen with care upon the ground of experience and ability,
and that he should be selected from among thoseeof the prin-
cipal officers of the department who are unconnected with the
port of Liverpool. '
With respect to the nature of his appointment and authority
we have considered,—First, whether it would be best to consti-
tute him an Inspector General, with power over the whole in-
door and out-door departments, and a corresponding responsi-
bility.—Secondly, to make him subordinate to the Collector and
Comptroller, and the instrument, under them, of preserving
efficiency and regularity among the out-door officers.—Thirdly,
to place him upon an equal footing, so as to form with them a
Board to deliberate and act under the Commissioners in Lon-
don ; or, lastly, whether he should be invested with a distinct
and separate authority to control the out-door department only,
without being at all responsible to the Collector and Comp-
troller, but acting under instructions from 'the Board in Lon-
don, and reporting directly to it.
After bestowing our most careful attention upon these diffe-
rent views of the subject, and receiving the opinions of the par-
ties most competent to guide us in forming a correct judgment,
we recommend the latter preposition, which will have the effect
of taking the control and management of the outedOor depart-
ment entirely from the Collector and Comptroller, and leave to
them the exclusive charge and authority over the indoor esta-
blishments, which is inseparable from them, on account of the
duties and' 'transactions for which they are pecuniarily respon-
sible. The only inconvenience which has been suggested to us
as likely to arise from the separation of the authorities over the
in-door and out-door departments, is a jealousy. between the
two superintending parties, which might be prejudicial to the
service; but this, we think, will be easily obviated by the con-
trol of the Commissioners, who will, under the proposed ar-
rangement, have the conduct of both departments more imme-
diately under their own view and cognizance.
We think the title of the officer thus to be appointed should
be, that of Inspector General of the-out-door officers, and that
the salary should be 7001. per annum. So great, however, is
the importance of filling such an office with a very efficient per-
son, and more particularly in the first instance, that we should
even recommend a larger allowance for it, if it should be found
that a person now serving at a higher rate of pay were particu-
larly eligible for the situation. In such case the special grounds
for granting a higher salary to such a person would not be a
precedent for a successor to the office hereafter.
The instructions for the Inspector General should, be prepared
by the Board of Customs, and might be submitted to us, if your
Lordships should think fit, before your final approval. The_
times and descriptions of the periodical reports to be made by
him, will of course be therein described; and we think that it
would be expedient, that copies of them should be uniformly
supplied to the Collector and Comptroller for their information,
which, in addition to being useful to them, would a; the same
time serve as 'a check upon the communication of the Inspector
General to the Board.
Among the other Reports which this officer should be di-
rected to make, we think there should be a half-yearly general
Report, such as we have recommended to be prepared in the
port of London, and which should be submitted to your Lord-
ships, with the observations of the Commissioners upon it.—
If the Collector were also to be instructed to make a similar
Report, at the same periods, of the state of the department un-
der his immediate charge, anid that of the Comptroller,your Lord-
ships would have the state of the whole of the Customs at Liver-
pool twice a year before your Board. ' •
Upon the duties of the Collector and Comptroller as at pre-
sent executed, we have no particular observations to offer ; they
appear to be conducted with regularity, and we have no cone-
plaints of them before us:
The remittance to London of the monies collected, presents
apparently an opening for improvement, by shortening the
term at which bills are now taken for that purpose ; but as this
question is of a very general nature, and not solely applicable to
Liverpool,. and as we are aware chat •it has been before your
Lordships in its various bearings, we feel that vie could have no
observations to offer which have not already been under your
consideration.
We should in this part of our present Report, have called
your Lordships' attention to a very extensive and 'defective
branch of the out-door department at Liverpool (we mean the
whole of the water guard,) if we had not already in our special
Report upon Mr. Smyth's suggestions for the establishment of
a nightly watch, submitted our recommendations on that sub-
ject. We presume that your Lordships have deferred the
execution of that plan until our general Report concerning
Liverpool should be laidbefore you ; we have therefore only to
observe, that our opinion of the expediency of giving a Vial at
least to it, is confirmed by all the information we. havesince eb-
tained upon the subject, which leads us also to suggest,' that in
carrying it into execution, your Lordships should choose as few
as possible of the persons who are to compose that watch, from
among the inhabitants of Liverpool. We are aware, thatfor
employments of such little value, the requisite number of per-•
sons from other places could not perhaps be found to undertake
them, but we think, that to a certain "extent, a selection might
be advantageously made for the purpose, from 'persons dis-
charged from military service? and from among the late con-
ductors of stores in the Commissariat and Storekeeper General's
departments. • "
We shall conclude this head of our Report, by recommend-
ing, in the strongest manner, the adoption at Liverpool of the
several regulations relating to the admission into the Customs,
promotion, attendance and superannuation, which we have sug-
gested for the port of London ; and further,-that-in all cases of
promotion, from one degree or class of officers to another, the
opportunity should bi taken of effecting an interchange of of-
ficers between Liverpool and London, or one of the other great
ports, by making it imperative "upon the Conenissioners of Cus-
toms to present one at least of the•persons to be submitted to
your' Lordships, for the vacancy from the departehent at ano-
ther port.' Such a regulation Might also, we think, be applied
with ecpial advantage at Bristol, Hull and London, as at Li-
; verpoOl..
11. THE NUMBER AND SALARIES, OF THE