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

intimate connexion between that subject and the establishment ,
of the Customs, which we are specially appointed to inquire,
into, led us naturally into the consideration of it; while on the:
other hand, we were impelled, by the pectiliar circutostanceS
under which the foreign commerce of the country was placed,
in consequence of the great change produced in the general
economy of Europe by the. close of thc war, to suggest tacit
improvements as appeared to us calculated Le promote and im-
prove it.
Among the ports of the unit: Kingdom Which' are enabled,
by the extent of their tratisactions, and the sufficiency. of their
establishments, to participate •in the benefits of the general
warehousing system, Liverpool, after London, holds the first
place.; and there is probably no other in which there are
so many wealthy, respectable and enterprising inercitanh,
ready to avail :themselves of any general measure, Cal-
culated to extend the operation ofs the Watehousing:Acti,,
and to give a greater encouragement than new exists to
the transit trade between this Kingdom and Foreign Countrie.i.
There is, however, one point in which, as compared. with Lorte
don, Liverpool is imperfectly prepared for such it measure, yrl.
in which it is much less completely adapted for the prat-Li :La
of the Warehousing Acts, even as they now stand. It is gratly
•inferior in its establishments .for the. deposit of bonded. good,
which are neither so concentrated nor so secure in their
struction as those of London, nor, in our judgment, such as i 3
a port ofso great magnitude they, ought to he. , , . •
are consider this subject as one ought
the most seriOus
ccrlsideration, with a vie* to the interest of Abe trade.of Liver-
pool, and the Revenue to be derived from it. . For, stronglris
we have been impressed with the utility of . the Warehousinz,
System, and the sound policy of giving every possible encou-
ragement to it, we have no less strongly felt, on the other hand,
that every step towards-extending its 'finks, should be accom-
panied by corresponding securities „ against the fraudulent,iri-
troduction of goods prohibited, .or without payment of 'duty, far
home consumption. Without a constant and vigilant attenti6n
to these safeguards, the due Collection of the present large R -
venue of Customs wduld hardlybe compatible with any plan for
affording greater facilities to the ,merehant than he at preient
enjoys.
It was tinder this conviction, that in reporting lately upon a
Memorial from Liverpool, praying that the alterations recently
introduced, in
upon our suggestion, to the practice of re.o'reig
in h-
ing goods the port of London should be extended to:that
place, we recommended to your Lordships to comply with the
request, only with respect to the goods depesited. m one ware-
house (the Tobacco and East India Warehouse) a recommen-
dation . which was founded upon our examination of two:expe-
rienced officers of the Customs, who were supported by ,seeee
intelligent merchants in their opinion, that in point of sectirity,
that warehouse was the only place of deposit for goods at LlV•er-
pool, fully equal. to those of the several dock estahlishmentaein
London.
In pursuing our inquiries further into this subject,ove have
found, that the
.places in which merchandize is allowed to
be warehoused in Liverpool, are in number no lesi than
one hundred and sixty-four, and that these are of various
sizes and descriptions, the property of individuals, and dis-
tributed over a space of several miles in extent throughout the
difFerent quays, streets, and alleys of that extensive town.. •',A
list of them is annexed to this Report. These warehouses haye
all been licensed upon the survey and report of the proper of-
ficer, declaring them to be sufficiently secure. "
We have no positive evidence before us, of goods having
been improperly removed out of theme and we believe that they
have latterly been superintended with more Vigilance , nailer
the direction of the Surveyors-General, who .have inspected the
Port.
• But notwithstanding all the care that these, or any other su-
perintending officers could bestow upon them, the scattered po-
sition of these warehouses, their admixttire•among the private
dwellings of the town, and the unavoidable removal occasionally,
if not frequently, of the persons to whose charge they must be
intrusted, not only from the inspection of any superior officers,
but even from the observation of others in the department,
whose presence would, act as checks upon thein' cannot but
hold out obvious facilities and temptations to frand; while :11,4
also require the maintenance of a large numberof of is from
whom, on account of the distribution, no security ran be phtain-
edfor the Revenue equivalent to the• expence of thien.
We are, therefore, clearly of opinion, that under any irianage-
ment, however careful, a great
.number of warehouses .ace vlr-
cumstanced must, in point •of security. and:economy for 'the
public, and of safety fur the merchant, be greatly inkhrior to a
contiguous chain of warehouses adjoining to chocks, and snr-
rounded by walls, or otherwise insulated from places of public-
access ; and as the expediency of extending the \l!arehourialg
System, and of re!axing its checks,. where they operate.'as r:-
stnetions upon commercial enterprise, must (as we. have before
observed.) Materially upon the, security with which- it
may be practicable to collect the ReVenne under such a change;
we conceive that the merchant of Liverpool is no less& interested
than the Government, in the general adaptation of the Ware-
housing Establishments to thatomportant object., A great *-
pediment to any other .than .a gradual alteration in tins respect
at Liverpool, arises, however, out of the large amount Of, pri-
vate property invested in the present ovarehoases.•• TO that
circumstance every attention woulde no doubt, be paid lay Tour
Lordships, whatever courseyou may be pleased-to gthoptianth a
view to effeettheirnprovementwhich we deem of sonanch import-
' .ance. That which to us appears the best calculated toaceomplish
it if. that your Lordships should declare, and perar.vereain a re-
solution to confine all indulgenrieS and facilities licreaTter to be
granted with" respect to the warehouSing•of goods to-thoae esta-
blishments only which are as complete on .point of •sentrity,ei
the docks in London ; that no new places of deptisit should.be
sanctioned for the reception of bonded goods . not possessing
the reouisites which we have pointed out.; .and, above all,.that
every fair .encouragement should be given„to the erection of
warehouses at the new dock called the Regent's
completed at Liverpool,• or any other to be so constructed in
future, by bestowing upon them exelusive•privileges for terms
of.years, similar to those enjoyed by the docks in London.
From the information winch we have received upon the sub-
ject, we are led to conclude, that with these encouragements,
or such -part of them, as could safely, be given, • combined
with its . own advantage in point of situation and conveni-
ence, that dock, would soon obtain a decided preference, and
probably supply the- place of -about one-fourth, or one-fifth of
the present. warehouses. • • . •
Other, establishments of the same nature, or at least upon the
same principle of concentration and locality, would not long be
wanting in so- tieh and enterprising a port as Liverpool,. it the
contintied Prosperity, or.the inarease of trade should hoick put a
sufficient inducement to_ undertake them ; while, on-the other
hand, the preSent Warehonses, unable to subsist under the corn-
pCtition, would be gradually abandoned, and the port of li-
verpoel, with respect to its warehouses, would be ultimntely
itpoo a fopting.similar to that of London, where the greciter and
inore import uat part of the bonded merchandize is deposited in
hitildings unexceptionably -secured, and a smaller portion only
diseaibutsdinthe eingleescattered, and far less,cligiole deposits,
calla Atte Up-town Warehouses,
liven these however, are less objectionable, as we are given
. .
to. understand', in poi of situation and security, than, the
larger, proportion of the warehouses et Liverpool ; Lut the, prin-
ciple of, our foregoing obServations is applicable to them also
anti we avail ourselves- of this, opportunity to rail:the 'attention
nil your Lordships to•thewarehouses.of this description in Lon-
den. - We think it would he advisable Ter your Lordships to
'take inatnediete steps for their gradual reduction, by giving
notice to the several proprietors, of yout intention to continue to
each of them the privilege of warehousing goods• under thei43
(3-t0,,3, c. 13;1, for a limited period only from the presenatime ;
'such period. being in no case longer than threeyearse.and.beinge
• within that extent, proportiOnate to the quantity and- nature of
the goods now deposited in the respective warehouscS,
• We do not conceive that the adoption of this measure for the
public interest,, can be complained of by the, proprietors of thew
plates of deposit, as an act of injustice to them. • They Werel-
,eensed. in .the igiviloges which. they LOW bold by -your -Lord-
Whgll thLrtrade of the port of London required trhe 4PSpol-
rnodation ; and it cannot justly lie collo:IWO, *lien the sane
actommodation can be afforded by other.establishnients,?w4ch
are greatly preferable both in respect. of aeeurity arel!aToPorni,
that tile same. privilege should still be centjnited,tothaMeee:
(Signed) • . • • ''
. •
CHARLS LONG••
• :134-
J. C,
Ilk' J. 4:13513114GT0N.
Office of the Commissioners forinquitingeee
into the
24th. August,
.1820..
(Copy) • , NATHANIELtTIIO3I9, Sec.
Mere follows 'eniitribratitift •••Ofqiid names of the several
Bbndeds-N.Varehousea and States vitldn titte-Bprt of •Liv4tpecl.]
•