The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-07-06 00:00:00

MAIL CONTRACT TO THE COAST OF AFRICA.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SlR,—Seeing in the Albion of this day a leading article
relative to the " Mail Contract to the Coast of Africa,"
wherein reference is made to the " Blue Book," to which
I wish respectfully to call the attention of the editor of that
paper, if he be speaking to facts—viz., " one peculiarity in
these tenders isnoticeable, allthe parties" (including me,)
" prefer iron to wood : the material condemned by the
dock-yards is the favourite of private enterprise."
This assertion I deny, my tender being "expressly"
for wooden vessels.
The least said the better about the unfortunate " Niger
Expedition," for, I hope sincerely, such fatal results will
not occur again.—I am, Sir, yours, respectfully,
JOHN CLARE, Jr s.
5, Exchange-buildings, Liverpool, sth July, 1852.

ALLEGED ORANGE PROCESSION ON THE

12TH JULY,

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—We, the undersigned, district masters of the
Orange body in Liverpool, beg, through your columns, to
assure the authorities and our friends that the report that
it is the intention of the members to walk in public pro-
cession on Monday next. the 12th of July, is not true.
The body have determined to concede to the wishes of the
magistracy, and to make no demonstration whatever.
W. WARD. D.M.
Liverpool, sth July, 1852. J. HEGAN, D.M.

RADICAL TEETOTAL MEETING.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STA2VD-4RI),

SIR,—As an old member of the Sons of Temperance So-
ciety, allow me to express my regret at the conduct of those
members of the Society of Friends who have so far forgot
themselves as to call the meeting on Saturday evening, in
favor of Cardwell and Ewart. The promoters of that meet-
ing well know that politics and religion are wisely excluded
in a vast society of men of all shades of politics ; and the
speakers at the meeting on Saturday must have felt in
how ridiculous a position they stood in the eyes of the
Teetotallers of Liverpool. Mr. Editor, would you believe
it, there were not more than 300 people in every part of the
Concert Hall on Saturday evening. I consider the at-
tendance quite sufficient to shew the estimation in which
the teetotallers held those professing friends who make
politics a primary consideration to total abstinence prin-
ciples.—Yours, Mr. Editor, A TEETOTALLER.
P.S.—One of the speakers recommended that teetotal
voters should not wait to ride in a cab to the poll, but go
the first hour and record their votes. Remember this,
voters for Mackenzie and Turner.

THE REAL DESIGN OF THE SO-CALLED

FREE-TRADERS.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SlR,—May I request the insertion of the following
extract from the Liverpool Journal, of the 25th of May,
1850 :—" Another Talk with the Tailors: When, there-
fore, all the manufacturers of a country call for a reduction
of wages, the operatives are bound to comply, for in a
diminished scale of remuneration lies their mutual salva-
tion." What think ye ? Can there be any doubt of the
INTENTION to REDUCE WAGES ?
A WORKING MAN.

BEVERAGE FOR TEETOTALLERS.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—The excellent deportment of the "Teetotallers,"
during their anniversary this week, has been such as to
provoke me to inform them of an American receipt, which
I have just seen, for making a very nice, and really harm-
less drink, namely, carbonated mead, which consists of
half a gallon of water, 2 lbs. loaf sugar, 3 oz. tartaric acid,
1 oz. cream of tartar, I ox. Epsom salts, the albumen or
white of an egg best up in a pint of water, thickened
with a tablespoonful of flour, putting the whole into a
brass pan, skimming it before it boils ; when a little cool,
add + oz. essence of lemon, or essence of ginger. If
then put into bottles for use, it will keep for any length of
time in a cool place. When this mixture or decoction is
to be used, let a tumbler of pure water be provided, into
which stir about as much carbonate of soda as might be
carried on sixpence ; then pour into it, from a bottle as
above prepared, about a wine•glasaful : the whole to be
drunk while it effervesces. Having to-day seen the
receipt proved, by drinking a tumbler as above prepared,
I can recommend carbonated mead as a fine teetotal
beverage on particular occasions.—Yours. truly.
Liverpool, 3d July, 1852. JAMES GILLESPIE.

BIRKENHEAD AFFAIRS.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—My attention has lately been called to a report of
the proceedings of the Birkenhead Commissioners, by
which I find they have laid township rates to the amount
of 3s. in the pound ; which, together with the two poor
rates, of 6d. each, will make our rates 4s. in the pound.
What I am enabled to gather from the tone of their argu-
ments in support of such high rates is, that a considerable
portion of the rates is required for the purpose of paying
the interest on the bonded debt of the township. It is
argued, and I think very fairly, that it is only justice to
the bondholders that they should receive the interest upon
their bonds ; upon this there cannot be two opinions ; but
how is this to be brought about. with justice to the rate-
payers also ? It is said by one member of the board, that
Birkenhead was, at the present moment, in a worse posi-
tion than he ever recollected it, during the last twenty-
three years of his residence in the township. To this I
can bear ample testimony, lot only from my own obser-
vation, but from similar remarks I am daily in the habit
of hearing from many of the tradesmen. In the face of
this assertion, we find another member of the board con-
tending that " they were bound, in justice to the bond-
holders, until they were in a condition to pay the interest
due on the bonds, to keep the rates up to this maximum ;"
while another member maintained that " they were bound
by every principle of honesty and fair play to pay the
highest amount of interest they could raise by taxation."
Although I am-perfectly willing to recognise the principle
of moral obligation towards the bondholders, by which
the Commissioners feel themselves bound to act, I at the
same time differ with them as to the most equitable mode
of raising the means. Had I been a member of the board,
I should have felt it my duty, when an improvement rate 1
of eighteenpence was proposed, to have moved, as an
amendment, " that the rate for the present year be six-
pence, and that the remainder be made up from the profits
of the ferry," which, in the course of the Gas and Water
Inquiry, at the Town Hall, in February, 1847, was stated
by Mr. Brownrigg, the chairman of the Finance Commit-
tee, to have been £ll,OOO for the past year, and ought to
be by this time considerably more, otherwise the ferry
must be retrograding. The effect of a reduction of a
shilling in the rate, would thus yield to the rate-
payer some bona fide advantage in the ferry. The occu-
pier of a house rated at £7O would be relieved to the
amount of £3 10s., which would nearly pay his con-
tract at the ferry for three years. The £5O occupier
would be relieved to the amount of two years' contract,
and the £25 occupier to one year's contract, and which
would better enable the owner of houses to maintain his
present rental than the penny fare. It is neither fair to
tax the present ratepayers on account of large sums of
money borrowed before many of them came to reside in
the town, for the purpose of permanent improvements,
nor is it judicious, if they are desirous to encourage resi-
dents on this side of the water, to keep the rates up to
their maximum. Most persons, before coming to reside
in this, or any other town, inquire as to the amount of
taxation to which they may be liable ; and if they find
such taxation exorbitant, by comparison, it is generally
an obstacle to their becoming residents. It may be said
they do not pay their rates for nothing, that they have
good roads and footpaths, that they have to a certain ex-
tent gaslights and police, advantages of sewers, a good
market, a beautiful park, and so forth. All this may be
very true, but at the same time they are called upon to
pay double the amount necessary to secure all these ad.
vantages. For instance, when they were laying the rates
last year, a sewerage rate of 4d. in the pound was
objected to by some member of the board, on the
ground that a Id. rate was sufficient to meet the expense
of the outlay upon the sewers ; so that out of the 4d.
laid, 3d. must have been reserved to pay the interest
on the bonded debt, or some other purpose ; and, upon
a similar principle, this present year, sd. out of 6d.
will be reserved for the same purpose. It cannot be
supposed that a similar proportion is reserved from the
other rates ; but it must be remembered that a few years
ago we had double the present number of policemen, and
likewise of gas-lamps, for every alternate lamp-post
throughout the town has been divested of its lamp ; while
at the same time it must be borne in mind that the light-
ing and watching rate was then no higher than at present.
It must therefore be fair to conclude that a considerable
portion of the last-mentioned rate must be applied to-
wards the payment of interest, or to some other purpose
foreign to the lighting and watching. Now this, I con.
tend, is not fair towards the present resident ratepayers.
They have not the exclusive enjoyment of all the advan-
tages above-mentioned ; the surrounding districts, beyond
the limits of this township, have all the same advantages
without any of the liabilities to which the ratepayer is
subject ; the same remark will apply to the ferry ; whether
casual passengers or contractors, they pay no more than
the ratepayer, who is liable for the bonded debt and its
interest; and although this liability cannot of course be
avoided, it can in some measure be alleviated, and that by
fair and honest means. The question naturally arises
then, what are the various sources from which the revenue
of the town is derivable ? They are the improvement,
the lighting and watching, and sewerage rates, the tolls
and rents of the market and slaughter-houses, and the

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ply because tilie7 have no tangible security to otter. It
mut be admitted (kr it is well li4own) that the present