The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-09-20 00:00:00

pool, and of the neighbouring towns and counties in
mercantile connexion therewith. It is said that a cer-
tain officious Alderman is the author of this sage pro-
duction. We can scarcely credit the assertion, as we
cannot give the gentleman in question credit for suffi-
cient modesty to induce him to withhold his name from
appearing on the title page. It is certainly stupid
and inconclusive enough to be written by him, and
bears a strong similarity in style to his vapouring
speeches on the subject in the Town Council. From
this pamphlet, as well as from the speeches to which
we have alluded, a stranger might he led to imagine
that the commercial prosperity of Liverpool was on the
wane—that our Docks were deserted—and that the
trade of the town was in the most ruinous and des-
perate condition. He might conjecture that the notable
scheme for erecting Warehouses on the Dock Quays,
was the only plan which could he adopted for restoring
Liverpool to a state of prosperity. But what are the
facts of the case ? Has this town been retrograding,
instead of advancing, in respect of commercial import-
ance ? Is the trade of this port taking flight to other
towns and cities in the kingdom ? Quite the reverse.
Without any Warehouses on the Dock Quays, Liver-
verpool has been increasing its commerce from year to
year—mercantile men are flocking to this port from
every part of the kingdom—our Dock space has been
doubled in the course of a very few years, in order to
provide the necessary accommodation for the shipping
frequenting the port—and, in short, it is perfectly no-
torious, that Liverpool is pointed to almost universally,
as presenting an example of rapid commercial pros-
perity scarcely equalled in the history of the world. A
mere glance at the statistical table in page 79 of the
appendix to Gore's Directory, will satisfy the most
sceptical on this point. Take, for instance, the amount
of the tonnage of the vessels which have entered the
port since 1819, in proof of our assertion. For the
five years ending in 1823, the amount of tonnage was
3,615,920; for the five years ending in 1828, it was
6,169,476; for the five years ending in 1833, it was
7,522,875 ; and for the five years ending in 1838, it
was 9,421,099. The increase in twenty years has been
5,805,179. We refer to this statement as affording a
demonstrative proof of the unprecedented increase of
the commerce of the "good old town." This rapid
increase, it should be remembered, has taken place un-
der the system of having no Warehouses on the Dock
Quays. Are we wrong, then, in saying "let well
alone ?" Are we wrong in blaming and condemning
those who, from interested motives, are seeking to in-
jure the warehouse owners of the town ?
But it may be urged that the erection of Warehouses

on the Dock Quays is necessary " to the promotion of
the trade, and prosperity of the neighbouring towns
and counties in mercantile connexion" with Liverpool.
This assertion is prominently obtruded in the very title
page of the pamphlet before us. Does the author mean
to say that these neighbouring towns and counties have
not prospered under the old system ? If he does, he is
guilty of insinuating a palpable untruth. It is well
known that the " neighbouring towns and counties in
mercantile connexion" with Liverpool have been far
more prosperous than any others in the whole kingdom.
But to come to the contents of the pamphlet. When

the author says that " the people of Liverpool, of Lan-
cashire, and, in fact, of the country at large, are deeply
interested in the prosperity of this port," he utters a
truism which no one could ever think of denying : but
when he proceeds to say that " they (the people of the
country at large, we presume) are entitled to every ad-
vantage and facility which can be afforded to the busi-
ness which passes through this great portal of the trade
of England," he makes a remark which requires a very
strong qualification. The peOple of this country are
not entitled to any advantage or facility the concession
of which would inflict irreparable injury upon thousands
of our townsmen. The " facility" advocated in this
pamphlet as indispensably necessary to the trade and
prosperity of surrounding towns, would involve a whole-
sale robbery of the most flagrant character. It is,
therefore, manifestly absurd to say that the people of.
the country at large are entitled to the proposed advan-
tage. No one can have a title to plunder his neigh-
our to suit his own convenience.

The assertion that " Warehouses on the Dock Quays
are alone wanting to obtain for this port a speedy as-
cendancy in many branches of Foreign Trade, of which,
at present, it can with difficulty retain even a small
share," .is unsupported by a tittle of evidence. -What
are the important branches of Foreign Trade for carry-
ing on which Liverpool does not present every advan-
tage that can be desired ? We call upon the author to
make good his assertion, if he can.

It is said that the land adjoining the docks is suf-
fered to remain in a comparatively unproductive state.
It is not necessary, in order to render this large extent
of land productive, that Warehouses should be erected
around the Docks. There are various other ways in
which this land may be rendered available for the pur-
pose of facilitating trade. The "Statement of the Land
and Warehouse Owners," specifies several modes in
which this may be accomplished. We shall, however,
hereafter recur to this part of the subject.
Among the more conspicuous advantages which, it
is alleged, would result from the erection of Warehouses
on the Dock Quays, we find the following—that these
Warehouses would afford such shelter, that the moving
of ships in the docks would never be difficult. This is
a very insignificant item to be set up against the im-
mense loss and injury which the proposed plan would
inflict upon the Land and Warehouse Owners, and the
numerous other classes dependent upon them. Besides,
it very rarely happens that any inconvenience is felt
from the want of additional shelter.

Much stress is laid upon the increased security which
would result from having " public stores in the vicinity
of the Docks." We believe that, practically speaking,
there is quite as much security under the present sys-
tem as can ever be obtained by the erection of 'Ware-
houses on the Dock Quays. We need only refer to
the example of London in proof of our assertion. It
is a well known fact, that depredations to an enormous
extent are matters of almost daily occurrence in Lon-
don, possessing, as it does, all the advantages of Ware-
houses contiguous to the Docks. Nor are instances of
destructive fires in the London Warehouses so rare as
the advocates of the Dock Warehouses would wish us
to believe. The pamphlet before us insinuates that

" large, well-lighted rooms, fit for the display of indigo,
and other articles of condensed value," are not now to
be obtained in Liverpool, and that such rooms would
be provided in the contemplated Dock Warehouses.
We confidently assert that there are hundreds of such
rooms to be had in every direction—many more than
can be wanted for the purposes stated. The existence
of such rooms is a sufficient refutation of the sweeping
assertion that " apartments answering these purposes
can be furnished only in the extensive range of a pub-
lic structure."

The pamphlet insists upon the advantage of having
Warehouses " under an inspection, exercised without
difficulty, and so perfect as to preclude pilfering, and
to render the destructive practice of smoking amongst
porters impossible." We do not believe that any sys-
tem of inspection, however vigilant, or any code of
regulations, however stringent, would absolutely pre-
clude pilfering. 'We have already stated, that this end
has not been secured in London, and yet London is
constantly referred to by the advocates of the new plan
as an example. Even supposing it to be practicable to
prevent the subordinate porters, &c., from pilfering,
how is dishonesty on the part of the inspectors to be
obviated. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes ? .
We do not deny that warehouses around the docks
would greatly facilitate the landing and stowing of mer-
chandise : but are there no other means by which the
same advantages may be realised ? We contend that
there are. Those means have been amply described in
the "Statement of the Land and Warehouse Owners."
The adoption of those means, while it would not in
the least infringe upon vested interests, would secure
to the merchants all the vaunted advantages of dock
warehouses.

It is scarcely necessary for us to remind the writer
of the stupid pamphlet under notice that the great ma-
jority of the Liverpool warehouses are in the immediate
vicinity of the docks. Owing to this circumstance
they are, or might be made, equally as available as
warehouses on the dock quays themselves for the pur-
pose of bonding for exportation the produce of the
Brazils, and of the East and West Indies. We have
thus " proper warehouses provided, in their proper
place," and there is nothing, therefore, to prevent Liver-
pool from becoming "the chief emporium of the East
and West India Trade, as well as that of South Ame-

rica."