The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-10-18 00:00:00

MEETING OF WAREHOUSE KEEPERS.

On Wednesday last, at twelve o'clock, a meeting of the
warehouse keepers of this town took place at the Clarendon
Rooms, South John-street, for the purpose of taking into
consideration the proceedings to be adopted by them relative
to the proposition of the corporation to build warehouses,
or more especially with reference to the proposed mode of
management, to rebut the calumnies and misrepresentations
Virown by certain members of the council upon the ware-
house keepers as a body,—and finally to pass resolutions px.-
pressive of their opinions on these subjects. Nearly all the
principal warehouse keepers were present.
On the motion of Mr. Dover, Mr. Hallowes was called to
the chair, which he took after some urgent pressing on the
part of the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN, having read the advertisement calling
the meeting then said, that all who were present were, no
doubt, aware of the resolution of the corporation to erect
warehouses on the dock quays, the management of which
they purposed to give to the dock trustees. Such a measure,
if it (lid not finally annihilate, would have the effect of seri-
ously injuring their business, and that of others; and it
therefore became necessary to take some steps to oppose
such a measure, or at the least, to express their decided objec-
tions to it, so that the proposed plan might be defeated or
modified. Another object of the meeting was to rebut the
calumny cast upon them as a body by parties who had accused
them of being jobbers and adventurers," and persons who
cared for nothing but their own individual interests.
A series of resolutions were then brought forward, and
agreed to unanimously. These will be found in another

column.
Mr. TAYLOR moved the first resolution, which was to the
effect, that the corporation, in placing themselves in the
position of warehouse keepers in the general management of
the contemplated warehouses, would be opposing the present
warehouse keepers and occupiers in their legitimate business.
Mr. WlCnight seconded the resolution.
Mr. GRUNDY said, the second resolution had just been
put into his hand, and he begged leave to propose it. It went
to combat the principle adopted by the corporation, of taking
the public property and employing it to the detriment and in-
jury of private property. He considered the adoption of such
a principle, not only unfair but unjust,—particularly as they
purposed to retain the management of the new warehouses
in their own hands. If the corporation chose as trustees of
the public property, to make sales of such land as was avail-
able for warehouses by public erection, leaving the business
to be regulated and balanced by the fair scale of public com-
petition, the warehouse keepers could not object to such a
course. All would then have equal chance, the warehouse
keepers would know exactly what they had to contend against,
the course of competition would be such as was usual, and
the business would find its own natural level. But compe-
tition with a public body, like the corporation of Liverpool,
having unlimited funds at their command, and those funds
public funds, was impossible. Such a business must be a
monopoly, and one that would be destructive of any merely
private interest that attempted to contend against it,—and he
should continue to combat such a principle. He concluded
by proposing a resolution to the effect, that the meeting
deprecated the principle of a public body, constituted for
other purposes, setting themselves against private interests,
as unjust, and that they were opposed to the corporation
establishing so dangerous a monopoly, &c.
Mr. Green seconded the resolution, and it was agreed to.
Mr. Hammitt) said, it fell to him to propose the third
resolution, which he read, to the effect that the warehouse-
keepers repeated publicly that they were ready and willing,
if it should be required, to enter into arrangements with the
merchants, &c., to take the management of goods (as per-
formed by the dock warehouse companies of London) with
their present warehouses, whereby the complaint (whether
real or imaginary) of pilferage would be done away • that
their charge would, in all cases, be lower than those of Lon-
don (including cartage and fire insurance ;) and further, that
if the Liverpool dock rates were as low as those of London,
the Liverpool charges would be, in most instances, 30 per
cent. lower than those of London. [The Chairman requested
Mr. Harbord to add the words, " at the same time the meet-
ing wish it to be understood, that they have no desire to in-
terfere with others' business." To this Mr. Harbord slightly
objected, inasmuch as he thought the proposed clause was
implied in the resolution read, as it prefaced the proposal to
undertake the management of the warehouses with the words
" if it be required."
The CHAIRMAN said they set out by deprecating the con-
duct of the Corporation for interfering with the business of
others, and if they did not make it distinctly understood, it
would appear as if they had themselves afterwards proposed
to become carters, and porters, and coopers.
Mr. BIRRUTT said, that conclusion did not necessarily
follow.
Mr. HARBORD repeated that he thought the addition un-
necessary, but as the chairman felt desirous of distinctly show-
ing that they had nothing selfish in their intentions, he should
have no objection to the addition. He thought it was per-
fectly right in Mr. Hallowes to be jealous on a subject of that
description, as it would let the puplic of Liverpool see that,
though they were particularly wishful to take care of their in-
terests, there were no motives of undue selfishness in their
proceedings. it ought to be borne in mind that if the dock
trust erected warehouses, and undertook the cartage, porter-
age, and cooperage, they would be a monopolising body—en-
croachers upon the business of other persons ; whereas, if the
warehouse-keepers were to have the warehouses, they would
be compelled to employ the masters in those several trades,
amongst whom there would necessarily be such a competition
as to exclude everything like monopoly. If the merchants
were to make an unanimous proposal to the warehouse-keep-
ers, and furnished them with such forms and documents
as they thought necessary for their guidance, he felt - as-
sured that they (the warehouse-keepers) would aecept of
such proposition, and was equally convinced that they
could manage the whole business as well as it was
managed in London. He could refer to one instance
in his own experience in proof of their desire to meet
the wishes of the merchants. Since the opening of the
China trade, he had himself (as well as others) gone to very
considerable expense in fitting up warehouses for the recep.
tion of tea and other East India produce. He had even
written to a commercial gentleman in London to send him
down several men who had had experience in the East India
warehousing system there, and who understood the manage-
ment of warehouses for indigo, tea, &c. lie had thus intro-
duced " the practice of the port of London," of which so
much had been said. They had also introduced the " warrant"
system in the metropolis, as a further concession to the
opinions expressed of its efficacy ; but this system, after a
fair trial, was now nearly done away, it having been found
inapplicable, owing to the difference of this locality. Mr.
Evans had, in alluding to the new project of warehouses,
dwelt strongly on this system, as one highly worthy of
adoption ; but it had not in practice realized the expectations
he had formed of it. He (Mr. Harbord) knowing as he did
the peculiar character and circumstances of this port, felt
convinced, that if warehouses were erected on the dock
quays here, the warrant system would not answer. In look-
ing at the practice of London, it ought to be considered
that when the warrants were issued, the bankers made ad-
vances upon them, without knowing the value of the goods
to which they related,—they not relying on the amount of the