The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-07-09 00:00:00

INLAND BONDED WAREHOUSES.

A special meeting of the Town Council took place yester-
day, to consider the resolutions of the Association of Land and
Warehouse Owners transmitted to the Mayor, previous to
the last meeting communicating the announced intention of
the Right Hon. C. P. Thomson, to bring in a bill for the
extension of the privilege of bonding to in'and towns,—with
a view to determine upon the expediency or otherwise of re-
presenting to government the great amount of property
vested in warehouses' in Liverpool, on the faith of the
privilege of bonding, hitherto granted exclusively, to sea-
port towns, and of requesting them, (should the Council so
determine) to take into their consideration, before legislating
on the subject, whether the advantages which the proposed
measure was likely to confer in inland towns, would not be
overbalanced by the injury that would be inflicted on the
owners of bonded warehouses at the sea-ports.
The MAYOR briefly stated the object of the meeting, add-
ing that the subject had stood over from Wednesday last,
in order that the required notice might be given. He called
upon the Town Clerk to read the letter he (the Mayor) had
received from Land and Warehouse Owners, with the en-
closed resolutions.
The TOWN CLERK then read the documents alluded to,—
as follows :

" At a meeting of the Committee of the Association of
Land and Warehouse Owners, Liverpool, 24th June, 1839,
summoned to consider a communication from Lord Sandon,
as to the declared intention of Mr. Poulett Thomson to in-
troduce immediately, his proposed act for extending the pri-
vilege of bonding to inland towns. Present, W. P. Bushby,
Esq., Chairman, &c., &c., &c.,
The following letter from Lord Sandon, being read :
" H. of C., June 21, 1839.

" MY DEAR SIR,—I write for the purpose of giving you
the earliest information on a subject which interests all pro-
prietors of warehouses in Liverpool, viz., that in answer to
a question from me this evening, Mr. P. Thomson has an-
nounced his intention to bring in a bill for the extension of
the privilege of bonding to inland towns.—l am, dear sir,
your faithful servant,

"SANDON

" ` W. Birkett, Esq.'
" It was resolved, that this Association do take all the
means in their power for defeating the proposition in ques-
tion, which they consider unjust, unnecessary, and inexpe-
dient, and, as originating only in undue favouritism towards
certain local interests ; and that a deputation be appointed to
act in conjunction with the Town Council of Liverpool, and
with similar deputations which it is anticipated will be ap-
pointed from the other great Sea Ports, and that, for this
purpose, copies of this resolution be sent to the Chairman ofthe
East, and West India, St. Katherine's and London Docks, to
the Dock Companies of Hull, and Southampton, and to the
Chambers of Commerce at Leith, Glasgow, Hull, White-
haven, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bristol, and Gloucester, with
an urgent request for the co-poeration of those respective
bodies ; and that Mr. Bushby,. and 11r. W. Birkett, be the
deputation from this Association.
Resolved also, that the best thanks of the Association be
presented to Lord Sandon, for his very prompt attention to
this important subject, and his obliging communication.
" Liverpool, 24th June, 1839.
" SIR,—I am directed to transmit you the annexed copy
of the Resolutions at a Meeting this day, of the Liverpool
Association of Land and Warehouse Owners, and earnestly
to request, in furtherance of their objects, the concurrence
and assistance of the Corporation of Liverpool.-1 am, sir,
respectfully, your very obedient servant,
" JOHN NORTH, Secretary."
The TOWN-CLERIC said he had to report to the Council,
that he had since received a copy of Mr. Poulett Thompson's
Bill, and had made an abstract of its principal clauses for
their information, as follows :
" The town-clerk haq to report that on Friday last, he
received a print of the bill for the warehousing of foreign
goods at inland towns.
" That the bill is limited to the re-warehousing at the
inland towns, of goods removed from ports ; and, coupling
the enacting part of the bill with the preamble, it appears to
be the intention of the bill to limit the removal to goods
which shall been once warehoused at a port ; but this might
be more expressly declared in the enacting part of the bill.
" Corn, grain, meal, and flour are excepted from the bill.
" The bill enacts :-
1. " That all goods to be taken from the warehouse in
any port to be lodged in the warehou e, at any town, shall
be under the regulations provided in respect of goods
removed from one warehousing port to another warehousing
port.
2. " That no goods delivered from . the warehouse at any
port, to be re-warehoused in any town, shall afterwards be
exported, unless the full duties of customs be paid thereon;
and
3. " That no abatement of duty on the quantity of goods
delivered from the warehouse at any port, to be warehoused
at any town, shall afterwards be made in respect of any defi-
ciency of such quantity, whether arising from lapse of time,
from natural waste, or from any accidental or other cause."
Mr. JOHN HOLMES then rose to move the resolution of
which he had given notice. When he considered the great
quantity of goods bonded at this port, and the large amount
of capital sunk in warehouses, on the faith of the privilege so
long enjoyed, he was of .opinion that no sound objection
could be raised to his proposition. He moved as follows :
" Upon taking into consideration a resolution of the com-
mittee of the association of land and ware-house owners,
transmitted to the Mayor, communicating the announced in-
tention of the Right Honorable C. Poulet Thomson, to bring
in a bill for the extension of the privilege of bonding to inland
towns ; Resolved—That the subject be referred to the finance
committee, with instructions to represent to her Majesty's
Government the great amount of property invested in bonded
warehouses in Liverpool, and to signify their hope that Go-
vernment will take into serious consideration whether the
extension of the bonding system to inland towns would be a
measure attended with such material advantage to those pla-
ces, as would bear any comparison with the injury which it
is alleged by the association of Land and warehouse owners
in Liverpool, would be inflicted on the proprietors of bonded
warehouses in sea port towns."
- -

Mr. Alderman EARLE said he concurred in the resolution
and therefore seconded it.
The MAYOR read the resolution from the Chair, and
Mr. T. BOLTON said he thought the Council had alreadl
done too much as regarded the bill in question. Liverpool
in common with other commercial seaports, not only enjoyed
the privilege of bonding here, but would be allowed to
remove bonded goods (as we understood him) to the inland
towns, to which it proposed to extend the privilege of
bonding to a certain extent. This was not the only town
similarly circumstanced; for there were the several ports
on the Clyde, the Tweed, the Severn, &c. True it was, that
a large amount of property had been embarked in ware-
houses, and that many of them were built on laud be-
longing to the Corporation. But he did not see why they
should, on that account, prevent other towns from enjoying
the more restricted privilege contemplated by Mr Thomson's
measure. The conditions laid down, as regarded those towns,
were extremely hard, several bulky articles being excluded,
Corn, and cotton, for instance, must first be duty paid. He
thought the council wer3 premature in expressing their
opinion upon the bill, and by endeavouring to defeat it, they
would justly throw themselves open to a charge of great self-
ishness. He noticed several other disadvantages in the pro-
posed bill to the people of the inland towns, as compared
with the privileges enjoyed under the bonded system at the
sea-port. The allowance for leakage, or waste in spirits,
and wines, for instance, would not be granted in Manchester.
He considered that it was their interest to look to the general
commercial prosperity of the community, regardless of mere
individual advantages. He did not, however, anticipate those
evils from the proposed measure, which some parties appre-
hended, and should conclude by moving as an amendment,
" That it is unjust in principle to interfere with the exten-
sion of the bonded system to inland towns."
Mr. W. RATHBONE seconded the amendment, but we
could not distinctly hear his observations. We understood
him to say, that it was most extraordinary to find gentlemen
going back to such antideluvian notions of exclusion, as had
been expressed by the supporters of the motion. If the
council took any part in the question at all, they ought to be
the advocates, not the opposers of free trade. These gentle-
men reminded him of some parties who had called in the late
Mr. Huskisson to obtain his interest in their behalf. They
all professsed to concur with Mr. Huskisson, that trade
should be untrammelled ; but would not this address be ask-
ing for a little exclusive protection for themselves ? (Hear.)
Mr. W. W. CURRIE said, that on the last occasion when
the subject was before the council, he had expressed his
opinion upon it, and he now again would offer a few obser-
vations. He stated then as he stated now, that he was nei-
ther the opponent nor the supporter of Mr. Poulett Thomp-
son's measure. tle did appear as a warehouse owner ; he
had no individual interests to serve. He spoke merely as a
member of the council. He would have been satisfied that
they should take no notice of the measure, if no application
had been made to them by the warehouse owners. But they
were placed in such a position, that he thought they could
not as a public body, which was looked up to, be indifferent
to or regardless of the interests of a large number of indivi-
duals who had applied to them ; and on the other hand he
was averse to any steps that might render them amenable to
a charge of selfishness. The resolution before them, would,
however, he thought, meet the difficulty without throwing
them upon either extreme. It expressed no determined
opinion on the part of the council. It merely went to call
upon gentlemen not to proceed with the bill until they had
satisfied themselves that the benefits to be derived from it
would be greater than the injuries 'hick " it was alleged
by the warehouse owners," would arise to their property.
All Mr. Bolton s argument went against the warehouse
owners : and it was certainly going too far to say, (as had
elsewhere, as we understood him, been said) that it was pur-
posed even to send a deputation to London in their behalf.
For his own part he never had entertained such a thought,
nor would he sanction the expenditure of a single farthing
for that purpose. All that was desired was to impress upon
government that they should first be satisfied that the advan-
tages of the proposed measure should be at least as great as
to counterbalance the disadvantages alleged on the part of
the warehouse owners.
Mr. E. HARVEY said that it appeared to him that Mr.
Currie, (if he understood `him rightly) said the council would
do nothing, or that they should tell the gentlemen that they
intended to do nothing. He was sorry that his absence had
prevented him from acquainting himself with the details of
the measure ; but he had learned enough of it to enable him
to form a judgment as to its merits. Some months ago, the
question of building warehouses ou the dock quays had been
discussed, and an obstruction had been tirown in the way of
the project. But this principle of obstruction must not be
carried too far. So long as other towns thought that the
extension to them of the bonded system would he beneficial,
he did not see why they should interfere to prevent it. He
agreed that if they communicated at all with government on
the subject, it should be simply in the manner pointed out by
Mr. Currie. If tl ey went farther, he apprehended it would
be said that they had been set to work by the warehouse
owners. He disapproved of the obstruction system involved
in the resolution, and, if it were competent in him to do so,
he should move the previous question.
After some conversation on the part of four, Mr. HARVEY
said that he disapproved of both the motion and the amend-
ment, and should therefore, in order to get rid of the ques-
tion, move the adjournment of the meeting.
Some further conversation here ensued, in consequence of
the Mayor stating that if the adjournment were carried, the
meeting would be at an end, and he would, in that case, be
unable to make a communication to the council, which was,
he considered, of considerable interest. Finall , Mr. Bolton
gave way to Mr. Harvey by withdrawing his amendment.
Mr. HARVEY then proposed his amendment—" That it is
inexpedient for the council to interfere with respect to the
bill now in Parliament, relating to inland bonding warehouses."
FiutasE expressed himself against interfering with the
measure, and therefore in favour of the amendment.
Mr. lIBBY said he differed from those gentlemen who
spoke in favour of the amendment. They (the council) were
sent there to take care of the interests of the town, and he
thought these interests ought, to the utmost, to be supported.
After noticing some of the clauses of Mr. P. Thompson's
bill, he proceeded to say that it would in its operation entail
great loss on the town and the corporate estate. He believed
that if it passed, in would prove of no benefit to the inland
towns. Docks had been built at Runcorn, and several ves-
sels, with a view to convert it into a sea-port ; but (as we un-
derstood him) no advantage accrued, but the contrary. Com-
missioners were appointed and pronounced it to be entitled
to be a port, and government thought it would become a
source of large revenue ; but the result was delay in the de-
livery of cargoes, pilfering, &c.
Mr. Alderman EvAiss said he agreed that it was desirable
to have warehouses on the dock quays • but with regard to
interfering with the bill in question, he thought they were
travelling out 'of the way. MK Bibby said the they were
atom to peottx* the Waal iatittODAS of WO (lOWA, aid ha