The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-10-04 00:00:00

tiYE-L A \V S

ji
The Te.1,171-CLEP,.K be;igett leave now to (17;ivi• attention to the
bye-laws which had been prepared. On thc part, of the commit-
tee he was directed to state that the bye-laws should be read that
dav, and taken into consideration, and thm the council shoul4
give the committee the benefit of their sugginitbms, wit() which:
any suggestions to be offered by the public would be
.414‘..,n
consideration ; and that tbenthe.lqe-laws be recourl.iited, and.
taken into consideration at the neat council. He must explain
that the bye-laws were of to.clesses;,the first class were appli-
cable to the old borough, tinder,a certain local act of parliament.
The council had now the power to, make rules and regulations
with regard to fares, Sic., not (Ink, wit!, regard to ihe old
tough, but for eight miles round the outward boundary of the,
butough. The second class of bye-laws to be submitted to the
council were bye-laws made under the authority of f lra municipal
act, for the good rule of the borough, and fur the prevention of
nuisances.

Th,e TowN-ci.ErtK was, proceeding to show_ the authorities,.
under Which the council proceeded to enact the bye-laws under
considertition, when Mr. Bin having spoken to him, hesaid,
it was sugtested to him that there were not two-thirds of tffii
council present, and that therefore it would be necessary' to colt-
floe theinselnes to the local act...

Mr. Moitecuo'Plewielld suggest to the Town-clerk that they
were nut going to irtgalee the bye-laws on that day, but merely to
read them, and therefrire that it would not be necessary to have
teso-thirds of the 'council present_ -
The Towseceue K then fieaceeded. The 2Gth of George 111.
gave them power to make acts, not only within the town,' but
eight miles beyond it, for hackuev-coaches—
M r. RaTu aoN e, interrupting (fie Tow n said /ie.:Always
listened to the Town-clerk: with a great, dritl of pleasure, Atilt
really he did not think it was essential to Ituow the acts which
authorised them to uaske these bye-laws. Vr really thought re
rather presumptuous in him to make such At suggestion, but
they, were perfectly satisfied with the law undei' which the Town.
clerk proposed to them to make those laws. WAS it desirable
that they should know what these acts were ? Fletheught the .
time of the council might be inure properly bestowed by atonee
proceeding to the question.
The '!'own-cLeue said, availing himself of these suggestions,..
he must say that the bye-laws woiild be in the hands of ;the,
council for them to read over. and any ifforination which they,
might require he should be happy to agord. With regard to.
haekney-coaches, by the last act of 183.5 the•council had exten-
sive powers, never yet acted no fully ; it had power not only to
register, but it had power to license the coaches, add to license
the drivers; and the act itself enacted, that if any driver should
be guilty of a second offence, the Mayor might suspend the
license of that driver or deprive him Mit, and he should be liable
to a penalty if he ever afterwards acted as driver—so far the
enactineut of the legislature weut. So far as the bye-laws to be.
submitted to them went, they wculd inflict a penalty on the,
owner if he should employ a driver who was not licensed, or
who had been deprived of his license. Whit respect to the
legislative tic< it proceeded shortly as to the. bye-laws egulatieg
coaches. The act enacts that every owner shall apply fi.r
license, then says that every coach shall, within tweMy-nter
hours, be registered io the name of the owner of the license,
with the clerk of the peace, otherwise the license shall be void.
By the f bye-law, relating to the drivers, he believed they
should obtain a very wholesome tamer ever this class of men.
After reciting •the sth, Gat, and 7th bye-laws, relating to the,
licensing, numbering, &cs of hackney-coaches, he noticed the
Bth bye-law, relating to the fate§ of hackney-coaches. The ['area
would be the Same as passed tinder former bye-laws, with this
exception, that distances which had generally been computed
from the stand, should now be computed from the place front
which the passenger was taken, subjected. to a provision that
it should not exceed 400 yards distance front the stand where
the coach was hired ; and if engaged trout tf plal'e Of pubb;e,
amusement, the distance to be computed from that place of
amusements In other respects he (the Town-clerkj was not
aware that these bye laws made any material alteration in the
former bye laws, excepting in one very important vet-lieut. The
bye laws were made with reference to distinct penalties for
first, second, and third offences, and that the fine should begin
at a very moderate sum, and go on increasing. This was the
-more necessary as it appeared that the council must themselves
fix the fines, and could, not leave the amount to the discretion
of the justices ; but it would leave the executive power to fine
a second as a first offence, if they should not chooSe to charge
it a second offence. There was a very particular provision
about property left in any coach, compelling the driver, imme.:
diately on its discovery, to bring it to the police-office, to be
restored to its owner, on payment of such sum as the magis-
trates-should award. The act of 1833, gave the same power tei
stake Lye-laws for licensing the drivers of carts, and the same
rule was given with regard to carters. There was an improved
table of rates making out for carters; but it was still in a very
imperfect state, and the communications of merchants giving
their attention to it, would be received very thankfully by the
committee. The rates for timber earriagei would most par.
ticularly require the attention of gentlethen iif the timber trade.
Under the same act of parliament, there was a pro Vision for the
establishment of an office in Whidi porters plying for hire
should be registered, and though it was not obligatory for is
porter so to license himself, yet it established •his character and.
entitled him to a preference. Misconduct was punished by
having his license obliterated, and by having his name post e.rl
so that as much as possible the value cf' a ticket porter's character
might be upheld. After reciting the bye-law against solokipg
in warehouses, &e., the next was the bye-law for the regulation,
of steam-vessels and other boats, with regard to plying at the
pier steps belonging to the Corporation or the Dock Trustees.
These laws contained some very gond provisions. They perhaps
might make an addition to the old laws, that no steam-boat,
should !main on any. station without haying at least three
competent persons on board to attend to the same. He had
now gone very shortly through the different bye-laws which
demanded the attention of the council with reference to the
local act applying to the old borough. Ile would now just allude
to the second class of bye-lais, made under the municipal act,
and extending to the new.

Air. RATHBONE, before he proceeded, would ask whether
there was any pOwer in the corporittibn to consume smoke at
steam-vessels ?

The TOWN-CLERK did not think they had any power over
them.

The TOWN-CLERK then continued, and recited the provisions
of the intended bye-laws relating to the new bo►ough, with re-
gard to the removal of slaughter-houses, and for the general
prevention of nuisances, fares of coaches, cars, carters, &c. He
worth! submit that these bye-laws be reconunitted to the coin-.
mitre, and that the committee should be open to any one who
chose to attend to communicate any observations hi which they
might be interested. They had only had the notice of the bye-
laws published two days, but when they became more generally
known he did not doubt but they would receive communications
respecting them.

Mr. IliflCl-1 begged to move that the bye-laws be recommftted
for the consideration of the committee, with a view to their un-
dergoing a full discussion and careful revision, and that they bd
brought forward fur final settlement at the nett eimucil meet-
ing.

The motion was seconded.
Mr. H. LAWRENCESOggeSted that the progressive fines should
commence as low as 6d., and go as high as 155., by being
made higher, the consequences were often ruinous to poor men.
The TOWN-CLERK was able to state that the committee per-,
fectlY accorded in the view taken by Mr. Lawrence, and out of
the fifty bye-laws, four-fifths of the fines began with 55., and
there might be cases in which they would begin with less. He
would also hope that the magistrates would have it in their"
power to fix the amount of costs, for it did seem to him a hard-
ship that were parties were fined under a warrant 2s. W., to find
the costs, amount to 4s. Gd. or ss. 6d.—costs exceeding the"
penalty-
Mr. EVANR said he had looked over the clauses, and he'
thought it very hard that there should be a law against the poor
keeping a few fowls. He thought they ought not to legislate'
against a poor man keeping a few ducks, which brought iu a
little profit, and were the amusement of his children; they
would overturn no horses or wa,Tgous. Ile really thought this
a mis-legislation.
The MAYOR believed it to be clearly understood that the
members of the council were at liberty
e
to suggest to the coin.
think
mittee any improvements, and additions theymight
proper.
Mr BARCLAY suggested that it would be desirable to bring
the laws into a smaller compass, and do away with the eternal
verbiage.
The TOWN-CLEIIK said, that subject had already been dis-
cussed. It might be done in all act of parliament, but lint in
a borough act. With regard to the fowls, he had a letter writ-
ten to him describing the fowls going about the streets as a
great nuisance.
1111'. Rim-mous would propose that each of these laws should
be read over one by one, before being passed by the council.
The) would hardly do their duty unless each of the bye laws
was read over, and gravely passed seriatim.
Mr. H. LAWRENCE took it for granted, that that would be the
course pursued.
The MA you said it never was intended that any other conrsei
should be followed. Each law would be made as perfect as it
could ; it was never intended to pass them in the lump.
The TOWN-CLERK did not think that any other course would
be legal.
Mr. BLACKBURN thought the time left for the consideration
of these laws very short; he would propose that they should
not be passed till the 9th of November, which would allow them
time to consider them,
The TOrti CLERK said it was a subject of great importance,
and would have been more properly settled before this. Per-
haps it might suit Mr. Blackburu to know the sentiments of
the committee. that they would only get tbrotieh such portions
as they could by the 12th of October, and allow the rest to
stand over.
Mr. BOLTON thought the subject cOiJit not to be postponed
till the new councillors were elected. as the matter would be
new to them, and they would be deprived of the services of
those who might go out.
Mr. BARU,: had read over the clauses, and found no difficulty
as to making up his mind as to little alterations. He would
answer for it that the whole would be read in three hours with
attention.

Mr. ItoniN SON thought they ought to tit what they would dd
at the next tweeting.
It was then determined to commence at the next council;
ineeting with the bye-laws relating •to Ilackriet-coaches, and
that the discussions should go on at the rate of one day per
week until the whole of the bye-laws were got through.
The TowN-CL Elm said he had received suggestions relating
to the bye-laws front various parties. lie had received two;
bye-laws from the Clerks of the Pence one %tart for the preven-
tion of the shaking of carpets and the other against the blowing
of horns by omnibusses. (A laugh.)
The Council then broke up shortly before three o'clock, the"
next monthly meeting to take place on the 12rb instant: