The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-01-19 00:00:00

OFFICIAL INQUIRY AT BIRKENHEAD,

Yesterday, Henry Robert Goldfinch, Esq., barrister-at-
law, and George Rennie, Esq., civil engineer, presided at
the Town-hall, Birkenhead, for the purpose of examining
witnesses and reporting to both Houses of Parliament re-
lative to an intended application to Parliament for an act
relating to the Birkenhead Improvement'Water Works.
The inquiry was held pursuant to the provisions of an act
of Parliament passed in the last session, intituled " An
Act for making preliminary inquiries in certain cases of
application for local bills.
Mr. John Buck Lloyd, Solicitor, appeared on behalf
of the promoters of the bill, who are the commissioners
of the township, and Mr. William Laird, Mr. John Laird,
and several others of the commissioners were on the same
side. Mr. William Jackson, Mr. Mortimer, Mr. Hicklin,
and Mr. Highfield appeared as ratepayers and opponents,
and cross-examined the several witnesses at considerable
length.

The proceedings were opened by Mr. J. B. Lloyd
reading the Commission froth the Woods and Forests,
under which Messrs. Goldfinch and Rennie were em-

powered to act in the capacity of surveying-officers.
Mr. GOLDFINCH read the instructions himself, and his
colleague had been furnished with them. These instruc-
tions were to the effect that they should survey the dis-

trict, examine witnesses, and report to both Houses of
Parliament, prior to the 4th of March. The object of
the inquiry was to institute inquiries, and obtain more
trustworthy informations, preliminary to any investigation
before committees of the house. It was believed that
this course of proceeding would save expense, and that
in the result the interest of all parties would be fully
and fairly represented. Then they were instructed to
conduct the inquiry in the Town-hall, or some other
public place of meeting, to allow the promoters of the
measure to open the case, then to hear the objectors, if
any, and finally to allow the promoters the privilege of
making a reply. It was considered necessary, in all
cases, to dispense with counsel; and evidence was to be
taken by a short-hand writer.

Mr. LLOYD opened the case at great length. Ha
divided the heads of the proposed bill under six heads.
The first was to establish water-works ' • the second was
to obtain powers to purchase, by compulsion or agree-
ment, the existing water-works belonging to the Birken-
head and Claughton Gas and Water Company ; the third
was to obtain water for what might be termed sanatory
purposes, such as watering the streets, supplying wash-
houses and baths, markets, and troughs for watering
cattle, and for extinguishing fires, and to levy a public
rate for these purposes, to be, called a water rate ;
the fourth was to supply the inhabitants, not not by com-
pulsion, but according to a scale of rents, for domestics
purposes ; the fifth was, to supply parties for manufac-

luring and trading purposes by agreement ; and the sixth
was, to supply shipping coming to the port of Birken-
head by agreement also. He gave full credit to the
existing Company, for having established their water
works at a time of some risk ; but he said the time had
arrived when, in the opinion of the inhabitants of many
towns, these extensive undertakings must be in the hands
of the governing bodies ; and he concluded by observing,
that one great object of the proposed bill would be, that
the profits, if any, would go in liquidation of the local
rates.

Mr. Brunel and Mr. Salter, surveyors and officers of
the township, put in a variety of plans and sections, show-
ing the geological structure of the locality; and the strata
or beds from whence the supply of water is obtained.
They stated that there were 18,145 inhabitants in the
township, and 4,039 houses. 2,099 of these houses were
inhabited ; 839 were unoccupied ; and 447 were in course
of erection and completion. They had classified the
rental, and found that there were not any houses
under £3 per annum. There were four houses above
.£3 and under £5 per annum ; above £5 and under
£lO there were 246 houses ; above £lO and under £l5,
1026 ; above £l5, and under £2O, 544 ; above £2O, and
under £3O, 692 ; above £3O, and under £4O, 425 ; above
£4O, and under £5O, 228 ; above £5O, and under £6O,
162 ; above £6O, and under £7O, 92 ; above £7O, and
under £BO, 35 ; above £BO, and under £9O, 45 ; above
£9O, and under £lOO, 23 ; above £lOO, and under £llO,
42 ; above £llO, and under £l2O, 5 ; above £l2O, and
under £l3O, 9 ; above £l3O, and under £l4O, 5 ; above
£l4O, and under £l5O, 4 above £l5O, and under £l6O,
1; above £l6O, and under £2OO, 5 ; above £2OO, and
under £3OO, 2 ; above £350, 1.
.coHmepaantya,ted shatdhbaetena
bottle Mr. ollfAtwheK wE sal; eErY owf at
sh
ee xeaxmi sitni
analysed by Dr. Playfair, and that it had been found of
excellent quality, softer than that at Nottingham and
Manchester, and well adapted for manufacturing purPoses,
and domestic uses : there was an abundant supply in the
neighbourhood for 60 or 80,000 inhabitants, and there
was a further abundant supply obtainable at Holywell.
He was for giving twenty gallons per diem to each of the
inhabitants of the township, and a constant supply. He
entered into a variety of calculations as to the quantity
that would be required for domestic, manufacturing, and
shipping purposes, estimating that quantity at somewhere;
about 1,600,000 gallons daily.
Witnesses were examined to show that the supply of
the .present Company was periodical, and that on Tues-
days and Fridays it was turned off; but Mr. Highfield
endeavoured to make it appear, that it must he occasion-
ally, and for short intervals, turned off from one district,
in order to supply other districts with additional quan-
,tities

le inquiry lasted from ten until four o'clock, and was
then adjourned until ten this morning. It will, in all pro.
bability, not be terminated to-day should the opponents
of the bill go into a rebutting case.

Lord Hatherton will move the address in the House of
Lords.

The,Queen will hold a Privy Council this afternoon at
uckingliam Palace. _

The Lord Mayor of ndon is now distributing £5OO
to the poor of the metropolis, left in his hands by Ibrahim
Pacha. _ _ _ _

THE TEN HOURS' BILL.—Mr. Ward paid his annual
visit to the electors of Sheffield on Wednesday. In the
course of his speech he made a positive announcement re-
specting the Ten Hours' Bill:—" I shall go to the House
of Commons this year to see the Ten Hours' Bill carried.
I say this on a higher authority than my own, and believe
that Lord John Russell will give same modification of a
Ten Hours' Bill his support."
AN INTREPID MISSIONARY.—The uazetie du Midi
announces the arrival at Marseilles, of M. l'Abbe Gabet,
Lazarist missionary, on his return from Mongolia. This
intrepid ecclesiastic accomplished a journey of 4,000 t
leagues from Chinese Tartary, on the confines of Siberia,
and arrived with his feet frozen in traversing those
mense deserts, where the road is marked solely by the
bones of men and camels. In the same passage, and one
the same day, 40 men were frozen and abandoned.
STEAM TO SPAIN.—The new Spanish steamer Gibralfaro
(late the Fire King,) will, in a few days, call at this port, and
thence proceed, via Southampton, to several of the principal
ports in Spain, calling also at Havre. This is another result us
steam navigation of the enterprise of our countrymen, which
cannot fail to be acceptable to shippers of goods and passengers.

WHY IS O'CONNELL LIRE A TAILOR ?
Because many a goose in his service is prest,
And many a lord is his debtor;
Be can gather a rent from the east to the west,
And the greater the rent is the better.

LIVERPOOL:
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1846
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