The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-04 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.

On Wednesday a meeting of the Town-council was held
as the adjourned fourth Quarterly Council, for such matters
as were peculiar to a quarterly council, and as a monthly
council for the rest of the business on the paper.
The proceedings of the Finance Committee set forth that
an ',application had been made from Thomas Lythgoe for pay-
ment to him, as the party aggrieved and prosecuting, of the
fines laid on James Stuart Plumbe and John Breze, at the
last sessions, towards payment of the costs of the prosecu-
tion. On this the town-clerk reported, that the prosecution
had ended in the cor.viction of the defendants, and in Plumbe
being fined £5O and Breze £lO, which fine was discharged
by the defendants. Lythgoe, it appeared, had sustained con-
siderable loss by the proceedings of the defendants, and had,
in addition, incurred £B6 lOs. 4d. for costs of prosecuting.
The corporation were entitled to the fines imposed and paid,
under a grant from the crown in the reign of Charles I.
Under these circumstances, if the fines had remained the
right of the crown, the Queen would, according to the usual
course, have been induced to grant them to the prosecutor
in mitigation of his costs. The town-clerk submitted that
the council would be recommended to make such grant as a
partial relief to the prosecutor. The Finance Committee
had resolved that the report should be approved, and that the
grant should be recommended to the council.

Mr. BOLTON, seconded by Mr. TiloaN1711.1„ moved that
the whole report of the Finance Committee, including the
above, be approved of. Carried.
The increase of the salaries of Alfred Quick and Charles
Arron, two of the clerks of the town-clerk, the considera-
tion of which was postponed at the last council under the
standing orders were next considered. Alfred Quick has
had £7B per annum, and Charles Arron, £7O. The town-
clerk reported a saving in his department of £37 per annum,
and his proposal was, to add that sum to the salaries of the
two gentlemen above mentioned. On the motion of Messrs.
Bolton and Thornhill, the proposition was agreed to.
The proceedings of the Improvement, Watch, Markets,
and Dock Committees, were read and confirmed.

EPORT OF TIIE DEPUTATION ON THE DOCK DILL.

The Council proceeded to the consideration of the proceed-
ings of the Dock Committee, hi relation to parliamentary
proceedings, comprising the report of the deputation from
the Dock Committee, in relation to the bill of last session.

The report, which has already been published, the consi-
deration of it having been postponed from the last council,
was again read.

Mr: LEATTIOM, seconded by Mr. H. HORNDY, moved that
thci report be approved.
__

Mr. BustißiA. rose to offer.an explanation of his reasons
for not having placed his promised motion in the paper rela-
tive to that report. His own opinions were unaltered, but
in consideration of the result of the late election, as expres-
sive of the opinions of the rate-payers, he being a rate-payer
himself, and not a warehmise owner, he had declined to pur-
sue the course which he at first intended.

Mr. HODGSON thought, at least, the report ought not to
pass with approbation. It was improper to allow a mea-
sure which could not be considered other than a monopoly,
and he was as much opposed to the measure as ever, from a
conviction that it would not be for the good of the town.
There was in Liverpool, superabundant capital ready for all
purposes, and while that was the case, he could not agree in
the views of those, who supported this measure. He pro-
tested against the report which spoke approvingly of the
measure. The question was still open, and in the event of
another meeting might exhibit a different aspect.
Mr. SMITH stated his disagreement with the tenor of the
report.

Mr. RATIIBONE said, he had been called to order for using
the phrase " disreputable opposition." He did not intend
it to apply to the gentleman who had noticed it ; but he still
thought there had been disreputable opposition. They had
been called a monopolising body, who wished to force the
measure upon the rate-payers; and many members of par-
liament, he believed, had been influenced by these considera-
tions. It had now been proved, that their opinions were in
unison with those of a majority of the rate-payers.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES expressed his disagreement with the
report. Mr. Holmes, after expressing his delight that the
deputation had not been successful, alluded to the vast amount
of patronage which, lie said, would result from the measure
if successful, which, he said, would be laid before parliament
next session, and the bill would not be obtained. He trusted
this, however, would be taken entirely out of the hands of
the council. Mr. Holmes said, from the respectability of
the parties proposed to the rate-payers by the committee,
they had obtained a majority of votes; in addition to which,
it was rumoured that those on the other list intended to levy
a tax on steam-boats ; if it had not been tor this erroneous
impression the result would have been otherwise. •
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said his opinion on the question
remained unchanged, but he had a strong desire to see the
question set at rest. He thought it wrong to make the rate-
payers a party to what was a mere speculation, from which
they might not derive the least benefit. He inclined to the
opinion of a member of parliament, that the erections ought
to be on warehouse bonds alone. He did not wish the Town
Council to have the ascendancy. They now paid great defe-
rence to the opinions of the rate-payers ; it was not long
since those opinions were entirely disregarded. He had
great interest in the question as a warehouse owner, but he
did not regard that at all ; he would sacrifice it all for the
sake of unity.
Mr. EVANS said, that it was notorious that such had been
the language of the opponents of the bill. If the warehouses
answered anywhere, it must be that they would answer on
the dock quays. It was preposterous, after that, to go on in
the newspapers and out of doors as they had been doing. He
had a great respect for the ratepayers ; it had been much in-
creased since their recent decision ; but it must be remem-
bered that the ratepayers came to those who acted with him
on this question, and expressed their approval that they had
gone to the ratepayers. The existing administration of the
Dock Committee was the best that could be, and he hoped
that the council would go on and endeavour to recover their
ground, and prevent altercation. Let them compare the ex-
pense and the work done at the same capital with those of
any other company, public or private, and he had no doubt
that the result would be highly favourable to the dock estate.
It bad been remarked that here was another fallacy—they
went on comparing the Liverpool with the London docks.
Why, they cost three times as much as the London docks.
Was it not a fallacy to go on in this way ? The Londoners
had created a surplus of nearly one-half, whilst here they had
not come up to what they wanted. There was an old saying.
that there was a river in Macedim and another in Wales, but
they were two different rivers. If the Katherine docks re-
turned only four or five per cent., that was no reason why the
Liverpool docks should not return thirty. The allegation
about political influence was renewed with the greatest and
most blushing effrontery. If they were to build warehouses,
there must of course be some influence, and it must weigh
for somebody. He knew not how it could be better exer-
cised than in favour of a great public body like the Corpora-
tion of Liverpool; he knew no one so fit to enjoy it as the
representatives of the people in this important town. If it
existed, the council would clearly and decidedly he made re-
sponsible.
The MAYOR.—I think Mr. Holmes will recollect that Mr.
Evans stated that he alluded to persons out of doors.
The MAYOR put the question to the Council. There was
a call to vote upon it, but the opposing members expressed
their willingness to allow the report to pass with the protest
which they had made.

Mr. BOLTON moved the thanks of the committee be pre-
sented to Thomas Leathom, Esq., Chairman, Robert Benn,
Esq., Deputy-chairman, and to Charles Horsfall, Esq., Eyre
Evans, Esq., and George Holt, Esq., members of the Dock
Committee, for the great sacrifices they made of their valua-
ble time during a large portion of the last session of Parlia-
ment, and for the zeal, perseverance, and ability which they
manifested under circumstances of peculiar difficulty in en-
deavouring to procure the passing of the New Dock Bill. Mr.
Bolton said the deputation, whatever difference of opinion
might exist on the subject of the bill, had fulfilled the in-
structions which they received from the Council with zeal
and ability, and were entitled to the thanks of the Council
therefore.

Mr. DAVID Hoocsos objected. He believed the deputa-
tion had acted with zeal and ability, but, in his opinion, they
had exercised those qualities in a wrong cause, and he re-
garded this motion as a side-wind to obtain an appearance of
approval to the measure. He thought the efficiency of the
deputation greatly conpromised by their not knowing the
costs of those proceedings. He challenged any one of them
to name the probable amount of those costs.
Mr. LEATHom said they could not tell the amount of those
costs, as their legal adviser had been indisposed, had only
just returned to Liverpool, and had not yet completed the
account.

Mr. Isaac Ho',Noss said, so far from agreeing to a vote of
thanks to the deputation, he would cordially thank those who
opposed them. (Laughter.) He should have been in Lon-
don himself for that purpose, if circumstances bad not pre-
vented him. Those who opposed the deputation had been in
London, eating their turtle at their own expense, [Mr.
Evans—" and that of the parishioners."—(Laughter)] He
should be at London himself next session, and he would op-
pose them. He would declare war to the knife. lie thought
this a most ill advised motion, for the measure had his utmost
contempt. Mr. Holmes made some remarks on the weight
which the Aldermen in the Council had in carrying the mea-
sure there.

Mr. SHELL, after remarking on the frequency of Mr.
Holmes' allusion to the Aldermen, said the mode of appoint-
ing those members of Council, was not introduced by the re-
formers, but had been made a part of the bill by the Tories
in the House of Lords.

Mr. James Lawrence, Mr. Smith, Mr. Cooper, Mr. John
Holmes, and Mr. Sandbach expressed their opposition to the
motion.

Mr. ROBINSON said, as he was satisfied, though opposed
to the measure, that the gentlemen alluded to had discharged
their duty with zeal and ability, and that they had made a
great sacrifice of valuable time, he would vote for the motion.
Mr. BOLTON having briefly replied, the Council went to
the vote, with the foll Owing result :
For the motion, Messrs. Quayle, Thornhill, Frankland,
Mellor, Filcher, Bolton, Ratbbone, Hugh Hornby, Yates,
Robinson, Lassell, Morecroft, Platt, Jordan, Duncan, Ma-
ther, Sheil, Roskell, Moon, Barclay, Builey, , T. Holt, Freme,
and the Mayor.

Against the motion, Messrs. Hodgson, J. Holmes, Isaac
Holmes, Preston, Sandbach, Sands, H. Holmes, Cooper, J.
Lawrence, Wood, Rigby, G. H. Lawrence, and Smith.
For the motion, 2-I.—Against it 13.—Majority 11.
Mr. LEATHOM briefly returned thanks.

The proceedings of the G►ol Committee, with the reports
and journals of the officers of the Gaol, were read by the
Town-clerk.

The following were recommended to the Council by the
Gaol Finance Committee.

" That the salary of John Sammond, clerk of the prison,
be increased from £75 to £lOO per annum, as from the first
of May last."

Tiiat the salary of John Estlin, assistant clerk, be in-
creased from £5,1 12s. to £63 per annum, from the end of
this current year."

That £lO per annum, in addition to salary as turnkey,
be allowed to the turnkey who acts as assistant to the sur-
geon.
" That the salary of Isabella Snow, task-mistress, be in-
creased from 15 to £5O per annum."
" That the appointment of Elizabeth Roberts, as turnkey,
in the place of Sarah Gale, who has resigned, be confirmed."
The report contained a letter from the surgeon of the Goal,
stating, that in consequence of the. great increase of his
duties, he considered his salary insufficient. He prayed that
it might be increased.
The committee had replied that, on comparing the salary
with those of the surgeons to other gaols, they did not feel
justified in recommending the Council to increase Mr. Ar-
cher's salary. At the same time they acknowledged his great
zeal and efficiency.
The report was confirmed, with the exception of that part
relating to the increase of salaries, which must stand over
according to the standing orders.

DA:MING AND WASIIING DOUSES,

Mr. Rivri;;;r:proposed the following motion of which
ha had given notice :—" That a Special Committee be ap-
pointed to consider and report, after such inquiries as may
be found necessary, upon the propriety of erections, in three
several parts of the town, for Baths for the use of the poor,
with conveniences by means of cellars, or otherwise, for the
washing of their clothes, according to a plan which will be
submitted to the council : the financial consideration of the
subject being reserved for the Finance Committee, after the
report of the Special Committee, who are to accompany the
same with an estimate of the expense."
Mr. RaTHBONE said, he had spoken to Mr. Lawrence on
the subject, and informed him that it would not interfere with
his plan, and Mr. Lawrence said he would readily give the
motion his support.
Mr. MATHER. seconded the motion.
Mr. SMITH expressed a hope that the measure would be
carried into effect without delay.
_ _

Mr. SANDBACH said, the committee on the formation of

parks, he hoped, would be ready to report to the next
council.

The following gentlemen were appointed to constitute the
committee—Messrs. H. Lawrence, Sandbach, Hugh Hornby,
Yates, Rathbone, and Blackburn.
The council adjourned at a quarter before two o'clock.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-WEDNESDAY.