The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-06-26 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

ToxTETH-PARK.—On Thursday, a meeting of the rate-
payers
of this township was held, for the purpose of elect-
ing two persons as additional assistant overseers—their
duties being to collect the rates on property assessed at
£l3 and under. Mr. Hilton was proposed as an assistant
overseer, at the yearly salary of £5O, and five per cent.
on all moneys collected. An amendment to the effect
that the present assistant overseers be appointed to collect
the said rates was then proposed. The original motion
was carried by a large majority. Mr. Washington was
appointed the assistant overseer, at the same salary and
per centage as his colleague, Mr. Hilton.
DOCK COMMITTEE, THURSDAY.—The Surveyor wished
to take advantage of the present spring tides, to proceed
with the foundation of the north river wall: agreed to.—
The resignation of Mr. John Williams, ledger-clerk of
the Albert Dock, who had been obliged to retire from ill
health, was accepted.—The Chairman read a statement
of the comparative expenditure in salaries at the Albert
Dock, from 1848 to 1849. It appeared that in 1848 there
were 87 office-clerks, at a cost of £B7BO ; in 1849 there
were 61 office-clerks, at a cost of £6s2o—a diminution of
26 clerks, with a saving of £2260. In 1848 there were 16 ap-
prentices, at a cost of £327. and in 1849 the number waslB,
at an expenditure of £442. The Committee of Warehouse
Management recommended that the salaries of the ware-
house-keeper, vault-keeper, and principal cooper, be in-
creased from £l5O to £2OO. Mr. Aikin, Mr. Tobin, and
several other members considered the present salaries fully
adequate for the duties performed, and objected to the
increase. Mr. Aikin submitted an amendment that tkere
be no increase, but on a division it was lost. Mr. Tobin
then proposed an amendment, which was adopted, that
the salaries be £175 per annum. The secretary read a
resolution of the Water Committee, requesting to know
the number of lifts per each hydraulic crane at the Albert
Dock Warehouses, in order that the charge for water
might be regulated accordingly. It was stated that a
register had been kept, but it was not yet sufficiently
extended to furnish any returns. After some conversa-
tion the matter was referred to the Committee of Works.
HEALTH COMMITTEE.—The weekly meeting wasleld
on Thursday. A nuisance, arising from the want of a
sewer in Upper Parliament-street, was ordered to be re-
moved by carrying a pipe across the street.—During a
conversation which arose as to the cleansing out the
courts, Mr. Harbord said there was no want of water,
there was more iu the wells than could be pumped out,
and the Health Committee might have as much as they
liked.—Mr. Hodson called attention to the desirability of
cleansing out the courts in Oriel-street daily, as the cho-
lera had been very prevalent there. After some discus-
sion, it was understood the matter should be left in the
hands of the borough engineer.—A deputation from the
authorities of Toxteth-park waited upon the committee,
to request the use of the house in Parkhill-street, occu-
pied as a house of refuge, for a cholera hospital. It was
understood that the request would be complied with.—A.
report was read from a sub-committee as to the desira-
bility of doing all work by contract. It appeared that
Mr. J. Holmes had made some calculations, from which
be came to the conclusion, that the advantages were in
favour of working by contract; and in reply, the borough
engineer, in a statement which was read, contended that
Mr. Holmes's calculations, and the views founded upon I
them, were erroneous. The sub-committee, after a con-
sideration of all the circumstances, had come to the reso-
lution, that it would be prejudicial, as a general rule, to
do all work by contract, but it should be left to the con-
sideration of the committee, to make contracts in all
practicable cases.
SELECT VESTRY.—A special meeting of the vestry was
held on Wednesday, to consider a recommendation from
the medical relief committee, to appoint twelve medical
men, in addition to the regular officers, to visit from
house to house, in consequence of a report from Dr.
Grainger, the medical inspector, that diarrhoea was greatly
on the increase in Liverpool, The regular officers con-
sidering that Dr. Grainger had overstated the facts ; and
feeling that they themselves were perfectly competent to
make the required visitation, and carry out the require-
ments of the system as efficiently, if not more so, than
officers unconnected with parochial duties, addressed a
letter to that effect to the Board. The contents of the
letter were confirmed by one to a similar effect, signed by
Dr. Vose, Dr. O'Donnell, Mr. Bickersteth, Mr. Batty,
and seven other physicians and surgeons of equal stand-
ing. A long and desultory conversation took place on
this subject, during which Dr. Grainger stated that he had
done nothing more than recommend what Dr. Duncan
himself had recommended, and that he had never said
that the medical officers were incompetent—it was not a
question of competency but of time. Mr. Hodson, as a
surgeon of considerable practice, said that all the medical
men had told him they had nothing to do, and an officer
of the dispensary stated that he never knew so little
diarrhoea as at present. This was confirmed by his own
experience. He moved as an amendment that so much
of the proceedings of the medical relief committee as
related to the appointment of new medical officers be
negatived. Mr. Dover seconded the amendment, which
was carried by a majority of /2 b 7. Dr. Duncan said
that the appointment of twe.medical officers, to visit from
house to house, was not recommended by him in conse.
quence of the prevalence of diarrhoea, but to ascertain
whether or not the system should be extended.