The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-10-27 00:00:00

SHIPMASTERS' ASSOCIATION.

On Friday the Right Hon. Lord' Sandon, patron of this
institution, honoured it with a visit, and experienced a most
cordial reception from a large body of the subscribers pre-
sent. His lordship was shown over the establishment by
W. Rowett, Esq., chairman of the committee, assisted by
the master of the rooms. The objects and claims of the
institution were very fully inquired into and discussed by
his lordship, who took a lively interest in the subject, and
repeatedly expressed his unqualified approbation. Previous
to leaving, his lordship addressed the gentlemen assembled
to the following effect. His lordship observed that he felt
much gratification at finding himself surrounded by so nume-
rous and respectable a body, and felt much honoured by
having his name placed at the head of such an institution.
It afforded him the greatest pleasure to perceive the rapid
progress the infant establishment had made, which, although
it had been opened for so short a period, already numbered
upwards of seven hundred names upon its books ; and as he
understood that ten thousand captains annually frequented
this port, he trusted that when he should have the happiness
of again visiting these rooms at some future, and he hoped no
distant, period, to learn that a great majority of them had
enrolled themselves as members. An institution of this
description, his lordship observed, was calculated to benefit
not only the mercantile and maritime interests of this port,
but must also diffuse its advantages over many parts of the
world, and would, no doubt, induce other places to follow
its laudable example, and ultimately become as well known
and appreciated as Lloyd's. His lordship then added, that
as he understood the directors were forming a museum and
library, he begged to be permitted to contribute the Journal
of the Statistical Society, a work which recorded facts con-
nected with the advancement and improvement of mankind
throughout the world, a perusal of which would tend to pro-
duce reflections of a most pleasurable and useful nature, and
would induce captains to bring, like bees to the hive, the
honey of knowledge from all parts of the globe.
His lordship then took leave with renewed expressions of
satisfaction and goodwill, and retired amidst the applause of
his gratified auditors.

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL.

Yesterday a special meeting of the council was held in the
Town-hall, for the purpose of receiving a report from the
Town-clerk of the savings in the departments of the Town-
clerk and his deputy, and also to consider the propriety of
applying to parliament for a new Dock Bill. The MAYOR
presided.
The deputy TOWN-CLERK read the proceedings of the
Dock Committee.
The MAYOR stated that he had received a letter addressed
to the " mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of
Liverpool," from Peter De 'Winter, an artist, upon the
hanging of Hilton's picture of the crucifixion ; he complained
of the bad position in which it was hung, and suggested that
it should be framed. He (the mayor) had received several
communications on the same subject from many gentlemen
capable of judging of the proper hanging of the picure. Mr.
De Winter had sent with his letter the sketch of a frame.

The deputy TOWN-CLERK was about to read the letter,
when

Mr. CASE said he thought this was not in order as the pre-
sent was a meeting for special purposes.
The MAYOR replied that communications addressed to
him were always in order. Besides this letter was brought
before the council only for the purpose of reference to the
proper committee.
Mr. HUGH HORNBY thought it was unnecessary to read
the letter, but refer it at once to the committee.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES.—If the picture were made a present
of to some church it would be better.
The letter was then referred to the Town-hall Establish-
ment Committee.
SAVINGS IN THE TOWN-CLERK'S DEPARTMENT.
The TOWN-CLERK, in accordance with a notice from Mr.
William Rathbone, proceeded to read the following " state-
ment of the saving to the borough fund from the arrange-
ments made on the appointment of the Town-clerk and
deputy Town-clerk."

" REPORT.

" The Town-clerk lays before the council printed copies of
the heads of the Dock bill with the charge numbered, and the
pages of the Town-clerk's bill given for facility of reference
to any clause that may be desired to be read at length.
" The Town-clerk is desirous, before the consideration of
the bill is proceeded in, of submitting, as on the former oc-
casion, that supposing a motion made and carried for the
confirmation of the proceedings of the Dock Committee in
the preparation of the bill, still in his opinion such confirma-
tion should be subject to a reference to the Finance Com-
mittee, as to the clauses relating to purchases from the cor
poration—the width of Gower-street, the parochial rate,
bye-laws—the appointments of water bailiffs, the limits of
the rwo estates, the application of penalties, and the mainte-
nance of Dock prisoners in the Borough Gaol; also to a
reference to the Observatory Committee as to the Observa-
tory clause, and to the Watch Committee, as to the clauses
for the union of the town and dock police, together with
the clauses relating to constables and watchmen.
The Town-clerk further submits that the bill, if it be in
its general objects confirmed by the council, will be further
subject to the adjustment by the Town-clerk and the Dock
Solicitor, of the terms of the clauses for carrying out the
objects of the Dock Committee and the Doak Trustaes ; but
from the conferences which have already been taken between
the Town-clerk and the Dock Solicitor, and the progress
thereby made, little difficulty, and no delay are to be appre-
hended in such adjustment."
Mr. RATHBONE said that as he had called for this state-
ment, he, perhaps, might be allowed to explain the cause.
He had, at one of the ward meetings, said that one of the
benefits of a reform corporation had been a saving to the
borough fund of £5,000 per annum in the Town-clerk's de-
partment. In a one-sided correspondence which he had not
read, but which he was told had subsequently appeared in
the Standard, this statement was called in question in that
very veracious paper. He had, therefore, thought it right,
and due to the council, that the benefit of the change should
be brought before the public in such an unquestionable shape
that it could not be doubted.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES hd himself, before he became a mem-
ber of this council, stated, from looking at the amount of
fees in the Town-clerks office, that there was a change upon
the corporation, after the fees had been returned, of between
£4OO and £5OO per annum. He, therefore, applied to Mr.
Radcliffe for information upon the subject, who told him if he
would call upon him he would afford him every information.
From what had occurred respecting one gentleman stating
that he considered there were some candle-ends and cheese-
parings beneficial to the Town-clerk. lie (Mr. Holmes)
alluded to Mr. Saunders, any statement from whom, from
his character and station, was deserving of the utmost atten-
tion. He (Mr. Holmes) believed that Mr. Saunders was in
error ; and he would state for himself that: he also was in
error when he said that the Town-clerk's cost more at the
present time, than what it had done previously. With re-
gard to the Town-clerk, he should say, at once, that in his
opinion that gentleman was not receiving one farthing be-
yond his salary. Any other impression was perfectly and to-
tally erroneous. With regard to one result of the meeting
he had with the Town-clerk, he begged to thank him for his
attention ; but he thought he had stated that the whole sal-
ary of Mr. Foster, the late Town-clerk, was £6,700, after it
had been lookeed into by Mr. Martin.
The TOWN-CLERK.—No. I think I stated that in his
claim for compensation he stated that amount as being his
salary.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES.—No, he stated it at £7,500. He
would not dwell upon the difference now, as there would be only
a difference of £3OO between the present statement and that
in the report of the town-clerk. The late town-clerk charged
the corporation as between attorney and client ; and it was
well known that with regard to common law business for
every 6s Sd charged by solicitors in London 3s 4d went to the
country solicitor. When the late town-clerklientered into
office in 1832 the town dues question was a perfect honey-
fall. A sum of no less than £27,000 was spent by the corpor-
ation in defence of the town dues, and his emoluments would
be from £5OOO to £6OOO from that source. There was also
the question of the disfranchisement of the freemen. Now
although he believed that the present town-clerk had no emo-
lument from Messrs. Parkes and Preston, the parliamentary
agents, he believed the late town-clerk had working agents.
The TOWN-CLERK said that the late town-clerk had no re-
ceipts from the parliamentary agents.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES believed, on very good authority, that
he had. Further than that he charged five guineas a day for
his attendance in London, and as he was often in London on
the business of the corporation, that would form one source of
his emolument. He had no doubt if the present town-clerk
had the same emoluments as the late, as there had been no
common law business, he would not obtain more than £5OOO.
per annum. Then, if we took this is as allowed, what would
be the case? There was the present town-clerk's salary of
£2OOO. and the deputy town-clerk's of £700., making £2700.
and he had no doubt that the expenses of conducting the busi-
ness in their offices had been increased, therefore, he had a
right to assume that the cost would be a few hundreds more.
Besides, if Mr. Foster had not been removed from this world
he would have enjoyed a compensation of £2500. per annum.
If that had been paid, there would not have been the saving of
a farthing. Undoubtedly not one of the members of the
council was instrumental in procuring or could have prevented
the removal from this world of Mr. Foster ; the annuity of
£2500. ought therefore to have been taken into account when
a boast was made of the savings of the liberal corporation.
(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Holmes) must be allowed to add
that no one could have greater confidence in the present
town-clerk than he had : his conduct had been without re-
proach, and his character was above suspicion.
Mr. BUSHELL, after the elaborate speech of Mr. Holmes,
did not feel it necessary to say much ; but he must say, with
due deference to Mr. Rathbone, that it was not right for the
time of the town council to be taken up in discussing the
anonymous productions of newspaper correspondents. If
any allusion to the subject had been made in the council,
then Mr. Rathbone would undoubtedly have been justified in
introducing the matter; but under recent circumstances, he
(Mr. Bushell) thought he must have had his eye on the pro-
ceedings of the 2d of November next. (H r:)- It was a
scheme worthy of Pitt or Fox—and a very slyfox too. (Hear,
hear.) But since the question had been brought forward, he
would say that no credit ought to have been taken for saving,
without the emolument which would have been paid, if Mr.
Foster had he been living, being taken into account. The
allowance to Mr. John Deane Case ought also to be taken
sinceritywm e Mrwere
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ther an increase in the treasurer's department.
Mr. T. CASE wished to make one remark. The town-
clerk's statement now presented, commenced with the year
1832 as to the emoluments of the late town-clerk. It in-
cluded, therefore, a series of three years, when, from circum-
stances, he was deriving greater emoluments than in ordinary
years. If he (Mr. Case) were correct in this idea, he must
say that it was unfair to take three years of the greatest emo-
lument to the late town-clerk, clogged as those years were
with important questions, and compare them with those years
when there was nothing of the sort. (Hear.) In strict fair-
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the town-clerk and clerk to the magistrates, it was stated
that they were but about £5OOO. a year. The report, there-
fore, ought to have gone further, in order to give the council
a fair view of the relative cost of each town-auk to the cor-
porate estate.

The TowN-cLEnx said the period in his report was select-
ed because it composed the whole term of the late Mr.
Foster's service. If he went back to Mr. Statham's, he
found that his gross income for the seven years ending with
1831 was £8,200, in 1831-2 £7143 10s Bd, and in 1832-3
£6771. The gross income of Mr. Foster was £7093, but it
was subject to deductions, which reduced it to the nett in-
come of £5924, and there was no doubt that Mr. Statham's
income would be subject to some deductions like that, but
perhaps not to the full extent.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES observed that in these sums the fees
of the magistrates' clerk were included.
Mr. BOLTON said, this matter had originated from an as-
sertion of Mr. Rathbone at a public meeting that there had
been a saving, but which a builder of cottages challenged.
There had been proved to be a saving of £4761, which justi-
fied Mr. Rathbone's statement ; it is true, however, that if
the late town-clerk had lived, it would have been reduced
to £2,200.
The TOWN-CLERK said he had referred to a member of the
old council, who confirmed him in stating, that the town
dues trial took place in the time of Mr. Statham. Some bus-
iness was certainly done by Mr. Foster, but the bulk of it was
transacted in Mr. Statham's time.
Mr. W. W. CURRIE confirmed the statement.

Mr. RATITBONE, in his reply, congratulated himself upon
having elicited the facts mentioned in the town •clerk's report,
and admitted that he had called for it with a view to influ-
encing the election on the 2d of November next.