The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-11-24 00:00:00

ALMANAC GRATIS!!!

Tuesday, the Bth December, we purpose presenting
to the purchasers of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD
a small, but unique and complete
PERPETUAL ALMANAC,
;hich combines in the smallest possible space (in
rder to suit it to the desk) all the
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
f the ponderous Bock and Sheet Almanacs ;
ogether with a
REVOLVING CALENDAR,
g, in large and conspicuous figures,
THE DAY OF THE MONTH,
in half the space, the double pur-

nszcerz

ALMANAC AND DATE CASE.
e STANDARD ALMANAC will be printed in
'ours, on card board.

IESPOrNDENTS

tllest intention of copying the letter from
t, and never imagined that any member

e Ex.:ise-office. The expense is .elO.
!d to postpone the excellent letter of

f " A Clod of the 'V

' was received too

Zig Kthrrpoot &tanbarb.

¶SDAY MORNING, NOV.

24, 1846.

We are happy to find that the suggestions which

we threw out last week, with respect to the pro-
priety of dividing the magisterial business of the
borough, have been received in a proper spirit;
and have excited that amount of attention, which
the importance of the subject demands. No nig-
gardly spirit towards Mr. Rushton prompted us.
We have nothing to offer against his administration
of .the public business ; and have no wish to obstruct
any proposal to increase his remuneration. We
assured that the course which we re-

however,

mend is the proper course to pursue; and
the present is the time for its adoption. Before

proceeding as we promised Lst week, to state more
in detail the grounds upon which we urge our pro-
position, we must offer a brief reply to some objec-
tions by which it has been met, and which, we
fear, have been prompted more from personal pre-
dilections towards Mr. Rushton than by a proper
consideration of the public interest.
It is urged by the Mercury that the Stipendiary's
salary is less than he is deserving for the immense
amount of business which he is called upon to get
through. At the same time it is admitted that to
a division of that business, the appointment of an-
ather magistrate, and the establishment of another
court, we must come very shortly. Obviously, our
contemporary would go with us in our proposition
were Mr. Rushton's claim out of the way. But
upon what is that claim grounded by his friends ?
for we cannot assume that he himself has put for-
ward such a claim. Upon the fact of his increased
duties. We admit such increase. We admit the
justice that such increase should have an adequate
increase of remuneration. We purpose, however,
to decrease those duties; to bring them within the
compass of one man to discharge. We think we
shall be able to show that even with the reduction
proposed, there will be sufficient for a talented man to
discharge, satisfactorily to himself and the public ;
and to allow him to earn, at the same time, an in-
creased salary. We should be far from entertain-
ing the thought of placing a public officer so im-
portant, in a town such as Liverpool, in an unworthy
position as respects remuneration for his services.
But is it wished that Mr. Rushton should have more
pay merely, or more leisure ? Possibly, the latter is
the case. His own candid opinion would no doubt be
that he has already more work to do than he can
get through, with comfort and perfect satisfaction to
himself ; and he must know that an immense mass
of new work is forcing itself upon him. The port
is rapidly increasing ; the town is enlarging its
limits ; and Mr. Rushton will admit that such en-
largement requires increased provision for the ad-
ministration of Justice.

Such provision, it is admitted, must shortly be
made. We say it ought to- be made now ; and for
satisfactory reasons. We must very soon determine
ipon a proper site for a main Bridewell and a Police-
:ourt. Our present main Bridewell is a disgrace to
the Borough. The provisions of our Sanatory Act
would compel its removal, or great and expensive
alterations. It is a scandalous fact to state that this
large town does not possess one bridewell in which
the hardened criminal, during hie _ur_ng detention, Can be
separated from the chance offender. Where must
a new main Bridewell and Police-court be built ?
Naturally, under our existing arrangements, a cen-
tral locality must be chosen ; and if a division of
magisterial duties is to take place a few years hence,
than have thrown our money away and have to
t two such main establishments in more suitable
Moreover, on the first of January, the pro-
of the Sanatory Act come in force ; and
, which it involves,

ision for the new business

must be made forthwith.
Another advocate of the present system—the
Tournal—argues for its continuance, or rather in
)ehalf of the increase of Mr. Rushton's salary, on
he grounds of his fitness, and the fact that, with a
ientral office, there is "a healthy oneness about the
)resent mode of administering justice in Liverpool,"
mnd a freedom from " conflicting judgments, ad-
rerse notions and positive fooleries on the Bench."
['he healthy oneness spoken of may be a very good
:ping in its way ; but it may, at the same time, in-
rolve unintentionally the administration of one-
mided justice. "Uniformity of decision" is very
iesirable when it is uniformly right. That there
nay be " conflicting judgments " is very possible
when there are two tribunals. The laws to be ad-
ministered are not so clear as to enable us to avoid
much accidents. We do not see, however, why we
should be liable to "positive fooleries," unless we
are guilty of the impropriety of selecting an unfit
person for our magistrate ; and after all king Log
was not a much greater infliction than king Stork.
As an argument in behalf of one court, the Journal
votes the following from our Wednesday's con-
:emporary

In the metropolis, exclusive of the city, which is under
the jurisdiction of unpaid magistrates, there are twenty-
seven stipendiaries, who have the disposing of 61,000 cases
annually, or about 2,400 to each. In Liverpool there is
only one stipendiary, and the number of prisoners brought
before him in the year is 16,000, or seven times the num-
ber brought before any one metropolitan magistrate. In
the metropolis a stipendiary sits only every third week :
in Liverpool he sits every week. The trading or shipping
cases in London are all brought to one office, the Thames
Police-office; Mr. Rushton disposes of such cases in ad-
dition to all other cases, and owing to our want of enclosed
docks, such cases are more numerous here. In the metro-
polis the duty of the twenty-seven stipendiary magistrates
appertains to 1,500,000 inhabitants—that is, there is one
magistrate to 55,000 inhabitants ; Mr. Rushton's duty
extends to 350,000 inhabitants. In the metropolis there
are 3000 policemen, or 110 constables to one magistrate ;
in Liverpool there are 700 policemen to one magistrate.
In Dublin there are five police-offices, and to each office
two stipendiaries ; the number of prisoners is 40,000,
that is 4,000 to each magistrate.

Nothing could have been adduced so strongly in
favour of our views as this extract. In the metro-
polis, exclusive of the city, each stipendiary magis-
trate disposes of 2400 cases per annum. Mr. Rush-
ton disposes of 16,000. He ought, therefore, either
to have seven times the salary, cr to have his work
reduced by a short-time bill. The metropolis has
one magistrate to every 55,000 inhabitants,—in
Liverpool we have only one for 350,000 inhabitants
—a clear proof that we are very unjustly provided
for. Even Dublin beats us, a magistrate there hav-
ing only 4,000 cases per annum to dispose of, whilst
Mr. Rushton has 16,000. He ought clearly, ac-
cording to our contemporary's sheaving, to have
four times the salary of a Dublin stipendiary.
But we prefer the alternative of lessening his
duties, not only in justice to Mr. Rushton, but in
justice, as well, to the public. Let our readers; for
Gne moment, take a survey of the present extensive
range of the town. Our docks, and their adjuncts—
warehouses and habitations —extend, at present,
from the Dingle, in Toxteth-park, nearly to Bootle,
or close upon four miles. We have our eastern
suburbs extending to Kirkdale, Everton, over Low-
bill and Edge-hill to Windsor, and close to Waver-
tree. See, then, the operation of our system of
perfect oneness" of magisterial and police jurisdic-
tion. A prisoner is apprehended at the Dingle for
some offence ; and, in the first instance, it is found
that the nearest bridewell he can be brought to is
in Jordan-street or Hotham-street. To convey him
to either, two policemen must be taken from their
duties for an hour and a half at least. Next morn-
ing he must be brought down to the centre bride-
well; and the policeman charging him, who has,
perhaps been on duty all night, must be in attend-
for three or four hours at the court, when he ought
to have been in bed to prepare himself for going on

duty again. A witness or two may be required to
support the charge, who, if working men, can little
afford to lose the wages of a day's, or even half a
day's, labour. If men engaged in profitable busi-
ness, it is probable that they prefer suppressing the
charge to appearing at all. Witnesses may also be
required for the defence; but, under the present
system, no poor defendant can procure their attend-
ance. With all that Mr. Rushton may endeavour
to do for the furtherance of justice, it is clear that it
ca not be successful in such cases.

There is not a question, either, that instances
occur in which the police themselves neglect to bring
charges, in consideration of the loss of rest re. wired
in pressing them. A glance through our Police-
court any morning will show that at least one-half
of the police bringing charges are off duty—are, in
fact, giving their time and rest to the public. We
cannot expect men to do this, except in very gross
cases, or for other obvious reasons of their own ;
and it is a well-known fact that very many offences
well deserving punishment are thus passed over,
both by the nolice and by the parties against whom
they are inflicted. The lengthened withdrawal of
the police from their beats is also a very serious
cause of increase of crime. It is not unusual on a
Monday to see at least a third, or more, thus with-
drawn to attend for three or four hours at the Police-
court, leaving, of course, a large portion of the town
inefficiently protected.
A further source of inconvenience arising from
the present system is seriously felt by the commer-
cial community. The infractions against our dock
acts are necessarily frequent, and few days pass over
without half a score of informations against mer-
chants and shipowners for leaving goods too long
on the dock quays, and similar offences. In at
least one-half of these the offence is admitted and
the fine paid at once, rather than lose the time of
witnesses to attend the court. The timber mer-
chants at the south end of the town are especially
sufferers in this way. No extensive firm can afford
to allow two or three of their landing clerks or
labourers to be in attendance for several hours upon
Mr. Rushton's court—perhaps when a cargo is
being discharged—to defend such cases, or attempt
to adduce mitigating circumstances. The usual
plan adopted is to despatch a clerk or a porter to
admit the offence and pay the fine, though perhaps
unjustly incurred.
In several ways the evils which we have noticed
are remediable by the adoption of the plan which we
propose. Let Mr. Rushton's court sit at the north
end of the town ; and he may have a salary of
£l5OO per annum. We should not certainly be-
grudge him £2OOO, if we thought that either him-
sely or any other man was capable of getting through
the entire business of the town. Let us have
another stipendiary—say at the same price—for the
south end. The line of division may be struck at
the Custom-house. We shall have, as the result,
dispatch of business, impartial justice to all parties,
and we shall have more : we shall have crime ar-
rested and properly punished, and property ade-
quately protected. It will no longer be necessary
for the suitor to incur heavy penalties, in loss of
time in prosecution, or defendants to incur similar
penalties from the same causes.
We have much more to say upon the subject ;
but at present are compelled to refrain. The bug-
bear, created by a contemporary, that a cost of
£5OOO per annum will have to he incurred, by the
establishment of another court, will have to be met ;
and it shall be met and shown to be absurd. No-
body knows better than the patty who invoked
that objection how much the change which we ad-
vocate is required, and how comparatively small
will be its cost. At his own price, however, the
community would welcome such a change. It might
cost a trifle to the borough fund ; but the public
would be advantaged to three times the amount.

We have already expressed our opinion that the
conduct of the Rev. Canon Parkinson, in retaining
his large income derived from the Collegiate Church
of Manchester, whilst occupying the post and re-
ceiving the emoluments of his recent promotion—viz.,
the principalship of St. Bees—was calculated to im-
pel the friends of the Church to an inquiry into the
duties which the higher orders of her clergy render
to religion in return for these emoluments. Our
prediction is very likely to be fulfilled. The tone of
a meeting of the deputation, appointed to request of
the Dean and Chapter their interference with the
Rev. Canon, leaves little doubt that an agitation
directed to the purpose of procuring a reform of
such institutions as the College of Manchester is
about to be got up ; and. the high standing and
eh...ester of the go-riflemen comi, vzing tho flop-tart-
tion warrants us in believing that it will receive very
powerful support from all classes of Churchmen.
The letter of the Dean of Manchester himself,
addressed to Mr. Richard Birley, contains a direct
admission that there is something wrong—some-
thing calculated to prevent the spread of religious
teaching—in the laws which affect the institution of
which he is the head. The Dean says,—
" I feel it my duty, notwithstanding my respect for you,
and for the opinion of the gentlemen who concur with
you in this request, to decline summoning a chapter to
receive a memorial on such a subject, because the chapter
have no authority whatsoever in the matter, and have no
power or right, as a body, to influence the Rev. Canon
Parkinson to resign preferment which the law allows him
to hold. The chapter has power, before it makes fresh
appointments, to ask from the candidates an assurance
of an intention to reside more strictly than the law at
present requires in Manchester; and it has not, since I
have had the honour of being connected with it, in any
one ecclesiastical appointment, been neglectful of the im-
portance of so doing ; and, I trust, that in bestowing pre-
ferment, it will continue to bear that in mind ; but it has
no retrospective authority."

The Chapter cannot compel residence; but they
admit its desirableness, and ask for an assurance to
reside from those whom they appoint. The Chapter
holds a large and increasing estate in a populous
town ; but the law allows those receiving the re-
venues of that estate to hold other and distant pre-
ferments, and to leave the spiritual care of the
parish to he provided for by the voluntary exertions
of the laity. It is a striking anomaly that the funds
left for the endowment of the Collegiate Church,
and to make provision for the spiritual wants of the
whole parish, maintained as many clergymen, or
within one or two, when the population was but
10,000, as now, when the population is 200,000,
and the revenue produced has immensely increased.
Not a shilling of that revenue has been expended
in supplying churches for the increased population.
The laity have done that, with occasional aids from
the State ; and they have even taxed themselves by
a voluntary church-rate for the repair of the Col-
legiate Church itself.
These considerations are calculated to render the
conduct of Mr. Parkinson especially galling to all
elasses of Churchmen. They see readily how apt
a handle it may afford for Dissenters to rail against
the Establishment, and how serious a discourage-
ment it offers to the exertions of members of their
own body in their efforts to provide increased means
of .religious education for the people. It is no
wonder, therefore, that they are arriving at the con-
clusion that the only remedy is to be found in the
law's interference, however much they may have
been previously disposed to deprecate any meddling
with the Church's property or the duties of its
clergy. The original institution of the College dis-
tinctly provided that its revenues were to be devoted
to securing spiritual ministration for the entire
parish. It is only the interpretation of an act of
Parliament which enables the Dean and Chapter to
engross the entire revenue, and prevents its being
devoted to greater usefulness. What legislation has
done it can undo.

The public cannot fail to have noticed th? prac-
tice, very freely resorted to of late by a portion of
the liberal press, of inventing facts for the purpose
of damaging political opponents, or classes, who
have, by any mischance, incurred their displeasure.
At this moment our streets are posted with hand-
bills, bearing the signatures of a number of the
leading bakers in the town, offering a reward of a
hundred pounds to any party who will find out the
authors of "several fake, malicious, and unfounded
reports" which have recently appeared in the Li-
verpool Mercury. Our contemporary, it will be re-
membered, professed to have made the discovery
that the bakers were a sad set of fellows, adul-
terating their flour and bread with all kinds of rub-
bish—gypsum, chalk, alum, and other substances.
And the gullible public believed the whole fiddle-
faddle, and were almost afraid to buy a loaf or a
stone of flour, through their ordinary channels, lest
they should unwittingly be buying poison. All of a
indulging
in however, just as the Mercury was
in an incipient crow, and dreaming of an ovation,
as the reward of his superior sagacity, the absurd
house of cards which he had reared, was blown up, by
the result of an investigation before the police court ;
and the bakers were enabled to open their shops, or
to walk the streets, without being pointed at as ha-