The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-03-19 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE BOCK COMMITTEE

The Dock Committee held their weekly meeting yesterday
at the office in Revenue-buildings. The following members
were present :—Messrs. Benn, Horsfall, Barclay, T. Holt,
Holmes, Smith, Booth, Mellor, G. Holt, Evans, Chapman,
Tobin, Martin, Quayle, Aikin, Ripley, and Middleton. Mr.
BENN presided.

RESIDENCES FOR DOCK MASTERS, &C.
The Sub .committee of Works reported that they had taken
into consideration the subject of sites for the erection of
houses for those masters of thelseveral docks not yet pro-
vided for. They had first looked for a site for the
master of Clarence Dock, and they recommended the
general committee to fill up the old filtering well within
the dock wall, which was of no use, and to erect the
houses thereon. The house for the master of Waterloo
and Victoria Docks they recommended to be erected on
the south side of Waterloo Dock, within the boundary wall,
and a little nearer to the river than the Custom-house DepOt.
This situation would be very convenient in many respects.
With regard to a site for the intended house for the South
Harbour-Master, the sub-committee recommended it to be
built upon the unoccupied land to the east of Queen's Dock
where a tram-road once was ; also the same site for houses
for the master of Queen's Dock, the master of Union and
Coburg Docks, and the master of Brunswick Dock. With
regard to sites for houses for the masters of Canning, Salt-
house, and King's Docks, the sub-committee stated they were
not prepared to recommend anything.
Mr. G. HOLT stated that about half the site of the old fil-
tering well would be occupied by the houses of the masters
of Clarence Dock and Clarence Basin. This situation would
be found very convenient. The sub-committee, individually,
had gone over nearly the whole of the proposed sites, and
were of opinion that no better could be found.
The CHAIRMAN, referring to that passage in the report
which stated that the sub-committee were not prepared to
recommend anything with regard to sites for houses for the
masters of Canning, Salthouse, and King's Docks, said, that
in the mean time it seemed probable the committee might
be able to lease from the corporation one or two dwellings in
Nova Scotia, and the question might be asked what trms
they would accept.
Mr. EVANS thought Nova Scotia would not be conveni-
ent for the purpose.
Mr. G. HOLT added that the sub-committee were not pre-
pared to make any recommendation on this part of the sub-
ject.
The CHAIRMAN inquired whether it was the wish of the
committee that plans and estimates of the expense of the
proposed houses should be- furnished at their next meeting ?
Mr. CHAPMAN, before the committee decided, wished to
ask whether it would not be better to defer fixing a site for
the residence of the South Harbour-Master till power had
been obtained for the construction of the intended new dock.
That would be such an important dock that it struck him the
Harbour-Master's residence near it would be much better
for him than if it were built lower down.

Mr. EVANS was of opinion that the more perfect the new
dock was made the less would the Harbour-Master have to
do with it.

The CHAIRMAN remarked that the new dock would be in
the division of the North, and not of the South Harbour-
Master.
Plans and estimates of the cost of the intended houses were
then ordered to be laid before the committee at their next
meeting.
The CHAIRMAN stated that it was further proposed that
a house should be built upon the site of the filtering well, in
addition to that intended for the master of Clarence Dock,
for the residence of the master of Clarence Basin.
Mr. EVANS said it must be a house of smaller dimensions.
The CHAIRMAN.—Of course.—Ordered.
BRUNSWICK DOCK FILTERING WELL.
On the recommendation of the Sub-committee of Works,
the site once intended for a filtering well on the west side of
Brunswick Dock was ordered to be filled up.

VICTORIA AND THE OTHER CHANNELS.
The Sub-committee for the Department of the Marine
Surveyor laid before the committee the following extract
from the usual monthly report of that officer :
" The channels maintain the features and capacity de-
lineated in the last edition of the chart. Very minute and
accurate soundings having been obtained in the Victoria
Channel, at low water, on Tuesday, the 9th of March, under
very favourable circumstances of weather, it being also the
greatest tide of the year, it is satisfactory to find that the
depth of water continues the same. 99 vessels, mostly of a
large class, passed through it on that day."
The committee expressed their satisfaction at this report,
and it was unanimously adopted.

SALARIES OF THE DOCK MASTERS.
The Sub-committee for the department of the Harbour
Masters presented their report on this subject, and produced
a scale of salaries, which they recommended for the adoption.
of the general committee.
The SECRETARY read the scale, which was as follows :
Prince's Dock.—Master's salary last year, £353 Gs 9d,
with a house : future salary recommended to be given, £3OO
per annum, with a house.
George's Dock.—Master's salary last year, £259 4s Sd,
with a house : future salary recommended to be given, £250
per annum, with a house.
Salthouse Dock.—Master's salary last year, £205 3s Sd,
without a house : future salary recommended to be given,
£l6O per annum, with a house.
King's Dock.—Master's salary last year, £272 Os 9d, with

a house: future salary to be given, £250 with a house:
Queen's Dock.—Master's salary last year, £349 19s Id,
with £4O additional for a house : future salary recommended
to be given, £3OO per annum, and a house.
Brunswick .Dock.—Master's salary last year, £240, with
£4O additional for a house : future salary recommended to
be given, £250 per annum, and a house.
Clarence and Trafalgar Docks.—Master's salary last year,
£2BO, without a house : future salary recommended to be
given, £250 per annum, with a house.
Clarence Half Tide Basin.—The salary of the master for
a portion of the last year was 100 guineas, but on his appli-
cation in January last the committee increased it to £145 per
annum. The sub-committee now recommended that this
salary be continued at the amount fixed in Jannary, and to
be without a house.
Waterloo and Victoria Docks.—Master's salary last year
£240, without a house : future salary recommended to be
given, £250 per annum, and a house.
Canning Dock.—Master's salary last year £l9O, without
a. house : future salary recommended to be given, £l5O per
annum, and a house.
Union and Coburg Docks.—Master's salary last 'year
£145. The sub-committee recommended that the salary of
the master of these docks should be continued at the same

amount.
Mr: EVANS enquired whether the sub-committee had re-
ferred to the salaries of the dock masters for more than one
year, to guide them in ascertaining the sums which they bad
recommended to be given for the future?
A MEMBER was understood to say that the sub-committee
had been guided only by the amount of the salaries last year.
The SECRETARY said that the sub-committee had had the
average of a number of years before them.
Mr. EVANS.-But what was the average ?
Mr. RIPLEY said it was not so much as the sub-committee
now recommended the general committee to give.
Mr. EVANS asked what was the size of the Queen's Dock
that the sub-committee should have been induced to recom-
mend the same amount of salary to be given as was given to
the master of Prince's Dock?

Mr. CHAPMAN, in reply, said that the size of the two
docks was the same, and the amount of work was about the
same in each ; but the master of Queen's Dock had, in ad-
dition, to attend to the graving docks attached thereto.
It was then agreed that the sense of the committee should
be taken seriatim on the alterations recommended to be
made.
The CHAIRMAN said the committee would first have to
decide as to Prince's Dock. The master's income last year

was £353 Gs. 9d., with a house; the sub-committee recom-
mended that the future salary should be £3OO per annum, of
course with the house he had before.
Mr. AIKIN.—Then it is a reduction of rather more than
£5O a year ?
Mr. EVANS.—Yes ; but he will now get a certain fixed
salary, whilst before he was only paid by the amount of busi-
ness actually done.
Mr. HORSFALL thought the sub-committee should have
taken the average of two or three years, instead of being
guided by one only.
Mr. EVAN s looked at the case of the Prince's Dock in the
abstract; the salary recommended to be given was quite
enough.
The CHAIRMAN mentioned that the Secretary had the
averages of the salaries paid to the dock-masters for a num-
ber of years, which he would read.

The SECRETARY then proceeded to read a tabular state-
ment of the average income of each dock master for the ten
years, ending in 1837. The salary for Prince's Dock, in-
cluding £4O a-year for a house, was £355. For George's
Dock, including £4O for a house, the average for the same
period was £277. For Salthouse Dock, the master of which
received ls. 4d. and two-eights of a penny per ton, and an
allowance of £lO per annum for a house, the average was
£235. For King's Dock, the average was £2BO. For
Queen's Dock, £336. The masters of all the other docks
were paid fixed salaries.
Mr. At KIN asked whether the average of £336 for Qneen's
Dock included a house ?
The SECRETARY replied in the affirmative.
The CHAIRMAN enquired from .the committee whether
they were agreed as to the sum of £3OO being fixed as the
salary of the master of the Prince's Dock ?
Mr. EVANS thought the committee were.
Mr. TOBIN considered £3OO per annum very handsome.
Mr. ItiPLuY remarked that it was a reduction of £5O.
The CH AIRMAN said that objection was easily obviated.
Until very lately Mr. Asbrigge (master of Prince's Dock),
had the charge of King's Dock, which produced only £272
per annum, besides a house.
The committee then fixed the salary at £3OO, in addition
to a house.
The salary of the master of George's Dock was next fixed
at £250 per annum, with a house, making it equivalent to
£290.

The CHAIRMAN said the committee in the next place
would have to fix the future salary of the master of Salthouse
Dock. Last year it produced to the master £205 ; the
average of ten years was £235, and the sub-committee re-
commended that in future it should be £l6O, with a house.
Until now the master had not been provided with a house,
but paid his own rent.
Mr. TOBIN said that coasting vessels only frequented this
dock, and they never remained more than a day in one situ-
ation. The remuneration, therefore, which the committee
were recommended to give was a mere trifle in comparison
with the labour.
The CHAIRMAN said it should then be recollected that
there was no passage to be kept through Salthouse Dock as
was the case with George's Dock. He thought, however,
that the master of Salthouse Dock ought to have at least
£2OO per annum. He was almost the only one who had not
asked for an increase of salary.
Mr. Aixtx was of opinion that the salary recommended
was too little.
Mr. EVANS said no man with an income of no more than
£l6O would think of occupying a house of £4O rent. The
proposed salary really was not sufficient.
Mr. TOBIN observed that the dock master would scarcely
get a cellar instead of a house, in the vicinity of the dock, for
£4O a-year.
Mr. RIPLEY suggested that the salary be £lBO per annum.
After a few words from Mr. GEORGE HOLT, the com-
mittee resolved that the future salary of the master of Salt-
house Dock should be £lBO with a house.
The CHAIRMAN said the committee must next fix the sa-
lary to be paid in future the master of King's Dock. The
sub-committee had recommended the general committee to
give him £250 per annum and a house, making his income
equivalent to £290, which would then be £22 less than he
had received before, and £lO more than the average of ten
years.—The recommendation of the sub-committee was then
adopted.
The salary of the master of Queen's Dock was next fixed
at £3OO per annum besides a house, which the CHAIRMAN
explained was a reduction from the amount he received last
year of £49, but an increase upon the ten years' average of
£4.

The committee next resolved that the salary of the master
of Brunswick Dock should be £250 per annum besides a
house, being an increase of £5O.
The payment of the master of Clarence and Trafalgar Docks,
which was previously £2BO without a house, was next fixed at
£250 besides a house, being equivalent to an increase of £lO.
The CHAIRMAN said the master of Clarence Basin had
hitherto been paid a fixed salary of £ll5. The sub-committee
recommended that this amount should be continued ; but,
as the committee were now proposing to build a house for
him, he would have to pay a masonable rent for it.
Several members enquired bow it happened that such a
peculiar sum as £145 was fixed as the salary?

The Cm, IRMAN replied that he could not tell: it had been
fixed some time ago.

It was then resolved that, in future, the salary should be
£l5O per annum.
The salary of the master of Waterloo and Victoria Docks
was increased from £240 fixed, to £250 in addition to a
house.

The salary of the master of Canning Dock was, in the next
piace, altered from £l9O in full, to £l5O per annum, with an
allowance of £4O additional for a house.
The CHAIRMAN said the committee would next consider
the amount of salary to be paid to the master of Union and
Coburg Docks. At present he received £145. The sub-
committee recommended that sum to be continued, and when
a house was provided for him, to charge him with a moderate
rent for it.

Mr. BOOTH suggested that the salary should be £l5O in-
stead of £145.

The CHAIRMAN thought that was reasonable. The dock-
master, when the house was built, would; receive £llO and
the house.

Mr. Booth's suggestion was unanimously adopted by the
committee.

The CHAIRMAN then put the question whether these al-
terations were agreed to by the committee, and it was decided
in the affirmative. It was next resolved that the change
should commence on the 25th June next.

SALARY OF THE NORTH HARBOUR-MASTER.
Mr. EVANS asked what salary was paid to the North Har-
bour-master ?

The SECRETARY replied £3OO per annum, in addition to a
house.

DUTIES OF PILOTS AND PIER-MASTERS.
The CHAIRMAN said the next subject for the consideration
of the committee related to the duties of the pier-masters
and pilots. The committee would recollect that last week a
letter was read from the superintendent of pilots, requesting
the committee to decide when the duties of the pier-masters
commenced, and those of the pilots ceased. This applica-
tion was caused by a misunderstanding, which had led to
some damage to a vessel.
The SECRETARY read the report of the sub-committee,
to whom the matter was referred on Thursday. This docu-
ment was to the effect that the authority of the pier-master
commenced when the vessel was within the pierhead, and
they recommended the strict enforcement of the bye-law
No. 9.

Mr. HousFALL thought this question was strictly a point
of law. At all events he would recommend the committee
to refrain from coming to a decision upon it without further
and more mature consideration. His own impression was
that the pilot had charge of the vessel till the vessel was in
dock.

Mr. CHAPMAN said the question had been referred to the
harbour-master's sub-committee, to determine when the
duties of the pier-master commenced. They had done that;
but they had not determined when the duties of the pilot
ceased. The bye-law specified what the pilot was to do ;
and the sub-committee had not interfered with his duty.

Mr. HORSFALL expressed a wish that the bye-law should
be read.

The SECRETARY read it. It laid down a variety of mi-
nute regulations to be observed by vessels entering the basins
or docks.

Mr. AIKIN agreed with Mr. Horsfall that the subject
ought to be deferred, in order that the committee might
have more time for considering it. A decision upon the
question might involve the committee in some responsibility,
which it was desirable to avoid.

Mr. HORSFALL repeated his objections to a present deci-
sion ; and eventually the further consideration of the question
was deferred.

NORTH WEST LIGHT SHIP

A complaint from Mr. J. C. Shaw, manager of the City of
Dublin Steam Packet Company, and another from Lieut.
Bevis, R. N., on the part of the Captain of H. M. S. Medusa,
concerning the North West Light Ship not having fired signal
guns during the thick fogs which prevailed on the 13th and
15th instant, were referred to the Sub-committee for the de-
partment of the Marine Surveyor.