The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-05 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

OPERATIVE TRADES' GUARDIAN ASSOCIATION—
JOURNEYMEN BAKERS—SIIORT TIME MOVEMENT.—
The above association held a numerous meeting of the
several trades, comprised, on Thursday evening last, at
the Concert-hall, Lord Nelson-street. Delegates from
the stone-masons, joiners, bricklayers, and other trades,
were present. Mr. Thomas Carter, stone mason, filled
the chair. The Rev. Mr. Towers moved a resolution to
the effect that the present system of long hours was de-
moralizing to the operatives. The resolution was carried.
Mr. Brady read the address adopted by the Trades' Guar-
dian Association. It urged a preference being given to
the employers who had adopted the short time system.
The address was enthusiastically adopted.

TOWN COUNCIL.—The usual monthly meeting of this
body will take place to-morrow. The minutes of the gaol
committee include a recommendation to increase the
salary of Francis Archer, surgeon to the Borough Gaol,
from £l5O to £2OO per annum. The report of the special
committee, as to the supply of water, will then be read :
it contains a recommendation, amongst other matters, to
grant to the Town-clerk £550 for his extra labour in soli-
citing the Water Bill through parliament. The following
motions, by Mr. Parker, will afterwards be discussed :
" That it be an instruction to the finance committee to
make a special report, stating the amount of principal and
interest due to the corporation from the Birkenhead Dock
Committee ;" and " That the sum of £5,000 be voted out
of the surplus funds of the present year for baths and
wash-houses at the south end of the town."

WEST DERBY GUARDIANS.-On Wednesday, the usual
weekly meeting of the above Board took place, The
Chairman read over the weekly report of the fever hospital,
from which it appeared that there were remaining in the
house last week, 126; admitted during the week, 39; dis-
missed cured, 41; died, 6; remaining in the house, 118.
A letter was read from Mr. Whittle, surgeon, of No. 3,
district, in Toxteth-park, soliciting an increase of salary
on account of his additional duties. The checks on out-
door relief were—for Mr. Latham, £l4O ; Mr. Allen. £7O;
Mr. Shearson, £l2. The remainder of the business had
reference to the case of Mr. Allen, relieving officer of the
district No. 2. Mr. Allen, having been called into the
room, several questions were put to him, all of which he
answered in a very satisfactory manner. The Rev. Mr.
Badnall said that the manner in which he performed his
duties was greatly to his credit.
THE LIVERPOOL POLYTECHNIC SO C lETY.—At the
meeting of this society, yesterday evening week, Mr.
John Sweetlove read a valuable paper on the ventilation
of coal mines. Mr. Dawson occupied the chair, and the
attendance was more numerous than usual. The lec-
turer's document has already been published by a con-
temporary, and we regret that we have not space to spare
for its repetition through the press, for it has been our
painful and too frequent duty to record most lamentable
accidents from fire-damp, and we consider any plan to
avert them is deserving of the highest encouragement,
and, if found at all practicable. of adoption in a national
point of view. Not only are the comforts of our " fire-
sides" increased by the safe extract from " the bowels of
the harmless earth" of the black-diamond mineral, but
our very existence as a manufacturing country, whether
in fibrous substance or in metal, depends upon our con-
stant supply of coals. The lecturer, on this occasion,
pointed at the hitherto defective systems of ventilating
coal-mines, even with the use of Davy's lamp, and fur-
nished a fearful catalogue of the general loss of life
through explosions. Three hundred human beings had
perished in the mines within the last three years in this
country alone. He gave a very lucid description of the
nature of our coal-fields, and of the gas in which lies the
danger, explaining several systems which had been applied
to counteract its effects, but which had more or less
failed in effect. The carburretted hydrogen contained in
the pores of the coal escaped constantly into the mine,
and was extremely combustible. This gas rendered four-
teen times its own bulk of air explosive, and its presence
was therefore extremely dangerous. His plan was founded
on the principle that the light carburretted hydrogen
would rise to the roofs of mines, and flow through the
gas head-ways, without mixing with the atmospheric air.
He had encountered great difficulties in trying to intro-
duce this plan ; but where fair trials had been permitted,