The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-14 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.

A meeting of the council was held on Wednesday, at eleven
o'clock, in the Council-chamber, within the Town-hall, as
ail adjourned third quarterly meeting of the Council, and also
a special council, to take into consideration and determine
certain subjects. , .

LOCAL ACTS AND POLICE BILL

The TOWN-CLERK laid before the Council a breviate of
the Local Acts and Police Bill, the object of which is to give
additional power to the Town-council 'and the Magistrates
of Liverpool, for the improvement of the town, and the regu-
lation of various matters connected with the police of the
town.

The bill repeals, partially, the old acts on these subjects.
It empowers the Council to fix and pay the salaries of the
Clerks to the Magistrates, and requires the fees to be paid
river quarterly to the borough fund. It also empowers the
Council to pay over a portion of any excess to the poor fund.
The bill empowers the justices, under certain regulations,
to cause any dirty house to be cleansed at the expense of the
occupier, with many other salutary provisions. It also em-
bodies powers for the regulation of streets, weighing ma-
clines, slaughter-houses, hackney coaches, porters, and the
police ; for facilitating the apprehension of offenders and
suspected persons ; ing away with dog carts : punishing
drunkards, and preventing fires and nuisances. The Town-
clerk held up two volumes of local acts, and said the object
was to condense into- one act all the various provisions in
those two volumes, and to embody other new provisions, in-
cluding the 42d clause of the Metropolitan Police Act.
Sir JOSHUA WALMSLEY proposed that the various clauses
in the bill should be discussed clause by clause before the
council.

A very general feeling was expressed against this course,
as the various provisions and clauses of the bill had been
before the members of the council, and it had undergone a
thorough consideration, which had endured for a fortnight,
before the Watch Committee, and had also been examined
attentively by the sub committee. _ _

The TOWN-CLERK, in reply to a question, stated that the
bill would have to be submitted to the magistrates before it
was proceeded with.
The bill was then referred back to the Health and Watch
Committees, who are to receive and consider any suggestions
for alterations.

REVISION OF THE BOROUGH LISTS

The TOWN-CLERK read the report of the Special Com-
mittee appointed to take into consideration the present un-
satisfactory and defective state of the law relating to the
Municipal Burgess List, &c. The report, after setting forth
the evils of the system as exemplified at the last sitting of
the Revision Court, and giving an analysis of the objections
taken on the overseers' list, set forth the resolutions to
which the committee came at its first meeting, on the 9th
March last. These were, first, that every notice should
state the grounds of objection, to which' the• party shall be
confined ; second, that the Court shall have, in frivolous
cases, power to award costs and compensation, for loss of
time, to the extent of £lO and under, recoverable by dis-
tress ; third, that any one party objecting to more than six
persons, shall deposit forty shiilings, to abide the event of
any order as to costs : fourth, that the provision as to costs
should also apply to frivolous and vexatious claims : the costs
to be not less than five shillings or more than ten shillings,
and to go to the borough fund ; fifth, that every objection
or claim not supported by the appearance of the party, or his
agent, shall be deemed frivolous and vexatious.
At the second meeting, held on the 20th April last, the
committee took into consideration the bill now before Par-
liament, for the better enrolment of burgesses, &c.
The first resolution at this meeting was to communicate to
the Secretary of State the opinion of the committee, as to
the inadequate amount of deposits for this town, and recom-
mending the amount named in the foregoing resolutions.
It was also further resolved, that certain amendments be
submitted. The first of these referred to forms, and recom-
mended simplification. It was suggested that after clause
.15, the clause of the act Ist Vic. c. 78, which enables the
Mayor to appoint another alderman to act in consequence of
the illness of any alderman, should extend to the appoint-
ment of any councillor. It was further suggested that the
section for enabling the presiding officer to close the poll
before four o'clock, if an hour should elapse without a vote,
should be declared to extend to each of the several booths
for the election of auditors. • _ _

Mr. HORNBY moved the confirmation of the report.

Mr. BIRKETT moved, as an amendment, that the consi-
deration of the report be postponed to the next monthly
meeting of the Council, and that each member of the Council
have a copy of it.
Mr. HUGH Houma- said he had not the slightest objec-
tion to this, if no inconvenience would result from it.

The TOWN-CLERK said the bill would be in committee
next Monday.

Mr. BIRKETT said his object was tostop the bia.
Mr. H. HORNBY said if Mr. Birkett's object were to see
that the council did not compromise itself by too much haste,
he could have no objection to as much delay as could be ob-
tained, but if it were to stop measures which had been taken
to secure amendments which were considered so desirable,
he would oppose him.
Mr. BIRKETT said he had many objections to the provisi-
ons of the bill. He objected, for instance, to the mayor pre-
siding in the revision court. He thought it ought to be a
barrister.

Mr. CASE said Mr. Birkett had forgotten the situation in
which the council was placed respecting this bill. It was a
public bill, brought in by Mr. Baines, and it would be
committed on Monday next. It contained clauses which
were objectionable, and proceedings had been taken to get
these clauses amended. If Mr. Birkett's object was to stop
those proceedings be could not go wit,h him. The town-
clerk had already corresponded to some extent on the sub-
ject.
The TOWN-CLERK having referred to some documents,
corrected his statement that the bill would go into committee
on Monday. It would go into committee on Wednesday.
The town-clerk expressed a hope that nothing would be done
that would have the effect of preventing him from proceeding
to effect the amendments suggested in the report. Any delay
would endanger the introduction of the amendments into the
bill, and it was not likely they would ever have another op-
portunity of introducing alerations so desirable.
Mr. BUsIIELL said he was opposed to any measure that
would have the effect of overthrowing the bill. Mr. Bushell
adverted to the disgraceful proceedings at the last revision
court, and said though he should have liked to have more
time to consider them, yet he would not endanger the pro-
ceeding by causing any unnecessary delay.. He would vote
against the amendment.

After some further discussion, Mr. BUSHELL thought it
might meet the desire of all parties if the subject were ad-
journed to Saturday, the town-clerk in the mean time being
allowed to proceed.
Mr. BIRKETT amended his amendment by the addition of
the following words : " And that the town-clerk have per-
mission to proceed with his communications with the pro-
moters of the bill, with a view to putting an end to frivolous
and vexatious objections and claims."
The Council went to the vote on this amendment, when
there appeared—for the amendment, 19 ; against it, 27 ;
majority, S.

Mr. BusnELL proposed the following motion :—" That the
Council do, at its risin,, adjourn to Saturday, at one o'clock,
for the further consideration of the report, and of further
amendments on the bill now before Parliament ; and that, in
the meantime, the report, with an abstract of the bill before
Parliament, 1)., printed, and that the Town-clerk be at liberty
to proceed upon the report :u the meantime."
The above resolution was at once agreed to.
COURTS OF ASSIZE, &C.

The resolution of the Finance Committee on the above
subject was, that as the Council have already confirmed the
arrangement by which the expense of this erection is to be
borne by the Corporation, it be recommended to proceed
with the buildings, subject to their approbation of the plans.
On the motion of Mr. HonNnv, the resolution was
adopted, and confirmed. _ _

Mr. IiuSHELL hoped no time would be lost in commencing
this erection.

BUILDING REGULATIONS BILL

Mr. BIRKETT brought forward his motion for an instruc-
tion' to the Finance Committee, to use means to obtain an
exemption in favour of Liverpool from the operation of the
above-named bill. Mr. Birkett said the bill would affect
various classes of cottage owners and poor inhabitants of
Liverpool.
Mr. CASE, alluding to the operations of the Health Com-
mittee, and the measures embodied in a local bill, wherein
certain principles of the bill in question were recognised, said
the proposed proceeding would place them in a very strange
situation before the House of Commons.

Several members e7pTessed—their opinion that the subject
ought to be left to the Finance Committee. .

kr. JOUNH 01.2:1TS proposed, as an amendment, that the
motion be altered as follows :—" That it be an instruction to
the Finance Committee, by all means in their power, to ob-
tain an exemption in favour of Liverpool, from the opera-
tions of the Buildings Regulations Bill, except so far as is
proposed by our present local bill, and to obtain amend-
ments in the Borough Improvement Bill now before Parlia-
ment, so far as they give powers to the Commissioners of
Woods and Forests.

Mr. BIRKETT withdrew his motion, and the amendment
was agreed to.

CLERK TO THE MAGISTRATES

A report of the justices of the peace for the borough of
Liverpool was read by the town-clerk. It stated that in
consequence of the appointment of Mr. Shuttleworth to the
office of deputy town-clerk, the situation of junior clerk to the
magistrates was vacant, and they recommended that the salary
of the office should in future be £4OO a-year. Mr. Ellis was
to be senior clerk, and the person to be appointed was to be
junior clerk. It was recommended, as a permanent arrange-
ment, that when one of the situations was vacant, the person
to be appointed should always be junior clerk.
The recommendation as to salary was agreed to, and the
standing orders were postponed, so that immediate notice
might be given of the vacancy, and a person be appointed as
early as possible. This course was justified on the ground
of the extent of the business of the Police Court, which
made it necessary that the selection of a person to fill the
office should not be delayed longer than was absolutely
necessary.

MEMORIAL

Mr. PARKER presented a memorial from the inhabitants of
Everton and the neighbourhood, stating that it would be a
great benefit to that part of the town, and to parties bringing
agricultural produce hither, if sheds were erected at the
market in Great Homer-street. The memorial also prayed
that this market might be used for the sale of cattle. Re-
ferred to the Market Committee.

EXHIBITION OF THE PLANS OF THE ASSIZE COURTS

Mr. HORNBY mentioned the agreement come to at the
last council meeting, that the plans of the Assize Courts
should be submitted to the inspection of the public, and
moved that the opportunity of inspecting the plans should
be afforded. Agreed to. The committee were left to deter-
mine in what place the plans should be exhibited.
The council adjourned at half-past one, to one o'clock on
Saturday.