The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-02-09 00:00:00

BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS.

At the usual monthly meeting on Tuesday, a long
cast upon
con-
versation took place as to whether a letter received by the
AhiimterbymtohtieonGsasanadnd amendmentsW a Water
.0
chairman from Mr. Mallaby, and in which that gentleman
complained of some .reflections perhaps unintentional,
omfmoritatieieci
againstshould
be read.
the reading of it had been b • mitted, it was at length de-
cided that as a special- meeting of the Gas and Water
Committee had been adjourned
the 15th instant, the letter oughtr?ombetlrefe2r3rredd
to
oltipo to
ad-
journed meeting of that committee, and embodied inlethproceedings to the general board at the next monthly
meeting. There were—for the reading, 3 ; against it. 9.y
Mr. COLE said, he was requested to ask whether it was
true, as stated in the Mercury of last Friday, that the
liabilities of the township exceeded the amount stated by
Mr. Brownrigg, in his evidence before the government
commissioners.
Mr. BROWNRIGG replied that every statement made by
him was substantially correct. The bonds issued, includ-
ing every liability, amounted to £366,367 155., showing
that the commissioners now could borrow £33,682., be-
fore they exhausted the £400,000 authorised by their act
of parliament. In proof of this the Finance Committee
had inserted an advertisement in the papers for loans of
money. •
Mr. COLE had another question to ask, namely, whe-
ther the landed property included in Mr. Brownrigg's
financial statement before the government commissioners
had been valued at a higher or a lower rate than it was
valued in June last, when the present commissioners came
into office ?
Mr. BROWNRIGG said it was valued considerably lower,
—£60,000 or £70,000 lower than in June. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. TOWNSEND read a letter from Mr. Mallaby, in
which he begged respectfully to tender his resignation as
Law-clerk to the Board.
Mr. Wm. LAIRD, seconded by Mr. Wood, moved that
Mr. Mallaby's resignation be accepted.
Mr. PIKE moved, as an amendment, that Kobe requested
to reconsider his resignation, for, if persisted in, it would
be one of the greatest misfortunes which had ever hap-
pened to the Commissioners.
Mr. BRYANS expressed his regret, as also did Mr. PIM
and others of the members, that they were about to lose
the valuable services of so able and zealous a man.
The motion submitted previously by Mr. Laird, and
seconded by Mr. Wood, was then worded as follows, and
was unanimously passed : " That Mr. Mallaby's resigna-
tion be accepted with regret, and that a committee be ap-
pointed to consider the duties of the future law-clerk, and
secure the.services to this board of a professional agent
who will devote his time solely to their business, and who
will not, directly or indirectly, be interested for or with
other parties as a private practitioner,—the committee to
consist of the Chairmen of the Committees, Mr. Wood,
Mr; Thomson, and Mr. Berner, and that the Parliament-
ary Committee be requested to continue the services of
Mr. Mallaby for the present bill before parliament.
The Board then adjourned ; but as the members were
leaving the room, Mr. POTTER said,—" Gentlemen, I
shall beg you to appoint another chairman for your next
meeting ! "
A pause followed—all were taken by surprise—Mr.
Potter immediately left, and his observation was taken as
a resignation of his office of Chairman of tho Board.