The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-08 00:00:00

THE NEW TOWN-HALL AT SOUTHPORT.

The usual monthly meeting of the Ormskirk Petty Ses-
sions was held in the Police-court, there, on Friday last,
at 11 o'clock. Present,—John Rosson, Esq., chairman ;
James Culshaw, Esq. ; Thomas Brandreth, Esq. ; Thomas
Hulme, Esq. ; Rev. Jonathan Jackson, Southport ; Rev.
J. A. Kershaw, Ormskirk ; Samuel Lees, Esq. ; J. H.
Wrigley, Esq. ; and G. W. Unsworth, Esq. Only fifty
cases came on for trial before the court, and these were,
generally, of a very trifling character. The calendar for
the current month, therefore, exhibits a very gratifying
decline. The only business of public moment brought
before the magistrates was that referring to the accommo-
dation for the magistrates and police, provided by the
Commissioners in the new Town-hall at Southport. This
subject was introduced to the attention of the Court, in
terms of a previous notice, by

JAMES CULSHAW, Esq., who said that before proceed-
ing to the judicial business, he would take the opportunity
of submitting a resolution on a matter, the position of
which he viewed with regret, although he felt it his
duty to adopt the plan he was about to pursue. His
motion related to the resolution passed at the previous
Petty Sessions authorising the taking of premises in the
new Town-hall,Southport. First of all, he had been given
to understand that, previous to the argument being entered
into with the Commissioners for the erection of the build-
ing, it was stated that, for sufficient accommodation, the
rent was not to exceed £5O. On the completion of the
building, the terms asked were very much higher
and the accommodation very imperfect. The agreement,
indeed, was now to this effect, that the constabulary pay
a rent of £7O, and find coal for the whole building. Now
it was perfectly understood that the accommodation should
be perfect. But, notwithstanding the plain terms of the
agreement, and despite the high rent now attempted to be
fixed, the accommodation was very imperfect. The
cells were bad ; there was no washhouse ; and the re-
tiring room for the magistrates was a public passage.
There were certainly two beautiful rooms, which
might be used for retiring and waiting rooms; but
instead of being appropriated to the accommodation
of the magistrates or the police, they had been let off
to other parties at a high rental. And because this
portion of the building had been let off at a high
rent to these parties, the commissioners, he supposed,
felt themselves justified to d 0... t, the original agreement,
auu Lv tab, a lib.. 141514 avt.la the .0
police, forgetting all the while that the police gave great
security to their property. The present rent for Orms-
kirk Courthouse was about £35, while for a minor por-
tion of the building at Southport, they were to be charged
£7O. But he understood that, if such accommodation as
is required were furnished—if, in fact, the two waiting
rooms were placed at their command, the rent required
would be £llO. He objected to the resolution which had
been passed at the sessions in January, on the ground of
economy, believing that it would have been very much
better, more politic, and cheaper, if another building had
been built for the accommodation of the police. It was a
bad plan that, by which the magistrates and the police
were mixed in the same building. It would have been
more politic with regard to the finances, too ; because
they might have built a very good structure for £l,OOO,
the interest of which sum, at four per cent, would be £4O
a-year, while in the present instance they were charged
£BO for very imperfect accommodation. Were they to
pay this compound interest, £BO a-year, they would be
expending what might very soon have covered the cost of
the erection. He objected to it, therefore, because he
thought it was exceedingly unjust to assess the in-
habitants of that district with such an excessive amount.
It might be very well for the people of Southport, bat
surely it was not proper to assess the ratepayers of the
district so highly for the especial benefit of that place ;
and he really did think that the commissioners should
have been exceedingly liberal in treating with the magis-
trates, when they recollected that two-thirds of the
business done was their own, and that one-half the fines
of such business they appropriated. He should, besides,
be very glad to know if the commissioners themselves
possessed the power of leasing. The next subject he came
to was, that the orders had not been complied with in
regard to depositing the plans, and obtaining the Secre-
tary of State's sanction. In conclusion, he begged to
state his objections briefly. They were founded, first, on
the fact that the rent was exorbitant and unjust ;
secondly, that it would be much more politic to erect a
building for the separate use of the police force ; thirdly,
that the accommodation provided by the commissioners
was very imperfect ;. and, lastly, that it had not been
shown that the commissioners had the power of leasing.
On these grounds he moved, " That the resolution
passed at the Ormskirk Petty Sessions, held on the 7th
January ultimo, authorising the taking of premises in the
new Town-ball, Southport, be rescinded or modified."

The Rev. J. A. KERSHAW seconded the resolution.
At the former meeting he took the opportunity of object-
ing, and of stating some facts connected with the subject.
He had, since that time, been at Southport to examine
and inspect the new Town-hall. At that time nothing
had been laid before the meeting for them to found a
judgment on. Their opinions had never been taken at these
petty sessions. It had never been discussed whether
it was desirable to enter into a lease at all ;. no plans bad
been laid before them ; nothing, in fact, had been
brought before them to discuss relative to the building in
question. Before going to-Southport, he had been told
the police occupied one-half the building, and that the
best half. But he had been to• see, and he thought this
far from being the case. He found a portion of the
ground floor belonging to the police; but he also saw two
very large passages, two archways, leading on the ground
floor through to the market at the back. He found the
inspectors' rooms so small that he should be ashamed to
put any inspector into them. He believed they were
below the average of sanitary regulations, and they were
lower, he believed, than many of the meanest cottages
they would find in the district. He went up stairs to the
room for holding the petty sessions : it was a very good
apartment, but far from occupying any important portion
of the building. He could say very little for the room
attached to it. On a consideration of the subject, founded
on that personal investigation, he did not think that the
police occupied one-third of the building. Above the
sessions'-room he found rooms ornamented to a very
high extent, indeed. He contended that they had been
called upon to pay a fair per centage upon the whole
building ; and he was decidedly of opinion that it would
not be right for them, as trustees of the public, to cast
aside all consideration of matters so important as those
indicated. He was-anxious to agree with all men as far
as he could conscientiously do so. But this was a costly
arrangement for the county, which he could not sanction.
He mentioned that,, from a statement made to him—and.
if incorrect, he desired he might be set right—it appeared
that the chief constable had stated in certain correspond-
ence, that the amendments on the cells which he had sug-
gested had not been attended to. The cells, indeed, were
built on the old principle of dungeons, being as gloomy
and revolting as they well could be. He seconded the
motion of Mr. Culshaw, first, because he thought the
building was too highly rented ; and, secondly, that it
would not be creditable to them, as magistrates, to
enter into it.

The Item. J. JACKSON hoped the magistrates would
not agree to a resolution disarranging what had already
been arrange& He did not think it was in the power of
the present meeting to undo what had been previously
done by thernselvtA. He begged to move the amendment
—if it could be callel by that term—" The magistrates as-
sembled this day in Poly Sessions at Ormskirk, having
received the following recommendation from the Constabu-
lary Committee, dated Petsruary 16, 1853.—` The com-
mittee recommend that a rest certain be paid for the ac-
commodation required by the. people at the Southport
Town-ball, in preference to beisg at the expense of heat-
ing any portion of the building, the: request themagistrates
of the Ormskirk division to reconsider the subject'—re-
solve, that, in place of paying for the police accommoda-
tion at the Town-hall of Southport tie sum of £7O per
annum, together with the expense of hewing the building,
a rent certain of £BO be agreed upon.' Referring to
the circumstance, mentioned by the preceding speaker,
that a notice of motion had been given for rescinding the
resolution at Preston, Mr. Jackson contended that it had
nothing whatever to do with the arrangement already
made at Preston. The commissioners bad received an in-
vitation from the magistrates and the police generally, to
construct a building for the accommodation of tLe police.
It was now approaching completion, and no notice of a
motion to be brought forward. some future meeting could
annul the arrangement into which they had previously
entered. As regards the building, much fault had been
found with it. Now when they wereassembled at Ormskirk
on a former occasion, the plans were submitted to them
and approved of. And they had been approved of in the very
highest quarters. The building had not been erected
without plans ; on the contrary, these were drawn up by
the county architect ; that gentleman had gone over to
Preston and submitted his plans to Captain Woodford,
who had the ordering of these things; the plans had
also been sent up to the Secretary of State for any amend-
menthe might think proper to make, and the Secretary of
State had given some directions as to certain alterations—
for example, in altering the height of the cells—
Mr. CULSHAW wished to know if the building had been
approved of by the Secretary of State since the altera•
tions had been made ?

The Rev. J. JAcKso.N.—Certainly not. The Secretary
of State said that if these arrangements alluded to were
carried out, he should feel perfectly satisfied. He wished
to know what fault could be found with the Southport
Commissioners, because, in compliance with the request
of the magistrates and police, they had erected a building
for their accommodation. That building had been visited
by Captain Shepherd, in the place of Captain Woodford,
and that gentleman had said that he felt perfectly satis-
fied, and that it did the architect very great credit. As
to rental, he observed that it varied very much in different
places, and that proposed by the Commissioners of South-
port to the magistrates was far lower than would have
been proposed to any other body of persons. One single
room at the back of the building, for example, let for
£4O ; another smaller room for £2O. The rental for the
present wretched accommodation, he begged to remind
them, was not much less than £4O. He held that the
Southport Commissioners had acted as liberally as it was
in their power to do ; because it was a fact that they
could have got a higher rental from other parties. It
might have been better, as had been suggested,—more
wise and politic and economical for the magistrates them-
selves to have leased a portion of land and built ; but if
they had made a proposition to the Commissioners and
concluded an agreement, they were bound to take the pre-
mises at a fair rental.
Mr. CULSLIAW said the rental was not to exceed £5O.
The Rev. J. JACKSON observed, in reply, that what-
ever observations might have been made at previous
meetings to that effect by individual magistrates, still no
stipulation to that effect had been resolved upon. The
Commissioners were no party to any such arrangement.
He concluded by insisting that if the magistrates did not
adhere to their agreement, the Commissioners must, of
course, seek that remedy to which they were entitled, and
again read his amendment.
Mr. LEES seconded the amendment, and in doing so
stated that the cells, to which Mr. Kershaw had re-
ferred, were nine feet high ; a height, he affirmed, equal
to that of many respeotabto houses both in Southport and