The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-01-06 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

THE CORPORATION OF LIVERPOOL AND
THE BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMMISSION-
ERS. - IMPORTANT ENQUIRY PRELIMI-
NARY TO ARBITRATION.

The arbitrators appointed by the two bodies named, to
decide upon the value of the reversionary interest of. the
Corporation in the land held by them, on seventvrfive
years' lease, on the south side of Wallasey-pool, met on
Tuesday last, at the Adelphi Hotel. Mr. Sergeant-
Bytes was the arbitrator appointed by the Corporttior,
and Samuel Martin, Esq., Q.C., by the Dock ConipPn- .
The Solicitor-General, Mr. Fitzroy Kelly, and Mr.
Crompton, appeared as counsel for the Corporation, and
J. H. Lloyd, Esq., for the Dock Company. The two
arbitrators, accompanied by the Town-Clerk, Mr.
M`Gre,gor Laird, and the Corporation surveyors, crossed
over to Seacombe in the morning, and returned by Wocd-
side, after taking a cursory survey of the land, as was
agreed upon by the parties. At one o'clock the enquiry
was resumed. The Solicitor-General opened his case in
a speech which occupied two hours. An adjournment
then took place until ten o'clock on Wednesday morning,
and on that day.the Corporation examined their wit-
nesses.

Mr. HODGSON, clerk of the peace for Chester, gave
evidence as to the plans, and produced sections of a dock
and other works proposed to be consti ucted on the south
side of Wallasey-pool, which had been duly deposited,
according to the standing orders of the House of Corn-

On Thursday, (the third day,) it was resumed

The .SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that as no witnesses
were to be called on the other side, he should address a
few words to the arbitrator; and again with respect to the
duties and difficulties touching the right of the corporation
to compensation, in respect to the reversion of this crown
land, and the power of purchasing the reversion for
£7,000 ; and he had put his observations on paper, which
he should read, so as to allow Mr. Lloyd to reply to them.
Mr. LLOYD claimed permission to reply in writing,

which was agreed to
The document read by the Solicitor-General was of

considerable length. It Was to the effect that, under the
Ist of the commissioners' acts, the corporation had ac-
quired a power of purchasing the reversion of the crown

lands, as owners of the reversion of the adjoining land ;
that the surveyor had valued it for sale to them for
£7,000 ; that if the Dock Company's Act had not passed,
the corporation would have purchased the reversion and
absolute right to that land, with all the buildings upon it,
at the end of 73 years; that the company thereby take
from the corporation the power to purchase for £7,000
about one-sixth of the combined property, which in five
years would probably be worth two-and-a-half millions,
and in 73 years five millions. But he did not admit this
to be the legal effect, and would the crown sell at that
price? He submitted that the arbitrators should ascer-
tain, by a communication with the Woods and Forests,
whether they were about to sell for that price, and also

ascertain whether the company were about to purchase it.
If the company have actually purchased, they have, under
the compulsion of their act, taken from the corporation
the power of purchasing the reversion of the property,

and *made the corporation no compensation at all

corporation, he added, were willing that these proceedings
should be put an end to, the company going on with their
75 years' lease, if they left the corporation the reversion.

An; if there was any doubt that the corporation, as
owners of the adjoining land, could obtain the reversion
from the crown for £7,000, he suggested the postpone-
ment of the award for two or three weeks, and in the
meantime the corporation would obtain a conveyance
from the crown at that price. If the crown refused to
sell, or demanded more than £7,000, he would be content
to stake the case upon it.

It appeared that if the award were not made in three
months it fell to the ground.
Mr. STEWART, on being further questioned, said the
average price per yard of the land in fee-simple in pos-
session; the valuation of which he made at £7OOO was
about 12s. in its rude state. It was an universal price for
free-shore land, except under such circumstances, under
an act of parliament. He never before heard of the rights
of shores being valued so high, but his attention was
called by the crown officers to the fact, that the crown
had given very lengthy free rights of shores for the foun-
dations of commercial ports; anal that that land was to
adjoin certain works, and to form part of those docks.

Mr. EVANS said, he had never heard such laudatory
sentiments in a case where there was nothing to commend
and everything to discommend ; they had been told of the
great merit due to the companies for exhibiting their
books ; why the law compelled them) and the law would
make them if they did not. He complained of the defec-
tiveness of their pipes, which were insufficient for the pub-
lic convenience. They had, by the course they had pur-
sued, exposed themselves more to censure than to praise ;
and he looked upon it as a great aggravation that it was a
private concern. They got the shares up several hundred

were in two parts, larger and wider. The thickness of
the plates that ran the whole depth were 14 inch at the
bottom and ftths of an inch at the top. The plates at
each end of the tank were similar to those at the sides.
The side plates were joined together by flanges and stay-
rods. The stay-rods consisted of cast-iron binders or
braces. There were three tiers of them. They went
inside, and they were secured to flanges on the bottom
and sides of the tank. They held the plates altogether.
There were both horizontal and diagonal stays, which were
fastened to the braces, as well as other diagonal stays,
which were secured to the flanses. The stays were
fastened by means of bolt-holes. There were four tiers
of horizontal tension rods and three in each tier, fourteen
feet apart. Several diagonal rods extended from ribs at
the bottom, to which they were fastened, to the first and
second tier. About 750 tons weight of water would be
in the tank, supposing it to be filled within three feet of
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Da 'id Maine, who had been an apprentice of mine, and
is now out of his time, to assist in joining the pipes con-
n e ling the engine with the tank. I requested him, the
moment he had completed the pipes, to return home and
inform me. He did not do so. When I requested him
to come home when he had jointed the pipes, my reason
was, that I might go over myself, and inspect the cistern,

if I found it all right, that I mig

a day for

NOTICE TO INVENTORS.

Office for Patent, of Inventions and Registrations of Design:,

14, Lincoln's Inn Fidds.
MHE Printed INSTRUCTIONS gratis, and every
information upon the subject of PROTECTION for IN-
VENTION, either by Letters Patent or the Designs Act, may
be had by applyitig personally or by Letter (prepaid) to Mr.
ALEXANDER PRINCE, at the Office, 14, Lincoln's Inn Fields.

TO-MORROW, (Wednesday), the 7th intant, at Twelve o'clock,
at the Office, Oldhall-street,
10 Tons Bimas SAPAN WOOD,
Landing ex Lucinda, from Bombay, east side Waterloo Dock.—
Apply to JAMES BATESON, SONS, and Co., Brokers.

TO-MORROW, (Wednesday,) the 7th instant, at Twelve o'clock,
at the Brokers' Office, 9, Oldhall-street,
21 Bales PERSIAN BEICRIES,
13 Cases GUM TRAGACANTH.
Apply to JOHN and JAMES BARON, Brokers.

TO-MORROW, (Wednesday,) the 7th instant, at One o'clock, at
Arnold, Leete, Roscoe, and Co.'s Office, Sweeting-street,
' About 180 Tons Saldanha Bay GUANO,
Just arrived ex Lady Flora Hastings.—Apply to Messrs. ImutE
and TOMLINSON, Merchants, or
ARNOLD, LEETE, ROSCOE, and Co., Brokers.