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

any party formally; but just to watch the course of

inquiry.
Mr. LLOYD and Mr. CARSON stated that they respect-
ively appeared on behalf of the existing companies, to op-

• p‘/OC, LIIG 1..111.40.1 l 1..11CL0 VV 1.111, all, •
Mr. SWIFT then proceeded to state, that the bill which
he had charge of was a bill for lighting the borough and
township of Liverpool with gas. He did not think it ne-
cessary to read the clauses ; but he might state that the
promoters of this bill were the consumers of gas in Liver-

pool, and they required Rowers to raise £130,000 of capi-
tal for that purpose. He would go through all the re-
quirements, on which he would give the most ample evi-
dence, but he would not trouble them with any length-
ened statement. He would not follow Mr. Carson through
what "he had stated with reference to his case. It had
been said, and much stress had been. laid on that view of

the case, that the limitation made in the powers of the
company, in 1844, were quite well cgdculated to rectify all
evils which might previously have existed in the working
of this company ; but, like most fine, parliamentary ar-
rangements, it proved a decided failure. That restriction
was in operation in 1842, but then no reduction took place
until 1844, when they were forced to reduce by the pow-
erful influence of opposition. Then it was that they
found out for the first time that they could afford to sell
gas to the public at the reduced price of 6s. 6d. per
1,000 cubic feet. Then it was found that this miracu-
lous clause did not produce any farther salutary effect,
until another year had elapsed, when the Guardian
_

Gas Company, for the first time went tb Parliamentin
April, 1844, for their bill ; and immediately down
came the price of gas to 6s. Again, when the Guar-
dian Company persevered in their undertaking, down
it came to 55., below which they had stated in parlia-
ment it would be ruinous to sell it ; and still, in the face
of all this, it was found expedient to make a further re-
duction to 4s. 6d., the price at which they now took their
stand,—thus presenting to the public a most anomalous
sort of speculation, for they virtually said that they were
supplying gas to the public at a losing rate—rather a rare
thing to find the merchants of Liverpool doing I And in
order to meet the difficulty, they wished to double their
capital—double their trade, and still tell at the ruinous
prices ! The'question appeared to him simply to be, that
they must be labouring under some mistake when they
thought of submitting such a proposition to the public.
They must be under such a mistake as they had been
labouring under all along, from the time they charged
12s. until they fixed the price at 4s. 6d. per 1000 feet.
However, he would briefly state what they (the Guardian
Gas Company) intended doing. They proposed to sell
their gas at 3s. Bd, per 1000 feet, and still to maintain the
dividends at 10 per cent, The gas which Mr. Carson
said cost the present company 2s. 9d. at prime cost, he
would prove to their satisfaction could be produced at
much less. He would prove they could light the public
lamps at £3. 10s. Sd., instead of the price—€4. 2s. 6d.,
which was at present charged for that, accommodation.
He would prove that he could do so, and still have a re-
munerative profit ; and, 'having done so, lie would leave

the case in the hands of the court at that preliminary stage
of the proceedings. He proposed to have 74 per cent. of
a bona fide interest, to have 3s. Bd. the thousand feet the
price to private consumers, to have the public
le cost of £3. 10s. Bd., and

tiona fr

lamps supplied at the bona fic
to have a bona fide capital for their Company

Mr. M`DONALD, tile secretary of tile Guardian Gas
Company, was then called, and examined by Mr. SWIFT,
to prove some of the requirements, which he did. He
was cross-examined at considerable length, by both Mr..
CARSON and Mr. LLOYD, after which the court adjourned
till this morning at ten o'clock.

IRISH PAUPERISM IN LIVERPOOL

It was stated at the last meeting of the Selest Vestry,
that Mr. Austin, the Assistant Poor-law Commissioner,
had prepared a plan, with a view to the prevention of im-
posture upon the parish, by which the town was to be di-
vided into convenient districts, and relief administered Lo

parties pplying for relief at their own homes. For this
service twenty-four suitable men were picked out of the
police force, to whom the task of visiting was committed.
We believe the result has been so far successful, that
many cases of deception have been found out, and the
parties practising it deprived of further opportunity of
preying upon the industry and the means of the ratepayers
of Liverpool. The number of persons relieved during the
week, under this system, we are not at,present in a posi-
tion to state. It is, however, less than that relieved dur-
ing the preceding week. Yet the saving in money will be
found to be small. This is to be accounted for by the fact
that whilst the relieving officers of the Select Vestry have
taken down the number of the family of each applicant—
generally exaggerated with a view to procure an increased
quantityof rations and:soup tickets,—they have exercised a
discretion as to the cases in which such exaggeration ap-
pcoeraredely. Theikelyto actualbe givenresworrkintgo,oafntdhenew
their relief ac-
dinsystem will be
given in a detailed shape by Mr. Austin, at the meeting of
the Select Vestry this day.

PASSING BASE COIN.—A man, named Andrew Pady,
was brought up at thePolicwei-tchouprtas,
sinygestbearsdeay,
shillingrd
charged before Mr. Rushton
pieces. It appeared from the evidence, that on Tuesday
morning last, he went into the shop of Mr. John Wil-
liams, King-street, and asked for a glass of ale, which he
paid for with a bad shilling. He had scarcely gone out,
when another of a gang to which he belonged entered the
house and perpetrated the same trick. As the matter
was not noticed in time by the servant who received the
counterfeits, Mr. Williams could take no notice of the
occurrence. On Saturday last, the fellow had the au-
dacity to return, with the view of " repeating the dose,"
when he was taken into custody ; but as the landlord al-
lowed the shilling to pass out of his hands for a few mi-
nutes, and as he could not state whether it might not then
have been changed, the prisoner got the benefit of the
doubt, and he was discharged.
OVERGROWN PARISHES.-We cannot quit the subject
of the increase of bishops without remarking, that excel-
lent as it is, a vastly greater reform remains to be achieved.
If our overgrown sees—such as Chester and London—re-
quire division, what is to be said of our overgrown
parishes ? We have now about twenty or thirty Parishes
in England, containing from 60,000 to 140;000 inhabitants
in each ! If he rectors of such a district were called a
4e expected merely to look after the
;t- the clergy,
`)e a rational one. But what we expect. of
minister is, that he shallsick,