The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-10-14 00:00:00

IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE

The proceedings of this committee, which were not of much
public importance, Were confirmed.

TOWN-HALL COMMITTEE.

Resolved, that the usual liveries be ordered, as it appeared that
:hey were wanted.—Coufirtned.

MARKET COMMITTER.

The proceedings of this committee were ordered to be con-
firmed.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

The requestivrthe members of a christiaii Society, Tor the use
of the Corporation Schools on the Sunday mornings and after-
noons, was refused.
Resolved, that Mr. Wilderspin's engagement he continued
till October next, and that he be paid £lOO above what it was
agreed to give him.—Confirmed.

CUSTOM-HOUSE COMMITTER,

The progress of the building of the New Custom-house was
reported.
Mr. Alderman LEATHOM begged to ask in what state the
Custom-house was. It was a question very much asked, when
this building would be ready fur the public.
The MAYOR said it was stated that the left wing had been
given up to government three months ago. , The corporation,
had done their part of the work, and it now remained for govern-
ment to complete it.
Mr. Councillor JORDAN, as chairman of the committee, stated
that the works had been delayed from the want of proper ar-
rangement in London, but the putting ❑p of the fixtures would
shortly be completed. The_ customs had applied for a renewal
of their lease for the present Custom-house for six months lon-
ger, in anticipation that the New Custom-house would nut be
completed in time.t—Confirmed.
DOCK DUES COMMITTEE.
The proceedings of this committee, which were not important,
were confirmed.
WHAT HAVE THE COUNCIL DONE ?

The MAYOR called upon
Mr. Councillor WA LMSLEY, who advanced to the mayor's
table, and pulled a roll of paper out of his pocket, which, having
spread out on the town-clerk's desk, he proceeded to lead with
a sermon
monthly
meetingke delivery
pr
ev
Otsusfotlolorlise:—'rhepresent being the last
annual appeal to their consti-
tuents, it might not he an unfitting occasion to offer some re-
marks on the IRAs of the council, during their brief petiod of
office, and he was satisfied it would not be considered trespass-
ing on their time to take a cursory review of their proceedings
during the last few months. Before entering upon this, they
must permit him to congratulate them upon the cordial good
feeling which had pervaded their deliberations, and especially
upon the liberal manner in which those members who, on some
occasions entertaining adverse opinions, had conceded to the
majority of the council. What had the new council done ? was
the question confidently asked by the opponents of the munici-
pal reform. He would give an answer to this; but first he would
take a brief survey of the difficulties which had beset them on
their entrance upon their duties. The corporate offices were
filled by persons hostile to popular rights. Almost every de-
partment of local government was deffective. A profuse and
extravagant expenditure pervaded it. Establishments were
supported at more than double the sums which they had since
cost, and large amounts were annually paid for the support of
churches, and their incumbents, which payments if even legal
could not conscientiously be recognised by the members of the
present council. Nor were they including the £105,000 for en-
dowment, well calculated to further the interests of religion.
Each of the corporate churches were losing from £4OO to £6OO
per annum, without any reference to the interest of the money
expended in erecting them, while others,under private patronage,
were paying a handsome income to the minister, beside support-
ing schools and paying a high rate of interest tothe proprietors.
The church of St. Andrew's might be adduced as an example
it paid good interest to the proprietor, and supported tyro schools
after paying £4OO stipend to the minister. But the minister of
this church was selected by a private individual, performed his
duty and did not engage in party purposes. (Hear.) The corpor-
ate schools, though maintained at great cost, had been limited t;_,
the education of the children of the established chureh• he
administration of justice in the police offices was inefficient and
unequal, and particularly as regard the docks, was most un-:
satisfactory to the public. The management of the
gaol Was'
equally bad; while a police force, exclusive of the nightly
watch, was maintained at an amount of cost of upwards of
£BOOO, without benefit to the community, bribed by the publi-
cans to an extent of £lOOO to £l2OO annually, rather for the en-
couragement than the suppression of thieves and disorderly
houses ; on account was given of the property received and the
force was conducted generally with a laxity of discipline the
most discreditable. The new council found themselves sur-
rounded by servants with the majority of whom they had scarcely
one object in common, who were disposed to view them as intru-
ders and oppressors, and had so intrenched themselves behind
the barriers of legal compeusion as to enaule them to treat the
representatives of the community, if not with insolence, at least
with indifference. Thus cirtumstanced, it could not be matter
of surprise that the council wanted information which nothing
short of personal labour and the most rigid inquiry could elicit,
and hence a great number of committees were constituted. Mr.
Walmsley here enumerated the various committees, amounting
to eighteen, with the number of times each had sat, and the num-
ber of persons of which each consisted. The watch committee.
it appeared, had sat, up to that moment, 208 times. Many 01
these, he said, had been sub-divided, and for one meeting of the
general committees there had been three sub-committees. The
The time and talents of the members of the council had been
exerted to the utmost day and night for the public good, and to
deserve the honour, and the confidence of the public. What,
then, were the 'results of all this labour? To form a new police
was one of their first acts, and one which brought upon them in
no orclinarydegree the vituperative abuse of the enemies of reform.
Its promoters had been held up as tyrants and oppressors. Its
probable cost was grossly exaggerated, and its members vilified.
l'he tory prints made incessant attempts to weaken, if not des-
troy its efficiency. (Hear.) The want of an efficient day police
had ben felt by the old council, and a bill had been framed in
1834, which, with the existing establishments, would have cost
e cixac
a much larger sum than that now existing. The sums before
expended were
Nightly watch
8000 „
And
the !ld advancedt
cost of
fur
a total
s Ole r
it
)hree e proposedllt optx
olpolice
addition
: leereo ha annum
nf
consisted
sn ti,end whereas
e ff4;isr a
day ,
s: ehe aad tnl
dg
. tsi
ti a:f o
men, and exended over nearly double the space. was £24,000.
It had been asserted that this force would cost f..40,0(.X) per au-
num. It was a satisfaction to know that so far the expense had
never exceeded the estimate. Mr. Walmslev then alluded to
the number of thieves detected, the great decrease in the num-
ber of serious robberies, the check kept over disorderly public-
housesfaen the last
order rtirluearr
tmaintainedr
ury atthethg
and to the corn plimant paid to the yew force in the present-
The MAYOR here interrupted Mr. Whalmsley. He took it
sessiins .
in
for granted that he meant to conclude with a resolution,
otherwise this proceedings wool(' be irrevola r. the town ;
Mr, elltineillOY WA) tif,SLF,Y eIMMiMtICCI Abet it tsar for the in-