The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-24 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE

The weekly meeting of the Dock Committee was held
yesterday.' Mr. Horsfall, the deputy-chairman, presided, and
the following other members were present :—Messrs. Bar-
clay, Holmes, Sandbach, Chilton, Shand, Bulley. Nicol,
Moon, Martin, Evans, and Ripley.
The Sub-committee of Works, in reference to some appli-
cations for land from several ship-builders, reported that the
committee had none to spare for that purpose.
. .

. .
The Sub-committee of Works recommended that the shed
on the north-east quay of Clarence Basin be lengthened one
deal, and that the shed at the north end be boarded up.—
Agreed to.
The same sub-committee further recommended, that gas
and water pipes be laid in the houses of the dock masters,
but they should he required to pay for the gas and water,
arid to find their ,own chandeliers ; and, further, that the
houses he supplied with the necessary bells.—Confirmed.
The CHAIRMAN said, that rather an unexpected document
had been received from the Shipowners' Association. He
must explain that two engineers, Mr. Walker and Mr.
Cubitt, had been down from London to Liverpool to ex-
amine the various dock-plans upon the invitation of the
Dock Committee. The Sub-committee of Works were re-
quested to receive those gentlemen, and to lay information
before them necessary to enable them to make up their minds
upon the respective plans. The plans were laid before those
gentlemen, and every party whom the sub-committee con-
ceived might wish to be heard was invited—the several
mercantile associations, the ship-carpenters, and others who
might be capable of giving useful information. The engineers
heard them all very patiently, and their evidence had been
taken down ; they had returned to London in possession
of the verbal and written evidence which they required, and.
in due time their report might be expected. They had given
a good deal of consideration to that evidence, and they would
favour the committee with their report as soon as they could.
They were two of the first engineers in the kingdom : one
was president and the other vice-president of the British
Association of Civil Engineers ; and he (the Chairman) did
not know that the committee could have had two more com-
petent men. Their report would be ready as soon as possible,
and then the committee would be enabled to proceed. In
the meantime a memorial had been received from the Ship.
owners' Association, which the secretary would now read.
The SECRETARY then read the following resolutions of
the Shipowners' Association :
" At a meeting of the Shipowners' Association 22d Dec.,
1841, convened to receive the report of the deputation to the
Dock-office, on the subject of the rival plans for the con-
struction of docks.—Present, R. S. Henderson, Esq., chair-
man, &c., &c., &c.—The chairman reported the proceedings
of the deputations to the Dock Committee, upon the subject
of the respective merits of the plans of Hartley and Mr.
Gage, and the discussions thereon, in the presence of Mr.
Cubitt and Mr. Walker, the civil engineers.
" And it tvas resolved unanimously, that this association
have heard with considerable surprise that the said engineers
have terminated the inquiry referred to them, and have left
town, and, therefore, are of opinion that time and attention
have not been bestowed upon this inquiry in any degree pro-
portionate to the immense interests at stake, this association
having supposed that one crowded meeting and desultory dis-
cussion only, and that at very short notice, would not have
been considered adequate to the proper eliciting of facts and
opinions upon a subject the most momentous, probably as
respects the welfare of the port, that was ever agitated.
" Resolved also, that this association take this opportu-
nity of recording their opinion, that, with every respect for
the abilities and high standing of Mr. Walker, it would have
been better that that gentlemen, being the usual consulting
engineer of the Dock Trust, and as such having been em-
ployed to Pupport before parliament the very plans of Mr.
Hartley, which are now impugned, should not have been se-
lected as one of the two individuals to act as arbitrators upon
this occasions, and that a decision so constituted will, there-
fore, not be considered as the expression of that unbiassed
and impartial opinion,' which the mercantile associations
were unanimous in requesting.
. .

" Resolved also, that, under: the foregoing circumstances, it
is, in the opinion of this association, most desirable that a
third engineer, of equal eminence, to be named by the deputa-
tions from the mercantile bodies, should be associated with
Mr. Cnbitt and Mr. Walker in this inquiry, and that a fur-
ther meeting be called of the deputations for Friday next, to
consider of these several subjects, and the proceedings proper
to be adopted thereon, and that, in the meantime, a copy of
these resolutions be forwarded to the Dock Committee.
Extracted from the proceedings,
" JOHN NORTH, Secretary."
Mr. EVAN s said be would move that the memorial lie upon
the table.

The CH AIRMAN said he would suggest that the Secretary
be requested to acknowledge the receipt of the memorial, and
to state that it had been read before the committee.
The suggestion was adopted, and the subject dropped.
Mr. Forshaw, of Dale-street, was appointed printer, and
Messrs. Mawdesley and Co., stationers, to the committee for
the next twelve months.
The Committee then separated.