The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-05-18 00:00:00

DOCK COMMITTEE

The CHAIRMAN, Mr. Bramley-Moore, stated that the
landing stage could not be brought out within a fortnight,
in consequence of some foundry work not being ready.—
A new boat, for surveying purposes, was ordered to be
built, to replace the old one.—Nathaniel Reddington was
appointed wharfinger at Albert Dock, at a salary of -Xl2O
per annum.—The buoy at the entrance of the King's
Dock Basin was ordered to be left in its present position,
as a warping buoy for vessels entering the basin.—A letter
was read from the Mayor, inclosing a copy of the order
from the Lords of the Council, as to the quarantine regu-
lations. The Mayor also requested that directions should
be given to the dock masters not to admit any of the Irish
steamers into the docks, until the yellow flag was taken
down, or until the medical officers had certified there was
no fever among the passengers. The Chairman said these
orders had immediately been given.
On the motion of Mr. HORSFALL, it was resolved una-
nimously, that the solicitor should be instructed to pre-
pare a by-law, compelling all master porters to conform
to the book of rates published by a committee of the
Town Council. •

REDUCTION IN THE DOCK DUES

The CHAIRMAN, in. moving for the appointment of a
sub-committee to report on the expediency of reducing
the dock duties on cotton wool, and a modification of other
rates levied by the Dock Committee; entered into a financial
exposition of the estate generally, remarking that they were
ail awdous to make Liverpool one of the cheapest ports in
the kingdom. On the 24th of June last, the nett surplus,
after deducting everything, was £98,760 Bs. 9d., and he
ought to state that the repairs in that year were unusually
large—larger than ever they had been before, consequently
that surplus, under other circumstances, would have con-
siderably increased.—Mr. HORSFALL : Is that deducting
interest ?—The CHAIRMAN : Deducting everything. It
is the nett clear surplus.—Mr. RANKIN : Does that include
the interest on the new works ?—The CHAIRMAN : No,
that never was done in any yearly account.—Mr. RANKIN
thought the rates ought to be made to bear the interest of
the money expended on new works, to a great extent.—
The CHAIRMAN said the statement had been drawn up by
the treasurer, Mr. Withers, and its accuracy was fully
guaranteed, and it was what had been printed and 1
before the two Houses of Parliament. Then they were
aware by the banking book, and by the returns of the
year up to that day, as compared with the corresponding
period of last year, that there was a further increase
of £25,750. In arriving at this increase up to that
day, as compared with . the same periodeof last year, he
ought to remind them that in the last year there was a
reduction in foreign tonnage of 9d. a ton on all long dis-
tances, and although that would only have made a differ-
ence-of £l,OOO, still it showed the great prosperity of the
estate. -The reason why he laid particular stress on the
article of cotton wool was because he believed that if they
made a general reduction on a multiplicity of articles com-
prised in the book of rates, they would, in point of fact,
give no relief to trade compared to what they would do by
directing their attention to the leading article of cotton.
Cotton employed a large number of the population of
Lancashire, and a large interest in this town, and if they
removed the dock dues they would enable parties shippir,
cotton to lay it down in Liverpool at about the same rate
that it was laid down in the manufactories of the northern
States of America. This would confer a benefit on the
dock estate, a benefit in the increase of vessels, and a
benefit on the manufacturers of this country—more espe-
cially on the labouring classes, as it would enable the