The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-11-26 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE DOCK CO

HMiTTE

The following gentlemen were present at ti
the Dock Committee, yesterday :—Messrs. Sand
Hors&ll, Barclay, Holt, Holm

Tobin, Chapman. Ripley, k
loon, and Chilton.

The. Sub-co

THE CONTRACT SYSTEI

Middleton

had been made with Messrs. Bowers and Co., to take down
the pier-head at the entrance to the Canning Dock, the
Graving Dock No. 1, Salthouse Dock, and part of the east
side of. George's Dock.
Mr. CHAPMA.N asked whether there had been any com-

petition for this work ?

competed for it

dozen persons had

M-r7.CHAPMAN further enquired whether the contract wa.

Mr. IionsFALL said it was not exactly advertized, but
notice had been given which had induced ten or a dozen pVC-
-801/8 to come forward.
Mr. AIKEN asked the surveyor whether it was not his
opinion that the work oauld have been done lower by the
committee themselves ?
The SURVEYOR replied that it was.
Mr. AIKEN thought the system of contracts was carried
too far, and that the present one ought to be abandoned.

The SURVEYOR observed that a great part of the work
was already done.

Mr..TOI;IN was decidedly of opinion that the committee

carried the contract system too fir

Jingly wrong

Mr. Alderman EVANS thought it was excet-
to run any risk by the present system. If the committee
could do this work better or cheaper themselves they ougiit
to do it.

Mr. RIPLEY observed that if the committee could do the
work cheaper than it could be done by this contract, they
ought to abandon it.

The SURVEYOR remarked that there might be cases in
which it would not be cheaper for the committee to do
the work.

Mr. CHAPMAN said there was one point which was appa-
rently lost sight of altogether, and that was the expedition
the committee could command by having the work done by
contract. Small things ought to be done by their own esta-
blishment ; but for the sake of saving a few nounds they

ought not to inconvenience the trade of the podby abandon,
ing the contract system. The time at which the work in an)
case should be completed was always specified.
Mr. HORSFALL observed that the experience of the pm.
mittee had always been the reverse. Several centracton
who had taken works had passed the time to complete them
and had actually doubled it.
Mr. CHAPMAN.—Penalties are always attached.

Mr. HousFALL.—But the difficulty is to get the penalty
from a man who has no money.

Mr. AIKEN said that, taking the whole, he found that the
works could be done better, cheaper, and quicker by the
committee's own workpeople than by contract. If it could
be shown that the work could be done cheaper by contract,
he should say do it ; but unless time and money were both
economiz-od by the contract system, it was carried too far.
The co►nmittee had sufficient men, and as they could not
work during the tide they could be advantageously employed
elsewhere during that period.
Mr. CHAPMAN contended, that if the committee let only
the rough part of their work, and detained the smooth, they
would not be doing justice to the contract system.
Mr. HORSFALL recalled the attention of the committee to
the question, which was, whether the recommendation of the
sub-committee should be confirmed, This contract had al-
ready been taken, and the contractors had entered upon the
work.

Mr. RIPLEY was a member of the sub-committee of works,
and he begged to say that they had themselves done a great
deal of work upon the telegraph stations between Liverpool
and Holyhead. The whole had been well executed by their
surveyor, and he was satisfied that it was done quicker,
cheaper, and better than if contracts had been resorted to.
In one place the work had been done by a contractor, but it
was found so bad that the subcommittee were compelled to
have it taken down, and re-executed by their surveyor.
Mr. HOLT said, the sub-committee had recently had new
lights to the light-ships. These were usually made by Mr.
Hartley, but in consequence of his absence, they were obliged
to get them from another quarter. They cost £176 more
than if they had been supplied by Mr. Hartley.
The recommendation of the sub-committee was then con-
firmed.

THE SHIP LADY FALKLAND.
The Sub-committee, to whom had been referred the con
sideration of the claim of Messrs. Rankin, Gilmour, ani
Co., for a return of the dues paid upon their vessel the Lad,
Falkland, on the ground that she had not entered the dock
made a report, in the shape of a resolution. It was to th,

effect that the evidence be reported to the general committe
that no blame attached to the dock master, who ha,
with sound judgment and discretion, and that the so
mittee rl

,neral committee

PITT.STREET WARD CONFESSI6N OF
" PAUL PRY."

m,-I

IE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
lye to state, through the medium of your
i which the letter in the Albion of the 22nd
" Paul Pry," originated.
in the Mercury of Friday last, copied
••

instant, and signed
A communicatio

vrat wssLic, cucaodass am LUC uoings or tne Tories of
St. Paul's Ward, became the subject of conversation amongst
a few friends; and the wholesale and absurd charges of
bribery, intimidation, &c., brought forward by the Liberal
press against the Tories, was much animadverted on.
The writer of this suggested, (what is pretty well known
to be the fact,) that these charges were merely trumped up to
cover their_late disgracef--'

of the public a

:o draw the attention

from the doings t

like the crafty fellow who, when he is pursued

at fault, turns round, and joins more lustily than them all in
the cry. The " ruse" very frequently succeeds, as it has
done, in a great measure, with these charges of bribery, in-
timidation, and guzzling, or, to use the phrase of an elegant
correspondent of one of your contemporaries, " gobslotching,"
The mode in which these charges were got up was also
brought upon the carpet, and I again suggested, that it did
not matter from what quarter they came, authenticated or
unauthenticated ; so that they were well seasoned with abuse
of the " horrible, naughty Tories," they were sure to obtain
a ready admission from the conductors of the Liberal press.
To prove this assertion, it was proposed, that the facts
which appear charged to the poor Tories of Pitt-street Ward,
(but of which, in reality, the Radicals of that ward are guilty)
should be dressed up • and I undertook to obtain their inser-
tion in one of the Radical papers.

The favour was first intended for the Chronicle, but this
was objected to, because, said the objector. " the editor who
could admit such a mass of rubbish into his paper as that
laid at the door of the shocking fellows in St. Paul's Ward,
would, no doubt, admit any thing, no matter however
absurd."
The Albion_ was then named, and it was agreed

Qn all
nands, that if the editor of that really respectable paper
should admit it, my position would be much better proved,
and the public would have a much better opportunity of
the degree of credit to he attached to those
Prom what portion of their press they

judging respecting
Vilftraa:e •.n irs,nftx

might emanate
I do not need to inform you of the success of the hoax
" the bait was greedily swallowed ;" but I hope it may be at-
tended with these good effects, via. :
Ist. To teach these self-styled " liberal" editors a little
more caution and circumspection for the future.
2dly. To show the public the caution with which they
should receive these contemptible charges.
3dly. Who are in reality the transgressors.
4thly. The solidity of the triumphs so lately achieved by
the Conservatives.

If these objects should be attained, I, for one, Mr. Editor,
will intrude no further. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Pitt-street, Nov. 23, 1841. PAUL PRY.

TATION FOR THE WEST INDIA STEAMERS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

Sitt,—l have read with great interest your able remarks on
the subject of making Liverpool the port of departure for the
Atlantic steam-packets, which remarks I conceive are such

as to defy doubt or contradiction, but might be strengthened
by a few additional facts, as contrasting them with the most
prominent considerations that were urged in favour of South-
ampton, which appears to he the port selected, but by what
reason or what authority that selection has been made does
not appear, and would seem to be the result of that very
energy that .the whig Council of Liverpool were so grossly
deficient in, as we have reason to believe it arose from the
influence of the proprietor of the Morning Chronicle, (the
chairman, or late chairman, of the Southampton Railway,)
who certainly deserves all praise from the local interests
through which it passes ; but how stands the case with the
great manufacturing districts of England, all Ireland, and
Scotland ? Why, Southampton is the most remote point of
England, entirely destitute of machinal resources, and with
coals dearer than at any other seaport in the kingdom, while
Liverpool is on the verge of a coal field, and possesses within
itself very powerful resources in machinery, and is in direct
railway communication ssith the emporium of the world, for
this wonderful power having only about two miles of railway
to complete through the town of Manchester, for which
)5, parliament and capital raised,
districts of Lancashire, York-
u•dshire within six hours of Li-
ig all the manufactories of the
I that the Liverpool and Man-

110 w determined to
all possible despat
cannot conceive tha

e this only remainin link witl

cation c

oh. -Armed with such argu-ments, we

administration could res

a proper

a one as now governs the country.
Should these remarks throw any light on the subject you
have brought before the public, they will have answered the
end of your obedient servant, N.