The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-10-20 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STAN D►'RD.

RODNEY:STREET WARD.

A meeting of the burgesses of this ward was held on
Tuesday evening last, at the Portico, Newington. It was
convened at the request of Mr. Samuel Mime, in conse-
quence of some aspersions on his character in the Mercury,
relative to the corporation contracts, and the building was
crowded in every part. J. N. Wood, Esq. was called to
the chair.

The CHAIRMAN explained the circumstances under
' which the meeting had been called, and complimented Mr.
Holme in the highest terms. lie trusted that gentleman
would be triumphantly returned as representative for
Rodney-street Ward.
Mr. PAYNE, the chairman of the then read a let-
ter, received from Mr. Birkett in July last, declining to
come forward again as their representative, on account of
ill health. He also read a letter from Mr. Sarni. Holme,
in reply to a requisition from a number of electors, soli.:
citing him to come forward as a candidate for Rodney_
street Ward. The letter was to the effect that Mr.
Holme had no objection to come forward, but he should
require a public meeting, in order that he might state the
peculiarity of his position on some points which to him
were matters of feeling and delicacy. Mr. Payne con-
cluded by stating that Mr. Holme was present to give any
explanation required, and it would be their duty after
hearing his statement, if they approved of what he said,
to elect him ; if not, to choose another.
Mr. HOLME then came forward, and after stating that
his object in calling the meeting was to set himself right
with his fellow-townsmen, alluded to his election some
years since for St. Peter's Ward, by the unprecedented
majority of 120 votes. He then proceeded as follows :
" 1 had for some time before been under an honourable
engagement with Mr. Tomkinson—a man of whose ac-
quaintance any one might be proud—that whenever the
contract for St. George's-hall came to be taken, I should
join him in becoming a contractor. Mr. Tomkinson,
seven months after I entered the Council, did become the
contractor for that building; and that gentleman, with
whom I had been associated in the erection of the Cus-
tom-house, and of many other public edifices, as well as
railway works, called upon me to redeem my pledge. He
said, we had our machinery together, our men had been
accustomed to work together, and at his time of life it
would be a very important consideration. I felt the diffi-
culty of the posieon I was placed in : and I am not going
to conceal from this meeting that I did conceive it an ho-
nour to be associated, not only with Mr. Tomkinson, but
with a beautiful and classical edifice which would be an
honour to the town and to the tradesmen engaged in
rearing it. (Cheers.) And when I read the clause in the
Municipal Act, and saw how very stringent it was, I did
not go to a conservative to ask his opinion, but I wrote a
letter to Mr. Wm. Earle, a gentleman whom 1 had long
known in private life, and known him only to respect him.
He stated to me in reply, that he thought there would not
be the slightest objection to my doing the brick-work for
Mr. Tomkinson, and he would be glad if I would under-
take it. I put the question also to Mr. Radcliffe, the
Town-clerk, and he stated that there was nothing in the
law of the case to prevent me doing so. ' It was as per-
fectly open to me,' was his own expression,`todmoetitioe
brickwork of a building with any other gentleman, as it
was for the proprietor of a coal mine, through another
party, to supply coals to the Town-hall.' I was still dis-
satisfied, however; and circumstances having taken
the continent, I calmly deliberated upon my position, and
I felt that, whatever my own opinion might be, the
tradesmen of Liverpool placed great confidence in me, and
that I had them to consider as well as myself; and, though
it was with me a matter of feeling, and of perfect indiffer-
ence, except for the reasons I have mentioned, yet I could
not persuade myself that I was not infringing the spirit of
immediately
the act of parliament. Therefore, on my re-
turn, I consulted with Mr. Robertson Gladstone, then
Mayor, Sir Thomas Brancker, and Mr. Ambrose Lace,
who agreed with me in thinking, that though I was under
no legal disability, yet that in all probability I might be
considered as infringing the spirit of the act. I did more.
I again wrote to Mr. Radcliffe, a gentleman who, as you
know, though he never carried his politics into his office,
yet differed from me in political opinion—l wrote to ask
him whether, notwithstanding his opinion that I might
legally do any thing of the sort, it would not be an in-
fringement of the spirit of the act. Mr. Holme then read
the reply of Mr. Radcliffe, the purport of which was that
he did not find any reason for varying the opinion given
by him as to the law in the case of a sub-contractor for
I bricks ; nor did he see that, in law, there was any differ-
! ence between the case of a sub-contract for bricks and
1 that of a sub-contract for brick-work—either being equally
independent of the contract with the Corporation as to
price and profit or loss. After giving the subject every
consideration in his power, he was obliged to state that,
in his opinion, such sub-contract would be contrary to the
spirit of the act, being fraught with all the dangerous con-
sequences which it was tLe object of the act to guard
against. What (said Mr. Holme) was the open and ho-
nourable course to pursue under these circumstances ?
Was it to say I was only a sub-contractor, and, therefore,
that I was within the letter of the act ? Was this the
course I pursued ? No. I did that which every honest
and honourable man ought to do. I paid the fine ; I re-
signed my seat in the Council ; and it was to me no slight
satisfaction that, when I retired, so much more able and
efficient a man succeeded me, and the electors had the be-
nefit of the eminent services of Mr. Stewart. (Cheers.)
When I made the agreement with Mr. Tomkinson, it was
stipulated that it was only to last three years. I will not
enter into particulars, and say why it has been extended
to four, and not likely yet to be completed. There have
been alterations, and a variety of occurrences, which it
would be improper to state here; and I do nut see why,
for the sake of finishing certain paltry matters still re-
maining over, I am to be prevented for the nest three or
four years having my seat in the Council. This is a question
which I leave the electors of Rodney-street Ward to settle
for me" (applause.) Mr.Holire then referred to the subject
of the Ilercury's aspersion that lie (Mr. Holme) could
" hardly avoid being a contractor or a sub-sub-contractor
aith the Corporation." He never intended to contract
for any corporation work in future or to tender for it ;
and as for sub-contracting he was never a sub-contractor
under any man, and notwithstanding the extent of his
business, no trade-man had ever been a sub-contractor
under him. He did not make respectable tradesmen into
journeymen, but his plan was this :—he took an estimate
from a respectable master mason, a respectable master
plumber, a respectable master slater, a respectable master
ironfounder, and a respectable master painter ; he in-
cluded their estimates in his own ; they stood or fell with
him and he paid them and always had done, to the utter-
most farthing, the amount of their various contracts.
He stated publicly that neither he nor his partners ever
yet put a penny in their pockets of the profits which
ought to have gone into the pockets of those who worked
for them. Hi always refused also to give an estimate for
any public building of a benevolent kind. (Applause.)
Then, said Mr. Holme, you will say to me—" You are a
monopolist, because you have not nought in the cheapest
and sold in the dearest market," but a man may not buy
in the cheapest, and sell in the dearest, and yet not be a
monopolist. He may be enabled to let a man live, and
live himself ; he may be enabled to let a poor tradesman
live who is honourably connected with hisn, and whose
politics he never asked. And here I may say that I do
not know the politics of any of my men, either trades-
men or workmen, unless they choose to come and tell
me what their politics:are ; and here I state, upon my ho-
nor as a gentleman, that at this moment I am in utter ig
norance whether my workmen, or tradesmen, or the fore.
man my employ, is on the register of this ward or not.
Now nisir, I admit that the system of general contracting
.
is a painful one, but one
in
which seems to be impera-
tively called for by the times which we live; and there-

fore it is not my fault. You will have free trade in this
respect. (Hear.) You will have general contracting ;
and therefore if you will have it you must make the best
of it, and the only course is to let every man live as well
as ourselves. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Holme then noticed
the strenuous exertions which were necessary for improv
ing the sanatory condition of the town, an observed that
only the other day he was surveying. some property in
Orcel street, leading from Vauxhall-road, and there found
a court with a number of houses, and an atmosphere suf-
ficient to poison any body. He found in a cellar 12 feet
by 9, two children in bed, with a disease resembling the
measles, and the whole cellar a floating mass of putre-
faction ; and the court was swarming with people of a
wretched description, such as it would pain any heart to
see. The worthy candidate then denied that he was or had
been inimical to dock warehouses, and stated that when
the first municipal reform council was elected he sent a
rough draft of a plan for erecting three new docks on the
site of the Albeit Dock, and advised that large lots of land
shoul be appropriated therefor warehouses,and that with
that object the land should be leased to the East and West
India Association or any others who wanted it. Mr.
Holme then took a rapid view of the probable greatness
of Liverpool in future years, and concluded by saying
that he should be most happy to answer any questions
which might be put to him. ale resumed his sat amid
loud cheers.
Mr. GODFREY, surgeon, who said that he was politi-
cally opposed to Mr. Holiyie,but sincerely anxious to have
such intelligent and business-like men in the council,
then proposed that Mr. Holme as a fit and proper per-
son to represent Rodney-street Ward.
Mr. E. G. DEANE seconded the motion amidst loud
cheers, and it was passed unanimously. After three
enthusiastic cheers for Mr. Holme, the meeting separated.