The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-11 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

PROPOSED DIVISION OF THE WEST DERBY UNION.—
At the weekly meeting of the West Derby Guardians on
Wednesday, a discussion of much importance in reference
to the division of the union took place. A few weeks ago
the Poor-law Commissioners sent down a communication
to the guardians, in answer to a memorial from the latter,
in which the commissioners made two propositions to
them. One was to separate Toxteth-park, Childwall,
Wavertree, and Allerton from the present union, and the
other, to erect a new workhouse in Toxteth••park, and
appropriate the present workhouse at Everton as an
industrial school. Mr. Harrison proposed that a new
workhouse should be erected in Toxteth-park. The Rev.
W. Badnall proposed, as an amendment—" That with
regard to the second proposition of the Poor-law Board,
the plan propounded therein is highly objectionable to
this board." Mr. Badnall spoke at considerable length.
A long and rather warm discussion ensued, in which
several of the guardians took part ; and, on a division,
Mr. Badnall's amendment was carried by a majority of
15 to 6.

THE BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMMISSIONERS.—The
monthly meeting was held on Wednesday. The proceed-
ings of the Works Committee for the past month included
a minute to the effect that the Law-clerk should inform
Mr. Rendel that it was desirable he should name an early
day for delivering up all plans, papers, documents, &C.,
and receiving the amount of salary due to him ; also, that
it should be ascertained who were the proper parties to
defray the expense of lowering the Corporation road, and
putting it in a proper state of repair. Confirmed.—The
Chairman stated the result of the proceedings in London
relative to the new dock bill. The chairman added that
the bill would, no doubt, pass through the House of
Lords in about a fortnight or three weeks. On the whole,
the bill would be admitted to be in a more favourable
position than it was formerly. Mr. Hicklin thought it
desirable that the Board should be correctly informed
as to the estimates of Mr. Rendel, respecting which some
strong remarks had been made. He produced a report of
Mr. Robert Stephenson, who, after an examination of the
plans and other documents, spoke in terms of approval of
the dock works generally, and estimated the total cost at
£345,480. The chairman produced a number of docu-
ments, in order to show that the estimates of Mr. Rendel
were inconsistent, and that they had been the means of
misleading the Board. The original estimate was
£338,148, but the total cost of the outer works would be
upwards of £600,000. He also read a letter from Mr.
Rendel, in which that gentleman proposed the carrying
out of the Morpeth Dock ; and he (the chairman) conten-
ded that the scheme was not originated, as had been
stated, by several of the commissioners interested, and
they were not at all to blame in the matter.—Some dis-
cussion took place as to whether the statements made by
Mr. Hicklin and the Chairman should he recorded on the
books, but no resolution to that effect was adopted.
DOCK COMMITTEE, THURSDAY.—It appeared from the
minutes, that, at the last meeting, after the reporters had
left the room, the committee had an interview with Mr.
Cubitt, when it was decided to remove the new landing
stage to the northern site. This will render it necessary
to block up the ferry slip. A communication was read
from the Ferries' Committee, stating that the small land-
ing stage could be removed at any time after two days'
notice. Mr. J. Hartley said he expected they would be
able to get the bridges on the last day of the present
month, when they would have the highest tide.—Mr.
Chilton and Mr. Sandbach were appointed to revise, with
the Chairman, the list of dock rate-payers qualified to
vote in the election of members of the Dock Committee.
—The joint opinion of Mr. James Crompton and Mr. J.
R. Quain, barristers, was read, as to the payment of
freight out of deposits, and the sale of goods in the Albert
Dock warehouses. It confirmed the opinion of the dock
solicitor (Mr. Worthington), and was to the following
effect We are of opinion that the Dock Committee
are authorized, on the expiration of fifteen days, after
making the deposits respectively, to pay freights out of all
deposits which may have been made pursuant to the pro-
visions of the 4th Victoria, cap. 30, whether such deposit
has been made before the passing of the 11th and 12th
Victoria, or afterwards. We are also of opinion, that in
all cases where the deposit had not been made within
ninety days after the goods have been warehoused, pur-
suant to the 4 Vic. cap. 30, that such goods may be sold
on giving the notice mentioned in sec. 30, and that these
powers to sell apply to goods warehoused before the pass-
ing of the 11th and 12th Vic., as well as to goods vv9re:

•ee was a

to carry out these powers, reporting to the general com-
mittee from time to time. A letter was read from some
company, with a high sounding name, requesting a mono-
poly of the walls round the docks for bill posting, or offer-
ing to keep the walls altogether clear of bills. The pro-
position was laughed at, and the letter ordered to lie on
the table. Mr. Royden called the attention of the com-
mittee to the necessity of a landing-stage at the south end,
and said the only site was opposite the Toll-house. He
asked when the works there were likely to be gone on
with. The Chairman said they had begun to put down
the engine, but they could do nothing till they got their

THE WATEn. QUESTION.—On Tuesday evening a pub-
lic meeting of the National Confederation was held at the
Music-hall, to memorialize the Council not to proceed
with the Rivington Pike water scheme until it was ascer-
tained whether the necessary supply could or could not
be obtained from the more immediate locality. The chair
was occupied by Lawrence Heyworth, Esq., who stated

moved a r

is ought. to be

before they were rendered responsible. He spoke gene-
rally against the Corporation scheme, which he believed,
if prosecuted, would supply them with bad water. He
was much more in favour of the Bala Lake proposition,
which would, if carried into effect, supply the town with
abundant and nure water, if, in course of years, a larger
supply were required than could be derived from the red
freestone in the neighbourhood of the town. Mr. J.
Grantham, C.E., proposed the second resolution, to the
offal-4 that if had 'lnf. Imnrt a- al • e n

sufficient supply of water could not
be obtained from the immediate vicinity of the town. He
denied that he had any expectation, as a professional man,
of receiving one shilling's worth of benefit from either the
-•t or the abandonment of the Rivirvrton Pik

carrying o

scheme. He reviewed the proceedings of the Council, for
the purpose of showing that Mr. M`Donald, in his esti-
mate of water from the red sandstone, was correct, and

that Mr. riawxesiey, estimate, was wrong. He
also reviewed these proceedings to prove that the Counbil
had given no scientific evidence to show that there was
_ .

not a-sufficient quantity of water to be found in the red
sandstone. He sharply alluded to the conduct of the
• sharply
IL 1r T., • •

Corporation in giving Mr. M'Donald notice to quit their
service merely because he manfully expressed a practical
and conscientious opinion against the Pike scheme. He
showed that at present there was a satisfactory supply
from the wells, and thus concluded :—" What did this
meeting propose to the Council ? Why this—that the
men now in the employ of the Corporation should go on
supplying the town until they cried out that they had no
more. Then bore and excavate and use salt water ; and
thus fifteen years at least would pass over before we
should be necessitated to go to the Pike, or anywhere
else for an additional supply, should such supply be re-
quired." (Applause.) Mr. Jeffery seconded the resolu-
tion in an able address, in which he hit off the headstrong-
ness of the Corporation in persisting in a scheme so spe-
culative, expensive, unpopular, and unnecessary. Mr.
Spencer went into some statistics, which he had collected,
with a view to show that local wells would not yield the
quantity of water required. He was so evidently an in-
terested advocate of the Corporation scheme, that he was
interrupted, and finally put hors de combat. Mr. Picton
moved That all necessary steps should be taken by the
Town Council, by borings or otherwise, to ascertain whe-
ther a sufficient supply can, or cannot, be obtained in the
immediate vicinity of the town, before incurring further
expense in the prosecution of any other scheme." A
memorial to the Council, embodyinc, the substance of the
foregoing resolutions, was adopted.' All the resolutions
were passed without a 0119 W Of a band by any of the few
dis§entient4,