The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-01-03 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS

The adjourned meeting of the Town-council was held ht
eleven o'clock yesterday, in the Town-hail, fur the further
consideration of the statements of the Town-clerk, the
Deputy Town-clerk, and Clerk of Committees, and the re-
marks of the Paid Officers' Committee on those statements.
Ti,e council was also summoned specially for the purpose of
making several annual appointments. The MAYOR pre-

RESOLUTIONS PROPOSED BY THE PAID OFFICERS'

CONTAIIITEE

The Council on the motion of Sir T. BnA:sTar.tt, seconded
by r. G. H. LAWRE.NCE, resolved itself into committee for
the consideration of the third and remaining resolutions pro-
posed by the Paid Officers' Committee on their report, and
the auswers thereto of the Town-clerk, the Deputy Town-
clerk, and Clerk of Committees.
Mr. LLOYD then rose, and commenced by observing, that
at the last meeting the council having passed the first and
second of the resolutions proposed by the committee, had
very properly adjourned on the third, with the view of
enabling the younger members fully to inform themselves of
the subject in the meantime. At the last meeting he had not
answered the question put by Mr. Birkett, "how the commit-
tee arrived at the conclusion in page ten of their report, that
if the scheme proposed by them were adopted, there would
be a saving to the borough fund of £5OO per annum." He
had not answered this question then, because he felt that the
proper time to do so would be on the motion for the adop-
tion of the third resolution, which he was now about to pro-
pose. The Paid Officers' Committee in entering upon their
labours had kept in view the strict letter of the resolution of
the council by which they had been appointed : without
having regard to persons they had inquired only, in compli.
ance with the resolution, into duties and salaries ; and in
coming to any conclusion in their report, there had not been,
either collectively or individually, the slightest personal feel-
ing with reference to any of the officers or servants of the
corporation. They had first inquired into the Town-clerk's
department. As their report stated, they could not separate
the individuals employed, as if they were acting in several de-
partments ; they considered them all as one acting under the
direction and control of the Town-clerk. From the evidence
before them, they could come to no other conclusion than
that the Town-clerk was responsible for all the officers whose
named appeared in the report, although the duties were so
mixed ; and, indeed the Town-clerk had to a certain extent
admitted the same, for he said he was responsible for all ex-
cept two—the Clerk of Committees and his clerk, who re-
ceived their appointments direct from the council. Now,
although those officers had received their appointments di-
rectly from the council, the committee could not separate
their duties from the Town-clerk, for the duties which they
performed were, strictly, legal duties. The Clerk of Com-
mittees had been acting from the year 1836 as the custodiar
of the muniments : he had also attended committees and
taken their instructions, but he had not attended the whole
of them. There was a confusion of duties, in this respect,
by the Town-clerk attending some committees, the Deputy
Town-clerk others, and the Clerk of Committees others,
the inconveniences of which were pointed out in the
report. The only difference then between the Town-
clerk's statement, and the report of the committee, was
simply this,—that the Town-clerk not having the ap-
pointment of these two officers, did not consider him-
self responsible for their acts, beyond what the Act of
Parliament imposed upon him as the custodian of the
deeds ; whilst he (Mr. Lloyd) maintained that the Town-
clerk, since the passing of the Municipal Act, was the legal
adviser not only of the Council, but of every committee ;
and that, as there could be no act done except directly under
that act, or under some local act, therefore he was respon-
sible for every act which passed the Council. This being
the case, the officers named in pages two, three, and four, in
the opinion of the committee formed one department, with
the exception of the prosecuting solicitor andthe sub-bailiffs;
and, after hearing the evidence, and entering into further
inquiry, they came to the conclusion that, if a scheme,
founded somewhat upon that contained in their rreport, (pub-
lished in Friday's Standard.) were adopted, all the dutie,
performed by the officers named in pages two, three, and
four, with the exception of the crier and the sub-bailiffs,
could be properly fulfilled by persons at the respective salaries
set forth in the report. This opinion was borne out by the
statement of the Town-clerk. The Town-clerk certainly
suggested some trifling or not very considerable alterations
as to the salaries; and, if the committee had not recom-
mended the salaries named upon the basis of the duties to be
performed, keeping in view, also, that there were other de-
partments to be inquired, they might have adopted the Town-
clerk's suggestions. It was with regard to what the De-
puty Town-clerk had said in his statement, that he being so
much absent from the office attending the sessions and
assizes, there should always be one there in whom he could
have confidence, that the committee proposed to allow him
an efficient clerk, at the salary of £3OO per annum. The
committee saw i,. was right and necessary for such a person
to be appointed, and they came at once into the Deputy
Town-clerk's view. Then, with regard to the Borough
Court, they proposed to appoint a clerk there, at a salary of
£2OO per annum, the Town-clerk considering that there
would be a difficulty in procuring a person with the know-
ledge requisite for the office at such a salary, proposed
that £5O a year should be added. The next point was the
subject of the chief clerk to the Town-clerk. The com-
mittee had gone very fully into the importance of such an
assistant being at his right hand ; and, indeed, if any one
would sit with the Town-clerk, as he (Mr. Lloyd) had on
this enquiry, and see the constant interruptions to which he
was exposed upon trifling matters, they would at once
acknowledge that he ought to have such assistance. These
were the three chief alterations pointed out and suggested in
the report; there would then be a chief clerk to the Town-
clerk, a deputy registrar to superintend the business of the
borough court, and a chief clerk to take upon himself, in
the absence of Mr. Shuttleworth, the management of the
leasing and conveyancing. Besides these, there would be a
book-keeper, a cashier, and seven engrossing clerks ; and
the Town-clerk had told the cour.cil, that this efficient
establishment, considering the inconvenience and extra ex-
pense last year, would not be any additional charge upon the
borough fund. All the calculations in the report were
founded upon the treasurer's account for 1841, which was
the last published when the enquiry commenced. The
officers and clerks, independently of the criers and bailiffs,
received,
I n 1841 .............................. :£ 5,608 8 10

The scheme proposed by the committee
amounted to

Showing a saving of .................. £ 918 8 10
Besides this, there ought to be added to the expenses of 1841,
although it did not appear in the committee's report, the law
clerk's illness, which, with the £9lB, would
least £l3OO, in round numbers, as a
stationers' bills for work done out of the office, which
amounted to about £250 extra. Then there had been £332
portion of the extra work. Mr. Lloyd give a sum of at
paid for professional assistance during the late Deputy Town-
saving, supposing that
same individual had been removed, for
the establishment now proposed would be equal to a great
then mentioned that
all the doubts of the committee as to the legality of the Clerk-
ship of the Peace and the Town-clerkship being held by the
the opinion of Sir
Wm. Follett, Mr. Starkie, and Mr. Martin had been taken
on the question, and it was that they were Compatible. The
Council, therefore, might be relieved from any difficulty on
be-
this matter. The total difference, with reg and to salaries
strictest economy, he would willingly
tween the Town-clerk, the Deputy Tod here
and the com-
mittee amounted to £236. Mr. Lloyd here pointed out the
differences in detail. Though he waiven advocate for the
to be £l2OO per an-
for the salary of the Deputy Town-clerk
g his individual vote
num instead of £9OO, for the duties of that office last year had
Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk,
been enormous. Having now gone through the scheme both
in the report of the committee and the statements of the
third resolution : be begged to move the
Resolved,—That, on taking into consideration the state-
ments of the Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk submit-
ting a scheme of establishment, upon the principle of Town-
clerk and Deputy Town-clerk, that this council do approvi
alterations in the
of such scheme, subject to the followingsalaries thereby proposed.
No. 4, in the scheme,
Viz. :—That, the salary of the clerk,
be £lOO instead of £l3O.
be £BO instead of £9O.
That, the salary of the clerk, No. 6,
That, the salary of the Deputy Town-clerk and Prosecu-
ting Solicitor, be £9OO instead of .£lOOO.
And, that, subject to such alterations, the Town-clerk and
Deputy Town-clerk and Prosecuting Solicitor, do severally
proceed with the requisite appointments in their respective
departments.
him (Mr. Lloyd .
He would name here, and the Town-clerk would excuse him
for mentioning it, that several members had suggested to
Town-clerk, he might make some which the council would
not consider proper and correct. Now, so far as he (Mr.
) that these appointments being given to the
Lloyd) had seen of both the Town-clerk and the eputy
Town-clerk, he did not see why they should not have the
fullest liberty of appointing the instruments for doing that
for which they were responsible to the council. The busi-
ness of the office never could be carried on, if, whilst the
principals were responsible, the subordinates were allowed
to come before the council with comolainta. lie might also
add, that the Town-clerk had not the slightest idea of ap-
pointing any relative of his own to the chief clerkship, at
£4OO per annum. .

Mr. KILSHAW seconded the resolution.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE was one of those who, at the out-
set, had been opposed to the appointment of the Paid
Officers' Committee, inasmuch as he conceived that any en-
of the corporation might have been investigated by the re-
spective committees to which they
quiry into the emoluments and duties of the several officers
were attached. At the
same time, he did not anticipate the painstaking report
which the committee had presented, or else he might pro-
bably have taken a different view of the thing. He was but
an indifferent reformer in matters of this kind; he was not
much in favour of changes, because changes were generally,
if not always, accompanied with a considerable increase of
expenditure, and because, in making changes in their duties,
they might be apt, at least for a time, to interfere with or
intendeddamag to
e the eimffiperieonvee. T
efficiency of thosehatwas o
hfficiesrfseewlg in a
hinoseefficgierenactydiatgwreaes
on the present occasion. Added to that it appeared to him
that the Paid Officers' Committee had spoken rather with
regard to things as they ought to be than with regard to
things as they were, or were likely to become at present.
had such an officer as Mr.
They presented to the council the beau ideal of a tow n-clerk,
without remembering that they
Radcliffe. As to the clerk of committees, they seemed either
to have forgotten that he existed at all, or to be prepared by
a side-wind to supersede him ; whilst he (Mr. Lawrence) was
sure that there was hardly a man in the council who would
wish to be deprived of the services of such a valuable officeras
Mr. Okill. He (Mr. Lawrence) could hold out no hope
whatever that the measures now proposed would be pro-
ductive of any saving. Unless both Mr. Okill and Mr. Ab-
bott were dismissed, there would be no saving ; but on the
contrary, a further expense to the corporation of £7OO or
£BOO a year. The committee spoke about some saving which
might accrue from altering the system of law stationery.
With this question, however, he was not competent to deal.
But he knew how great the pressure of business had been in
the Town-hall, and he was afraid so much good would not be
effected in this department as was anticipated. Besides, he
shrunk from the hardship of upsetting the present system,
and mulcting these poor law-stationers. It was paltry work.
He would much rather have entrusted this part of the
business to the discretion of the Town-clerk than to look for
any great improvement by such laws and regulations as the
council were now asked to propound. Their labour would
be too much for £6O or £7O a year ; they were kept all hours,
and it was too much to require from them such conditions.
Mr. LACE said the hours expected from them were rea-
sonable. They were not required to work later than seven
o'clock.
Mr. G. IL LAWRENCE said they re-
quired ; and he contended that they would work neither so
must work longer if
well nor so fast as they would if they were earning something
worth having. Then two new lawyers were to come into the
building. He was willing to acknowledge that assistance was
wanted in the Town-clerk's office, and that Mr. Shuttle-
worth must be provided with a clerk ; but at the same time
he felt rather reluctant at the introduction of two additional
legal gentlemen at high salaries. He was aware they must
conform to the law, but they
might
encumber their march of
proceeding by conforming rather too tightly to it; and they
must not expect that these parties would be satisfied for any
considerable length of time with £3OO and £4OO a-year. With
regard to the muniments, whatever the Town-clerk said must
be carried out ; but if the Town-clerk thought that he had
not that sufficient custody of the deeds and muniments of the
not the council's ; he ought to have seen to it better. He
(Mr. Lawrence) never for a moment supposed it was in-
corporation which the law enacted, that was his fault, and

tended that the Towri-clerk should sit all day long in the re-
pository, taking care himself of the deeds, books, and muni-
ments : the Town-clerk's time would be ill employed in such
occupation, and he did not think that the arrangement of the
office would be improved by such a change. The Town-
clerk was an excellent Town-clerk, he delighted in his
advice and assistance, but he did not think his manage-
ment of the deeds would be an improvement upon that
of Mr. Okill. The law, however, must be carried out;
:Ind he was sure that both the Town-clerk and Mr. Okill
would willingly bow to what was essential and right. The
custody of the deeds was not, however, so completely in Mr.
Okill as seemed to be imagined ; for the more important
ones were kept in the iron safe, or box, to which the Town-
clerk and the Mayor.for the time being, had access only. in
conjunction with the Treasurer. Mr. Okill had no access
to them ; and it would be very easy to add any others which
might be necessary. lie (Mr. Lawrence) would never con-
sent to anything which would degrade Mr. Okill in the opi-
nion of the council or of the town ; for lie was an old and
faithful sereant, a man of experience, greater than any other
he could mention, to whom wis owing the protection of the
town dues, and whom, only a few years ago, all parties de-
lighted to honour and respect. Mr. ()kill's salary, he was
aware, was a large one ; but some such person was neces-
sary, whose practical acquaintance with the large estate of
the corporation would be useful : some such person as could
attend as clerk of committees—not a lawyer—to put into
form the minutes of the chairman after the meeting was over.
If Mr. Okill went, some £2OO or £3OO a. year would be re-
quired for such a person. There was one thing in the scheme
which could not fail to be mortifying to Mr. ()kill ; and one
word from him (Mr. Lawrence) would, he thought, induce
the council to alter it. In page Bof the Town-clerk's scheme
the Town-clerk was called " legal adviser and clerk of all
committees." He hoped the council would consent to his
striking the pen through " clerk to all committees," thus
leaving the Town-clerk legal adviser, for as it stood it ap-
peared to Mr. Okill that he was virtually dismissed. The
Town-clerk would bear him out in this. .

The TOWN-CLERK said, most decidedly, and nothing
could he more agreeable to his feelings than to consent to
the alteration.

Mr. COOPER said, still the Town-clerk would be clerk to
some committees, for there were many which Mr. Okill did
not attend. _

The TOWN-CLERK said, there could be no doubt that, as
to any committee to which there was not a special clerk, the
town-clerk was, by virtue of his office, clerk to that com-
mittee.

Mr. LACE observed, that the greater title was the town-
clerk. which includes all.

The TOWN-CLERK said, yes ; and he should certainly
consider the term " Clerk of Committees" as degrading to
him.

Mr. HORNBY remarked, that besides this, there would be
the great inconvenience of two officers having the same title.
The TOWN-CLERK explained that he had used the term
" degrading " in its proper derivative meaning ; not as dis-
graceful to, but as lowering, him.
Mr. G. 11. LAWRENCE, resuming, alluded to the duties of
the chief clerk, and suggested, that, in the absence of the
Town-clerk, the chief clerk should act under the direction of
the Deputy Town-clerk ; so that he might not supersede, in
any way, that officer.

• ,
The TOWN. CLERK said, that, as a general principle, the
moment his absence took place Mr. Shuttleworth became
Town-clerk, and took all his authority, except as to the
office of Clerk of the Peace.

Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE repeated, that he looked with
some jealousy to this ; but, after the explanation, he should
not press it further. lie would certainly be no party to the
dismissal of Mr. Abbott, to whose zeal and assiduity during
the twenty-two years he had been employed in the building
he warmly commended. He could find no fault with Mr.
Abbott.

Mr. LACE suggested that Mr. Abbott's case should be
considered when a subsequent resolution was proposed.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE assented ; and he then proposed an
amendment, which was to the effect that the scheme of the
Paid Officers' Committee be adopted, with the understand-
ing that no interference was desirable with the emoluments
of the clerk of committees, or with those duties that be ❑ow
discharged, which in the opinion of the Town-clerk are not
compatible with the corporation act.
Mr. LLOYD said the effect of that amendment would be to
relieve the Paid Officers' Committee from any inquiry into
what the duties of the clerk of committees would be when
the Town-clerk took the legal possessions of the muniments
upon himself. This, as he understood, was the effect of the
amendment?
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE.—Yes.
Mr. LLOYD said, he, for one, should be obliged if the
council would relieve the committee from the duty.

VV
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said he chiefly alluded to the
muniments. It was for the Town-clerk to observe the legal
bearings of the act. _ .

Mr. BRAMLEY-MOORE said, if that was so, there was an
end to the inquiry.
The TOWN-CLERK explained that the effect would be that
Mr. Okill would remain as clerk of committees, aid he
(the Town-clerk) should have the custody of the deeds and
muniments, giving, as he should of course, every facility to
Mr. Okill and the surveyor that the Municipal Act would
admit of. This would carry out his (the Town-clerk's) state-
ment, so far as regarded the charters, deeds, and muniments,
whilst it would leave Mr. Okill in his present position and
emoluments.
Mr. BIRKETT thought, after the statement of the Town-
clerk, that the amendment was unnecessary. He would he
no party to loosing Mr. Okill ; and he contended that the
new arrangement should be tried for twelve months, and Mr.
Okill be continued at his present salary. The system would
then have had a fair trial, and the council would then be in
a situation to come to a conclusion—a conclusion the more
valuable because it would be founded upon experience.
Mr. LACE thought Mr. Birkett's idea was founded upon
an erroneous impression of what was intended to be done with
regard to the custody of deeds. Mr. Okill had hitherto had
general access to the strong room. Under the Municipal
Act the Town-clerk was the proper person to be the custodian,
and the only person to have access. The Town-clerk, for
instance, was responsible if a deed was stolen, although it
might be by Mr. Okill's negligence ; it was, therefore, per-
fectly right that he should be put on a proper footing with
regard to the custody. There could be no one who would
not go to the fullest extent in acknowledging the value of Al r.
Okill's services to the corporate estate; and Mr. Lawrence's
amendment was with a view to keep Mr. Okill for all the
purposes of the corporation, but still leaving the legal custody
of the muniments to the Town-clerk. As he (Mr. Lace)
understood the Town-clerk, there could be no difficulty in
making an arrangement to give Mr. Okill access to any do-
cuments he might want, and more than that he need not have.
The TOWN-CLERK repeated, that consistently with the
law he should feel himself bound, with a due regard to the
interests of the council, to grant every facility he could, and
show the greatest courtesy and respect, towards both the
officers—the clerk of committees and the surveyors.
Mr. LACE expressed his concurrence in the views taken
by the Town-clerk ; and he read, from a statement laid be-
fore the old council, a detail of the very eminent services
rendered to the corporation by Mr. Okill.
Mr. Alderman EARLE applauded Mr. Lace for having
brought forward such a very satisfactory document. He
begged to add, too, that he had always found Mr. Abbott
most attentive to his duties.
Mr. Alderman EVANS, in a speech of considerable length,
assigned a variety of reasons against both the recommenda-
tions of the committee and the statements of the officers. He
contended that the committee, instead of having proposed
such sweeping measures, should have proceeded gradually,
and have recommended first one clerk and then another, as
might be found necessary.
Mr. BRAMLEY-MOORE commenced by observing, that a
great deal of the difficulty in which the council now felt it-
self arose from gentlemen dealing with persons instead of
things. When the committee was appointed, they were
supposed not to possess any knowledge whatever of persons;
and they understood they had to deal with the establishment
as they found it, to report how it should be carried on, and
what staff would be necessary. They had put aside all con-
sideration of Mr. Okill personally, and made their report
only on the number of individuals necessary to carry on the
work. The committee had never, for one moment, enter-
tained the idea of dismissing him. Mr. Moore then entered
into a brief examination of the accounts for extra labour
from 1837 to 1842, to shew that there would be the saving
described by Mr. Lloyd from the permanent arrangement
now proposed. He then defended the proceedings of the
committee from the observations of Mr. G. a. Lawrence,
and stated that if the amendment was carried, he would not,
for one moment longer, continue to sit upon the committee.
Mr. HORNBY said he entirely approved of the suggestion
of the Paid Officers' Committee, that three principal clerks
should be added for the assistance of the Town-clerk and the
Deputy Town-clerk. He had for a very long time felt that
such assistance was absolutely necessary, considering the
greatly increased business of the corporation. But, he con-
tended, there could be no saving effected unless Mr. Okill
and Mr. Abbott were dismissed.
Mr. Nrcoe said, that no person could have more confidence
in the Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk than he had, but
he thought, contrary to the proposition in the report, that the
council should have the confirmation both of the dismissal
and appointment of the officers to be employed under them.
Mr. LACE thought the confirmation should refer rather to
the appointment than the dismissal.
Mr. nem, considered that the council ought to be con-
sulted in both. He presumed that the Town-clerk, in what
he had stated with regard to access to the deeds in the Re-
pository, did not intend to exclude the auditors of the corpo-
ration accounts?
The TOWN-CLERK said, certainly not.
Mr. PARKER spoke warmly in favour of Mr. Okill. He
defended the report of the Paid Officers' Committee ; but lie
trusted that whatever might be the saving, it would not be
adopted by the demolition of Mr. Okill's present salary.
Mr. NORTH was of opinion that the whole cf the fees ought
to be enjoyed by the law officers; but he had no hope of
that idea being carried at present. lie was in the predica-
ment of agreeing neither with the motion nor the amendment.
He also differed, though in a less degree, from the proposals
of the Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk ; and he rested
his objections upon the belief that additional assistance could
not be effectively obtained, according to the scale of expense
at which it was proposed. The chief clerk, instead of £4OO,
he thought should have £5OO per annum—for the additional.
£lOO would make all the difference in obtaining an efficient
officer. For the same reason he would make the proposed
deputy registrar's salary £3OO instead of £250. He thought,
however, it would be carrying matters a little too far, if the
appointments were made by the Town-clerk and Deputy
Town-clerk entirely irrespective of the coci
unl. The coun-
cil ought to have the approval of the appointment, but not of
dismissal. The proposal for a bookkeeper and cashier was
most useful; hut he did not know whether the Town-clerk
and Deputy Town-clerk were to e relieved from the care of
the cash concerns of their respecbtive departments. If they
were not they ought to be.
Mr. LLOYD explained that the Clerk of the Peace could
not be so relieved as to the fees in that department.
Mr. NORTH would make the book-keeper and cashier as
useful as possible. He contended that the whole scheme
of proposed salaries was too low for the duties to be perfor-
med. With regard to the engrossing clerks, those situations
should be rendered desirable by their being paid at the rate
of £2 a week; and the sooner the system of taking ap-
prentices was abandoned the better. He did not approve of
the intended salary of the Town-clerk being reduced from
£lOOO to £9OO, in order to give the £lOO to his head clerk ;
and he should move an amendment to the effect that the
alterations be made which he had suggested.
After considerable discussion, in which a general feeling
was expressed that the amendment should be withdrawn, Mr.
G. H. LAWRENCE consented to do so, stating that if, when
the report upon the office of clerk of the committees v' as
made, he found Mr. Okill was not to receive the amount he
at present received the committee must be prepared to meet
his opposition. He withdrew the amendment.
Mr. LLOYD then replied to the objections to the resolu-
tion ; after which,
Sir THOMAS BRANCKER strongly urged the council to
adopt tbe recommendations in the statements of the Tow n-
clerk and the Deputy Town-clerk.
Mr. LLOYD said he had no objection ; and the resoluti
was altered so as to embrace this object with the verbal '
al-
teration in the third class of the Town-clerk's duties sug-
gested by Mr. G. H. Lawrence.
A very long discussion then commenced upon the question
whether the council should have a veto on the appointment
and dismissal of the chief clerks ; at the end of which the
council recurred to the proposition of Mr. Lloyd. On the
division the numbers were—
For the motion ..
Against it
3

Majority for the motion
For—Councillors—Houghton, Preston, Thompson, North,
Sands, Hornbv, J. Holmes, Aikin, Holmes, Priestley,
Boyden, J. Levant's, Cooper, Wood, Birkett, Bushell,

Lloyd, Kilshatv, Parket, Brassey, Fiumpton, Leigh, G. H.
Lawrence, Lace, Trotman, Smith. Aldermen—Barclay,
Bulley, Brancker, Turner, Freme, Nicol, Bramley.moore,
Molyneux, Moon, Chilton, and the Mayor-37.
Against—Councillor Isaac Holmes. Aldermen—Earle,
Evans-3.

Mr. NORTH then moved a resolution, that the appoint-
ment of the clerks he had named previously be subject to the
approval of the council; but that they should be removable
by the Town-clerk and the Deputy Town-clerk, without the
interference of the council.
Mr. NrcoL seconded tile motion. On a division the num-
bers were—

For the motion

Majority for the motion

For.—Councillors Isaac Holmes, Thompson, North, Sands.
ornby, Aik in, H ohne, Priestley, Hoyden, Cooper, Bushell,
Kilshaw, Parker, 13rassey, Plumpton, Lace ; Aldermen Bul-
ley, Earle, Nicol, Molyneux, Evans-21.
Against.—Councillors Houghton, Preston, J. Lawrence,
Wood, Birkett, Lloyd, G. H. Lawrence, Trotman, Smith ;
Aldermen Barclay, Braneker, Turner, Freme, Brawley-
Moore ; the Mayor-15.

The TOWN-CLERK said, if the council took the power of
confirmation, they ought to take the power of dismissal.
Mr. NORTH said, he was of a different opinion.

Mr. LLOYD then proposed the fourth resolution as follows
—That, in all such appointments, it be a clear understanding
distinctly expressed, and by every clerk or assistant agreed
to, that he shall not directly, or indirectly, carry on or assist
in any private business, or employment, whatever.

COOPER seconded the resolution, and it was carried
amidst cries for an adjournment.
Mr. LLOYD was about to move the fifth resolution, when
Mr. BUSHELL moved an adjournment to Wednesday next.
The motion was carried by a majority of 19 against 10.
The remaining business was consequently postponed ; and
at half-past three the council adjourned.