The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-26 00:00:00

he a member of the police force." Well, so far as
regards the Orange part of the matter, it has
virtually been carried out. The Orange members
of the force have ceased to belong to the body; but,
we ask, has one step been taken by the bench to
purge the force of Ribbonism ? Has even an in-
clination been shewn to do equal justice ? Has even
an inquiry been instituted ? Mr. Rushton has been
informed, on the best authority, that the societies
calling themselves " the Sons of St. Patrick " and
" Hibernian societies" are composed almost en-
tirely of Ribbonmen. Let him make the inquiry
how many of the present police force have deposited
with the Watch Committee certificates of member-
ship of these societies. If Mr. Rushton will not do
this, where is the impartiality of which he boasts ?

A few weeks ago we had to congratulate our fel-
low-townsmen upon the flattering condition of the
corporate property, under the able management of
the present Finance Committee ; and the grateful
duty now devolves upon us of remarking upon the
growing prosperity of our noble dock estate.
During the past four months such has been the in-
creased activity of the commerce and shipping of
our port, that the amount of dock rates has ex-
ceeded by twenty thousand pounds their amount in
the corresponding four months of last year; and,
when it is borne in mind that the nett surplus of
ordinary revenue over ordinary expenditure in that
year was seventy-six thousand pounds, we may
safely calculate the surphis this year at no less than
a hnndred thcusand pcunds—a sum equal to the
total revenue of nine ports out of ten in the empire,
The question will of course suggest itself to most
men,—to what purpose is such surplus to be
applied ? Upon this subject we are not in a position
to speak authoritatively ; but we rely with implicit
confidence upon the ability and honesty of the gen-
' tlemen composing the Dock Committee to direct it
for the best and permanent interests of the port,
and the augmentation and encouragement of its
vast commerce. The demand will, no doubt, he
made in some quarter, and those influential quar-
ters, for an immediate an dgeneral reduction of our
dock rates ; and no long period, we feel assured,
will elapse before at least a revision, if not a great
reduction of such rates must take place. But with
the large works going on north and south of the
present estate, and the urgent necessity for in-
creased dock space, and money to provide it, we
cannot but question the prudence of giving up any
large portion of our revenue at present, whilst we
are borrowing for the uses of the estate which
yields it. The surplus applied to the payment of
a portion of the cost of the new works constructing
will materially decrease the amount necessary to
be taken up under the recent act of Parliament, thus
lessening one permanent bonded debt; and when
these are completed, and in profitable operation,
the Dock Trustees may, without feeling the sacri-
fice, make such reasonable concessions to the rate-
payers as their interests and those of the commerce
of the port demand.
In the mean time, it is gratifying to find that,
already and unprompted, a most valuable concession
has just been annour cA, and will shortly come
into operation, by which the British shipowner will
be materially benefited. hitherto it has been
competent, from some oversight in our dock acts,
or the regulations of the committee, for vessels
entered inwards from American ports to take
outward cargoes for the East Indies, paying
only a tonnage of one and sixpence, and light
dues, whilst British ships were paying two and
threepence per ton, and light dues, thus holding
out a direct bonus for the employment of American
vessels, and standing directly in the way of British
ships coming from other ports to Liverpcol
for a cargo. This unjust difference is now done
away with, by the reduction of the dock dues on
British ships to eighteen-pence; and, as the result,
we may look for a largely increased number of the
best class of British vessels being sent to Liverpool
for loading. This is one step, at least, in the right
direction ; and, we have no doubt, it will be gradually
and judiciously followed up until Liverpool is made
to rank as the best port, both in accommodation and
cheapness, in the British empire.

The Radical portion of the community, and of
the press, who abet the stipendiary magistrate and
the bench in their recent attacks upon the power
and influence of the Watch Committee over the
borough police force, would fain arrogate for the
former the exclusive possession of the decorum,
courtesy, and manliness of conduct fitted for their
high authority. Thus, a contemporary of yesterday,
after eulogizing the proceedings of the magistrates,
proceeds to represent those of the Watch Committee
on Saturday last in terms which, if warranted by
the facts, would be utterly disgraceful to that body.
" Unlike the magistrates," remarks the Albion,
" who threw open the doors of the Session-house,
and admitted the reporters for the press to record
the whole of their proceedings, the accusations as
well as the defence, if there was any, the Watch
Committee went to work in their usual hole and
corner way, and absolutely refused admission to the
reporter of a tory paper, when he respectfully re-
quested it;" and, in the absence of any authorita-
tive information, he proceeds to tell his gullible
readers "what had been permitted to ooze out as
part and parcel of these proceedings." "Mr. Rush-
ton and Mr. Dowling," he says, "were the two
principal gentlemen selected for invective." The
former was "soundly rated for the castigation he
inflicted on Mr. David Hodgson, and sundry ex-
pressions were used al: out want of dignity,' 'over-
heated language,' and so on ;" whilst, with respect
to Mr. Dowling, the prevailing opinion appeared to
be that he " should not have proceeded to read the
resolution adopted by the magistrates to the police
force, without submitting it first for the considera-
tion and approval of the Watch Committee," with
other stuff of the same flippant description.
We need scarcely intimate to any sensible reader
that the whole of this cunningly dovetailed story is
the raving of some penny-a-liner, as ignorant of
what really did occur in the committee as his own
ink-bottle. It served, however, the purpose of our
contemporary. The assertion bat the Watch Com-
mittee wished for any hole and corner work is
utterly without foundation. On the contrary, they
were desirous that their proceedings should be as
public as those of the magistrates; and, but for the
mistake of a clerk in the office, who consulted Mr.
Dowling instead of the committee, with respect to
his admission, our own reporter would have been
present. The rest of our contemporary's inventions
will best be contradicted by the actual proceedings,
which we shall briefly lay before our readers.
After a patient investigation of the whole facts of
the case between themselves and the magistrates,
the following resolutions, which we copy at length,
were unanimously agreed to :—viz.—
The attention of this Committee having been directed
to the following resolution of the Magistrates, adopted at
a Meeting of the Magistrates, holden on Monday, the
18th Nov., transmitted by the Magistrates' Clerks direct
to the Commisfioners of Police.

" Resolved—That if any individual whatever shall
directly or indirectly interfere with any Superintendent,
InspeAor, or other officer of the police force, in the
execution of his di ty, every such officer shall communi-
cate the fact of Sin h interference to the Commissioner of
Police, who shall liy the same immediately befo: e the
Worshipful the Mayor, and that any officer of police who
shall be interfered with, and who shall neglect to com-
municate the fact of such interference as aforesaid, shall
be dismissed the force : and further, that the Commis-
sioner of Police cause a copy of the minutes of this
meeting, and the foregoing resolution, to be entered in
the general order book of the police-force."
" Resolved—That in the opinion of this Committee,
the above resolution amounts to a regulation of the police-
force of the borough, and can only as such legally
emanate from this Committee.
"That this Committee express their anxiety at all
times to co-operate with the Magistrates, in maintaining
the due efficiency of the police-force.
"That this Committee, being of opinion that any im-
proper interference with the police in the discharge of
their duty, is deserving of the strongest reprehension, do
her, by pass the following regulation :
" That if any individual whatever shall so interfere
with any Superintendent, Inspector, or other officer of
the police-force, in the execution of his duty, every such
officer shall immediately communicate the fact of such
interference to the Head Constable, who shall lay the
same before this Committee.
" That the above regulation be communicated to the
police force by the Head-constable.
" Resolved—That the Chairman be requested to
transmit a copy of these proceedings to the Mayor, for
the information of the magistrates.
" Resolved further—That the Chairman be requested
to obtain from the Mayor copies of the examinations of
the officers, taken before the said meeting of magistrates,
in reference to the case of Mr. James Parker, for the use
of this Committee • and that the same be taken into con-
sideration on Saturday next."
Now, we ask of our readers—we ask of the en-
tire Radical community—whether any proceedings
could be more courteous, and yet firm, more digni-
fied and manly than those of the Watch Committee,
or any proceedings much more opposite in character
—more insulting and overbearing—than those of