The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-12-02 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The quarterly meeting of the chamber was held on
Wednesday, at the offices, No. 4, Ezchange•buitdings, for
the purpose of receiving a report from the council, and
for thA transaction of other business.

T. B. HORSFALL, Esq., president, occupied the chair,
and there was a large attendance.
The CHAIRMAN, referring to the report which would
be read, said there were several subjects of importance
alluded to, but none more so than the administration of
the Customs laws of this country, and the administration
of our commercial laws. (Hear, hear.) " The fact is,
that the Customs laws of this country have not kept pace
in improvement with the improvement of our commerce
and the requirements of our commerce. (Hear, hear.) I
am happy to think, however, your council has acted wisely
in endeavouring thus far to ascertain the real grievances
which exist in this town ; and I believe, before very lung,
you will be called upon—the town generally will be called
upon—to sign a requisition to the mayor, to convene a
town's meeting on the subject, in order that government
may be aware of the great commercial interest which is
felt on the subject of a reform in the Board of Customs."
(Hear, hear.) Mr. Horsfall concluded—" We know that
the trading interests of the community are gaining rapidly,
and I think they will gain the ascendancy in the Commons
House of Parliament (applause); and I think further,
that if the government do not remodel the Board of
Customs, the time is not distant when they will be met
by the fatal answer, `lt's too late;' and when the people
of this country will be disposed to go farther than I would
wish to see them go, and say We will have no Board of
Customs." (Hear, hear.)
Mr. TROT SON, the secretary, then read the report, which
adverted to the various questions that had occupied the
attention of the chamber.

Mr. F. SHAND moved the adoption of the report, which
was seconded by Mr. Enwann HEATH, and unanimously
carried.

Mr. EIEATR dwelt on the advantages of the chamber ;
he asked them to contrast the superiority of a permanent
body like that in watching over the affairs of the town,
commerce, and trade generally, as compared with those
irregular meetings which used to take place before its
existence, when any special grievance had to be remedied,
or any particular object had to be attained, when they
knew that, after the first burst of excitement was over, no
person was found to work, and the matter was allowed
to drop.

The next resolution was, that the members of parlia-
ment for the borough and county should be members of
the council. This was likewise unanimously agreed to.
Mr. STITT, the treasurer, stated that, at the commence-
ment of 1851, their expenditure and their income were
balanced, within a few shillings. They had not retrograded
since then ; but he might mention, for the satisfaction of
the chamber, the increase of members in 1851 had been 68
in number. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. RICHARD SHELL then addressed the meeting cn
the subject of postal regulations, with reference princi-
pally to the delay in the delivery of letters in Liverpool,
from the packets entering Southampton. He said, the
only mode which would be efficient for removing the
grievance, and of serving the country generally, was by
bringing the packets to Liverpool.—(Hear, hear.) Liver-
pool, for all the purposes of collecting letters and distri-
buting them, was better situated than any other town of
importance in the whole United Kingdom, and any man
who looked at the map would see it.—(Hear, hear.) He
moved the following resolution :—" That it is desirable
some improvement should he made in the mode of deli-
vering letters from the Post-office, and that the chamber
sees no objection to the plan proposed by the postmaster."
Seconded by Mr. KELLY, and carried unanimously.

Mr. FORWOOD next made some remarks upon the im-
port trade, and the necessity of giving every facility to
the export trade. The exports of Liverpool ncwamounted
to no less, in 1851, than £34,000,000—a mass of property
of amazing value. No overtures had been made to the
chamber by the London and North-western Railway
Company, to state their willingness to put Liverpool on
the same footing as London.
The CHAIRMAN said, the London and North-western
Company were willing and anxious to do so, but they re-
quired the assent of two other companies. He was quite
sure they had the disposition to do what was right.
Mr. HIGGIN expressed his concurrence in the remarks
of Mr. Forwood, and said, if they wished to retain their
imports, they should preserve their exports. (Applause.)
Mr. Buar said, that was a question affecting every
merchant in Liverpool ; but he thought they should not
make an attack upoE the London and North-western,
inasmuch as the company was tied up by an agreement
with the canal not to take anything between Manchester
and Liverpool at less than so much per ton. The only
influence they could bring to bear upon them, likely to be
successful, was to induce them to withdraw those conces-
sions they lately made to London.

After dfew words from Mr. SHAND the subject dropped.
Mr. HOLLAND then addressed a few words to the meet-
ing on the subject of tribunals of commerce. The com-
mittee of which he was chairman, had not lost sight of the
matter. He thought the safest plan would be to join the
London committee in asking " parliament for a committee
to inquire by what means mercantile cases might be
adjudicated according to the principle of equity. &c., and
how far this can be accomplished by our having merchant
judges." He moved a resolution to that effect.
Mr. L. HEYWORTH, M.P., seconded the motion ; but,
on the suggestion of Mr. Heath, it was withdrawn until
the committee had concluded its labours, and their report
came before the public.
At the request of Mr. JAMES REAY, a letter, signed
" A Liverpool Banker," which appeared in the Times of
Tuesday, and the substance of which appears in another
part of our paper, was read. He then stated that a poor
woman's husband had sent her £5 through a house which
had just become bankrupt, had called upon him, and al-
though the woman had been fourteen days in Liverpool,
she had not got one penny. He himself had taken seven
of those small orders to a house which existed here a year
and a half ago, and out of the seven he got only 30s. One
of the parties kad been followed as far as Havre, but as
he was not a native of the country, and was only on a ♦isit,
he could not be touched, though he had £l,OOO in his
pocket. He moved that the whole subject be referred to
the chamber.

Mr. SHIEL seconded the motion, and stated this system
had been in operation for twenty years. It had been
brought before the Council when Mr. Wm. Earle was
mayor, and to the Cou►►cil of Liverpool might be attri-
buted the bill which had been since passed for the protec-
tion of emigrants. After objecting to this matter being
placed in the hands of any house, he argued that it was the
Government only that could extend it to all parts of the
country ; and as emigrants went to every town in the
United States, it was desirable there should be in every
town an establishment, in communication with the towns
in this country, where a man could receive the amount
for which the bill had been drawn. He trusted come
measures would be adopted for the relief of his poor coun-
trymen. (Hear, hear.)
The motion was agreed to, the Chairman undertaking
to bring the subject forward at the next meeting of the
Council.

The thanks of the meeting were then voted to the chair-
man, and the proceedings terminated.

FINANCIAL REORM ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of this association was held at the
Concert-hall on Thursday evening, Mr. Robertson Glad-
stone, the president, in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said that
the meeting, strictly speaking, ought to have been held
earlier in the year, but it had occurred to some of the
members of the council, with perfect good taste and right
feeling, that, as her Majesty was then about to honour
Liverpool with a visit, the exposure of the enormities of
our financiel system was not the most fitting welcome for
royalty, however much they might have reason to believe
the natural bent of her Majesty's disposition was opposed
to reckless extravagance and national wrong.
Mr. DOUGLAS MILNE, the secretary, read the report of
the committee, which expressed the opinion that how great
soever may be the difficulty of finding an acceptable and
perfect scheme of direct taxation, no plan can be possibly
adopted, so full of evil in every imaginable form, and with
so little countervailing advantage of any kind, as that sys-
tem of taxation now existing.
Mr. A. C. STEWART moved the adoption of the report.
He exposed the impolicy, absurdity, and wickedness of
spending the national money in supporting schools and
carrying out sanitary improvements, while the Govern-
ment imposed taxes on knowledge, and duty on soap, and
all those articles which render home happy, and induce
habits of sobriety and morality in a people. Such taxes,
he said, ought to be repealed at once and for ever.
Mr. FRANCIS BOULT, in seconding the motion, observed
that the two objects which the association had in view
were, a due and efficient economy in the expenditure of
the coantry, and a thorough reform of the existing system
of taxation.

The CHAIRMAN put the resolution, which was carried
unanimously.

Mr. EDWARD BRODRII3I3 then, in a long address, moved
the adoption of a petition to Parliament, praying for an
inquiry as to whether the present system of taxation
through the customs, excise, stamps, licenses, and as-

sessed-taxes on carriages and servants, does not press more
unequally on the several classes of the community, and act
more injuriously on the general prosperity of the country at

its justly complained' of inequalities.
Mr. LAWRENCE HEYWORTLT, M.P., seconded the reso-
lution. As regarded universal suffrage, which must follow
the adoption of direct taxation, he could not agree to the
opinion that the people were unfit to have such a power,
that they were too ignorant. There were certainly igno-
rant people among all classes, but he believed that, if any,
they were fewer among the working classes than any other.
The resolution was7put and carried.
Mr. CHARLES ROBERTSON moved the appointment of
the officers and committee for the ensuing year.
Mr. Robertson Gladstone was named as president, and
Mr. Lawrence Heyworth, M.P., as vice-president.
Mr. C. E. RAWLINS seconded the resolution, which was
also carried unanimously ; and, after a vote of thanks to
the chairman, the meeting broke up.,