The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-09-12 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE BIRKENHEAD COMMIS.

SIONERS.

The monthly meeting of the Birkenhead Commissioners
took place on Tuesday. The proceedings of the Lighting
and Watching Committee contained a proposition for
placing the police force on a better and more permanent
footing.—The Chairman advised the appointment of a
superintendent, at a salary of £lOO, and that the police
be changed every eight hours. Some man of intelligence
could be got for that sum, who could readily make him-
self acquainted with the various acts of parliament, and
give directions to the police.—lt was ultimately arranged
that the General Board should appoint the• superinten-
dent, and that the Watch Committee should make the
necessary alterations in the police.—lt appeared from the
report that the Ferry was progressing favourably, the re-
ceipts of the past month having exceeded those of the
corresponding month last year.—The plans of Messrs.
Fox, Henderson, and Co., for the new markets, were
approved, and contracts for the works ordered.—The
Chairman brought before the commissioners a proposition
of the Railway Company for selling Monks' Ferry, inclu-
ding the hotel, slip, road, and ferry, subject to certain
stipulations, for £20,000.—A resolution, adopting the
preamble of the purchase, was carried ; as also one agree-
ing to purchase 650 yards at the corner of Ivy-street and
Chester-street, for the purpose of improving the access
to Monks' Ferry.

SANATORY CONDITION OF BIRKENHEAD

In the course of the proceedings, Mr. S. Stansfield was
called upon by the Chairman to read a report of the sana-
tory condition of the township, prepared at the request of
the Markets Committee. After some general observa-
tions on the state of the township, which it was stated
now contained from 18,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, and the
advantage of the uncontaminated and unobstructed At-
lantic breeze, the report referred to the formation of the
park of 226 acres for the recreation of the inhabitants,
and then stated that the ancient boundary of the township
contained 998 square acres, but, now that part of Oxton
and Claughton was included, the township stood in a space
of 1338 square acres, or nearly two square miles. The
entire length of the streets in the old boundary was 28,520
yards; of these 17,745 yards were sewered, and 5,700 in
course of completion, making 23,445 yards sewered out
of 28,520, or about 16 miles of sewerage. Taking the
amount of sewerage in Liverpool at 25 miles, and Bir-
kenhead at 14 miles, and allowing the population of Li-
verpoil to be 240,000, and that of Birkenhead 10,000, the
latter has 14 times more sewerage than the former; two-
fifths of Liverpool was sewered, whilst four-fifths of Bir-
kenhead was sewered. In fact, there was enough of
sewerage at Birkenhead for 140,000 inhabitants. The
following table shows the increase of the township, with
, the average amount of deaths for four years :

Inhabited Total Deaths
houses. populatn. in the yr.
1838— 778, allowing 6k persons to each house 4057 113
1839 995 /0 10 01 6467 14 1

1840-..1130

7345 137

1841-1256

8227 208

27,096 s9B
Average population for 4 years, 6774. Average deaths, 147; or
1 in 45.

The number of births in 1838 was 218, deaths 113;
1839, births 247, deaths 140; 1840, births 278, deaths
137 ; 1841, births 302, deaths 208. The mortality in
country districts according to the last census was 1 in 54,
in town districts 1 in 38, and this showed that Birkenhead
took a medium position between town and country. The
report then referred to the regulations in the new act of
parliament as to the erection of courts, back houses, &c.,
and pointed out the clauses which have for their object
the cleanliness and health of the inhabitants. It after-
wards pointed out the necessity for better and more com-
modious landing places at Liverpool. The number of
passengers which crowded to Woodside annually was
200,000, and this showed an average, if equally divided,
of 5500 per day, but on some days the number exceeded
20,000. Public convenience would soon require the boats
to run every quarter of an hour; but this was impossible
until more accommodation was provided. If the autho-
rities of Liverpool were fully alive to only half of the in-
convenience and risk, they would take measures to remedy
the evil.

The Chairman said the commissioners were greatly in-
debted to Mr. Stansfield for his report, and, after some
discussion, it was agreed that it should be printed at the
expense of the board, and sold to the public.

Dons.—The Mayor has renewed his proclamation
against dogs being allowed to go at large in the borough.
If any dogs be permitted to run loose in the streets, du-
ring the next three weeks, the owners of such dogs will
be liable to a penalty of five pounds.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT.—On Monday last Samuel
Hughes, an assistant-engineer at the foundry of Messrs.
Weber and Co., was found beneath the grindstone, which
is turned by a strap from the engine. He was crushed
and mutilated in a shocking manner. He was carried to
the Northern Hospital, where he died almost immedi-
ately.

THE REVISING BARRISTERS COURT.—The revision
courts for county votes (South Lancashire) commence at
Ashton, on Wednesday, the 20th instant; at Bolton on
the following Friday ; at Bury, on Monday, the 25th ; and
at Manchester, on Wednesday, the 27th. At Oldham the
barristers open their court on Wednesday, the 4th of
October ; at Rochdale the following day, (October 5) ;
and at Newton-in-the-Willows on Friday, October 5.
The courts at Liverpool on Tuesday, the 10th of October ;
at Ormskirk on the 13th ; and at Wigan on Monday, the
16th of that month.

INQUESTS.—Two inquests were held, before the bo-
rough coroner, on Saturday. One was on the body of a
full-grow!► female child, which had been found in the yard
of St. Anthony's Chapel, Scotland-road, encased in a
wooden box, covered over with a piece of black cloth. It
appeared from the evidence of the sexton, that a strange
man had informed him that he had left the box in the
yard, because he had not sufficient money to pay for the
burial. It being the opinion of Mr. Woods, surgeon, that
the child was still-born, a verdict to this effect was re-
turned.—The second inquest was on the body of a carter,
named Joseph Orrell, who, while in the act of loading a
lorry with cotton, fell between the bales, and so seriously
fractured the upper part of the spine that be died on the
following day.—A verdict of accidental death was re-
turned.

RUNCORN SAVINGS BANK.—A general meeting of the
managers of this institution was held at the bank, on Sa-
turday, and John Johnson, Esq., was called to the chair.
The actuary, Mr. Robert Fox, presented a statement of
the accounts for the quarter ending the 19th ult., which,
having been audited and found correct by Mr Richard
Jones and his colleague, was approved and passed. It ap-
peared, from the statement produced, that the deposits of
the quarter were £613 17s. 2d., and the amount withdrawn,
£52 is. 34d. ; so that the lodgments in the bank were in-
creased by £561 15s. 100., making the aggregate of depo-
sits placed under government security, £2743 10s. 13d.
When it is considered that the Savings' Bank has been in
operation not quite eighteen months, this is a most gratify-
ing report ; within so short a period, nearly £3OOO have been
treasured up in safe custody, for further accumulation and
for future need.

FIRES.—About a quarter after nine o'clock on the morn-
ing of Saturday last smoke was observed to issue from the
cellar windows of an extensive bonded warehouse in Run-
corn-street, belonging to Messrs. Howard, Horsley, and
Co., which, for a while, created some alarm in the neigh-
bourhood, as the cellar was filled with brimstone and the
upper part of the building with general colonial produce
of a more or less combustible quality. The alarm having
been speedily conveyed to the fire station, several engines
were on the spot in the course of twenty minutes ; and
fortunately the flames were extinguished before any con-
siderable damage had been done. How the fire origina-
ted is a matter of mystery, if not of suspicion, as, when
first discovered, it was burning close to one of the wind-
ows, which is on a level with the street. It will be re-
collected that, about three months since, some combusti-
tible matter was discovered in a warehouse belonging to
the same parties in Dundee-street.

TRANMERE.—On Thursday evening a meeting was
held in the school-room, Tranmere, to consider the best
measures to be adopted to appoint an assistant petty con-
stable in the room of James Groves. The chair was taken
by Mr. Moss, senior churchwarden. Mr. Woodward
proposed that candidates for the office should be advertised
for; and the person chosen should be recommended by
them to magistrates ; Captain Richards seconded the
motion. Mr. W. W. Perry said, in consequence of the
petty constsble being so frequently withdrawn from the
township, and not being under the control of the rate-
payers, he should oppose the motion. Mr. Perry then
proposed, as an amendment, that no officer should be
advertised for to act as an assistant petty constable under
the Constabulary Act. He said he did so from a convic-
tion that if they had an officer of their own, the business
of the township would be attended to. Mr. Perry's
amendment was put and carried by a large majo-
rity.

THE SAILORS' STRIKE.—A meeting of the sailors con-
nected with the recent turn-out against the shipping
offices was held on Friday evening last, in the Queen's
Theatre, and was most numerously attended, the building
being crowded to excess. Captain Hudson in the chair.
Several resolutions, expressive of the impositions practised
in the shipping offices, were adopted; and, as a remedy,
it was proposed that a general registry office, convenient
to the docks, should be immediately established, where
masters and seamen may resort, and where a register of
seamen's names, places of abode, and character, should be
continually open for inspection. The charge for this
should be sixpence, including all expenses. A committee
was formed to carry out this project. The following com-
munication from the Mayor, in reply to a memorial from
the sailors, was read :
- - - - - -

" Town-hall, Liverpool, Bth Sept., 1843

" To the Seamen P?tiyonirs to the Council.

" Your petition was duly laid by me before the Coun-
cil, and was read, I considered, by them with a strong
feeling towards the petitioners. It did not, however, im.
mediately appear to the Council that they had the means
of effecting any improvement in the arrangements between
the seamen and the shipping agents ; but a member of the
Council declared his intention of bringing the subject of a
Seamen's Home before the Council, with regulations for
bettering the condition of the seaman, and in particular
for aiding in the preservation of his earnings for his bene-
fit, under his own order and disposal. And the same
member strongly recommended that every seaman, on re-
turning home from a voyage, should obtain a written cha-
racter from the ship master, which, it was thought, would
go a long way in securing future employment. I shall be
happy at any time to do all in my power, as Mayor, or as
a Member of the Council, in bringing forward the case of
the sailors for due and proper consideration.—l am, your
faithful servant,
" ROBERTSON GLADSTONE, Mayor."