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

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.

On Wednesday the usual monthly meeting of the
Council was held at the Town Hall.

The prcceedings of the Finance Committee having been
read,
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE moved their confirmation, and
said the Committee had directed the surveyor to advertise
for more powerful packets to ply between Liverpool and
Birkenhead: He confessed that he shrunk from having
anything to do with steam-boats, because a traffic of that
kind was uncongenial to his own feelings and that of the
Committee;. but he did not see what alternative the
Council had. They must either close the ferry or abandon
it altogether, or provide good and efficient boats to carry
on the traffic to Birkenhead. He wished it were other-
wise. He wished they could get a good and efficient
tenant ; but, under present circumstances, there was no
probability of that, for it had been proposed to run the
Monks' Ferry and Woodside steamers at the reduced rate
of a halfpenny, or possibly to throw the charge of main-
taining the ferry on the rates, and thus by carrying the
public over for nothing, endeavouring to repay themsel-
ves by the advantages which might accrue to their pro-
perty generally on the other side of the water. Now, the
Corporation could not contend with Birkenhead in this
respect, for he was not prepared to take parties over to
Birkenhead for nothing. The experiment of a penny
rate satisfied him that it would be ultimately remunera-
tive, the penny had been a great boon to the community,
and especially to the lower classes of the town. For the
weeks ending the 15th, 22nd, and 29th of June, the num-
bers carried across the river by the Corporation boats
were 39,907. During the three preceding weeks, the
numbers carried at. twopence . each were 14,668. The
Council would thus perceive that a larger sum had been
received at a penny than at twopence ; but it was only
fair to mention that one of the weeks was Whitsun
week,, when, of course, pleasure excursions were
numerous. He believed that hitherto the Cor-
poration had done no harm either to Woodside
ferry or to Mr. Willoughby ; and, indeed, he
was exceedingly sorry that Mr. illoughby had ever
ceased to be the tenant of the Corporation. He admitted
that the Birkenhead ferry was being worked at present
at a very serious loss, and he advised Mr. Parker and
others to be cautious before they injured, by their remarks,
this-or any other portion of the corporate property.
Mr. THOMPSON said he found that from the 11th of
May to the 29th of June the sum of £428 had been
received by the Corporation for conveying passengers,
and that the expense of the steam-boats was £B96,—thus
leaving a deficit of £468. The public had taken a de-
termined stand against going in the Corporation boats,—
for, right or wrong, thsy had got it into their heads, that
the rich and powerful Corporation of Liverpool were
persecuting an individual ; and therefore it was a pity for
the Corporation to go on, throwing their money away and
being laughed at into the bargain. He moved, as an
amendment, that the working of the ferry be abandoned.
The amendment, not having been seconded, fell to the
ground.
Mr. PARSER contended that he had a right, as repre-
sentative of the burgesses, to find fault, particularly when
it was now quite certain that the working of the ferry
must entail a dead loss upon the Corporation of many
thousands a-year. He moved, pursuant to notice, that it
be an instruction to the Finance Committee, that an
account of the receipts and expenditure of the Birken-
head Ferry be rendered at each monthly Council.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE objected to this motion, upon
the ground that the Committee ought to be left some dis-
cretion, and that, if the receipts and expenditure were
published monthly, the affairs of the Committee, which
might be considered as private affairs, would be unneces-
sarily exposed.

Mr. S. HOLME warned Mr. Parker not to be quite so
anxious as he appeared to be in depreciating the value of
the Corporation property, and said that Mr. Parker's zeal
was not perhaps, without knowledge, but it sometimes
was a zeal without discretion.

Mr. PARKER'S motion was not carried, and the proceed-
ings of the committee were adopted.
Mr. TURNER asked whether the opinion of counsel had
yet been received relative to the selling of goods at the
Albert Dock warehouses ?

Mr. Nicol, replied in the affirmative ; it was received
yesterday, and it was in confirmation of the dock solici-
tor's opinion that goods could be sold at the expiration of
ten days after being warehoused for 90 days.
In reply to Mr. EVANS,
- - -

Mr. ISTicoL said, that when the new docks were opened,
the income would, of course, be carried to capital account.

Mr. EVANS said it was rumoured that a deal of the
land and warehouses, which were to be bought in order
to have the Wapping Dock, had been left out of the bill,
and that the Dock Committee were now at the mercy
of the owners of the lands and houses in question. lie
wished to know if this were the case ? _ _ _

Mr. Nicoi. replied that he had never heard of it. A
paragraph of that kind had appeared in the newspapers,
but it was quite a mistake.
Mr. J. B. Lloyd said the Courts of Law Committee
were making the necessary preparations with a view to
the erection of a suitable organ for St. George's Ball.
The MAYOR read a memorial from the inhabitants of
Toxteth-park, praying that St. James's market might be
enlarged.
Some discussion took place relative to the failure of
Gill-street market, and as to whether provision shops
were not more useful to the public than markets; and
eventually the memorial was referred to the Markets'
Committee. _ .

The proceedings of the Health Committee, including
wash-houses and baths, comprised the consideration of
the report of the borough engineer, on the general system
of sewerage and other works, which was postponed at the
last monthly Council; a recommendation to the Council
to take immediate steps for remedying the deficient venti-
lation of the Council room • and a further report from
the sub-committee on sites for additional baths and wash-
houses. _ _

Mr. LACE moved the confirmation of the proceedings.
Mr. TINNE seconded the motion, and in doing so said
that the carrying out of Mr. Newland's plan was esti-
mated at £650,000, but that it probably would be 100
years before that gentleman's plan of sewerage would be
fully carried out.
Mr. S. HOLME highly lauded the report of Mr. New-
lands and called upon the Council, in a time of such un-
paralleled distress as at present, to give all the employment
they possibly could to the poor artisans.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE was willing to give employment
but he warned the Council against burdening the rate-
payers too heavily, for if the new goal were erected a rate
would have to be laid, . _

The engineers' report on the general system of sewer-
age was approved and adopted, so far as the general prin.

July 11, MS.

eiple there laid down was concerned, subject to such
modifications in the details and expenditure as might
hereafter be found necessary.
Mr. TINNE complained that although a thousand copies
of the proceedings of the Health Committee had been
printed for gratuitous distribution to the public, very few
copies had been required.
The proceedings of the Water Committee comprised a
report from Mr. Thomas Spencer, in which he stated that,
pursuant to orders, he had examined all the local wells
lying between Liverpool and the Old Swan, and that in
thirty-six samples he had taken there were considerable
quantities of saline matter, which had oozed into the wells
from the river Mersey.
A memorial from the Guardian Society was read, pray-
ing that the Pike scheme be not proceeded with for the
present.
Mr. Parker and Mr. Harbord supported the prayer, of
this memorial.

A similar memorial was read from the National Con-
federation.

A letter was read from Mr. M'Donald, complaining
that two of his reports to the Water Committee had not
been submitted to the public. He also stated that he was
only cognizant of one series of experiments by Messrs.
Kennedy and M'Gregor, and that had it not been for his
observation, the yield of one of the wells would have been
set down at 60,000 gallons a day less than the actual
quantity. He denied that the local wells were contami-
nated by surface water, and he again contended that if
his plans were carried out the inhabitants might obtain
an ample, and perhaps continuous supply from the local
wells.

A long discussion followed, at the close of which the
proceedings of the Water Committee were confirmed.
Mr. PARKER moved, pursuant to notice, to rescind the
the resolution of the Council, adopted on the sth of
April last, confirming the recommendation of the Water
Committee, that that committee be authorised to make
an arrangement with Mr. Hawksley for the purpose stated
in the report of that committee then submitted to the
Council, and to employ such persons in the engineering
department of the Water Works, as may be found neces-
sary for the economical and efficient working of the
establishment.
Mr. BENNETT seconded the motion, which was lost,
after a lengthened discussion, by a majority of 19 to 10.
A memorial on the subject of the consumption of
smoke was read and referred.