The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-16 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

FEMALE PENITENTIARY.—The annual meeting was
held on Tuesday last. The Rev. F. Parry took the chair.
It appeared from the report of the treasurer, Jos. King,
Esq., that there was a balance against the institution of
£199 15s. 3d. The treasurer said if exertions were not
made, he would be considerably out of pocket. The ex-
penses seem to have been economised by the ladies' com-
mittee. One matron had been discharged, and a change
connected with this gave promise of other savings. The
number of inmates was reduced from sixty-five to forty-
five, though there was no diminution of applicants,
There have been forty-two applications for admission.
The total in the house was eighty-four. Fifteen were
restored to their friends in 1847, and nearly the same
number since the present year commenced. The average
number in the house during the year has been fifty-five.
485 individuals have been restored to their friends from
the commencement of the institution. Several extracts
from the diary of the ladies' committee were read, giving
favourable accounts of the state of the inmates.
THE LIVERPOOL AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY.—The
annual meeting of the friends of this society was held on
Thursday evening, in the Concert-hall. John Cropper,
Esq., was called to the chair. Mr. Davies, the secretary,
read the report, which deduced from the character of the
times the necessity for more strenuous efforts to carry
out the principles of the bible society. The receipts of
the parent society for the week ending March, 1848,
amounted to the sum of £90,146 Ba. 4d., being consider-
ably less than those of the preceding year, at the same
time the free contributions from the auxiliaries were
£451 12s. sd. more. The issues of the scriptures for
the last year were 1,124,067 copies, making the total issue
of the society 20,865.837. The annual subscriptions of
the Liverpool Auxiliary Society were £422 10s., being
10s. less than those of last year. The contributions of
the Ladies' Branchamounted to the sum 0f£256 15s. 11.,
being less than that of the previous year by £127 16s. 6d.
The amount received for the sale of books last year was
£591 445. 71d., less by £514 17s. 7d. than the receipts
of the former year. The country associations had con-
tributed £355 lls. lid., being less by £l3O ls. 6d. than
the year preceding. The total amount received by the
auxiliary, from all sources, was £2282 2s. 11d., which
was £135 less than the average of the last five years ;
but when compared with the year ending Dec. 31, 1846,
it exhibits a deficiency of £723 7s. 6d., stated to arise
from a diminution to the extent of £5OO in the sale of
books. The copies of the scriptures distributed by the
auxiliary and its affiliated branches were 15,746, and
and from its establishment in 1811, 371,136. The report
was unanimously adopted, and the meeting was subse-
quently addressed by the Rev. Mr. Kelly, the Rev. Mr.
Carpenter, the Rev. B. Owen, and other gentlemen.

VHE LIVERPOOL FINANCIAL REFORM- ASSOCIATION.
—A meeting of this body was held on Wednesday at the
Clarendon-rooms. Mr. R. Gladstone presided, and ex-
plained that the meeting had been called to. hear the re-
port as to• the proposed amalgamation with the National
Confederation to bring about the system of direct taxa-
tion. The report was to the effect that as the National
Confederation insisted upon the immediate adjustment of
local taxation, the Financial Association could not amal-
gamate with them, their object being to reduce the na-
tional burdens and substitute direct for local taxation. It
recommended a reduction of the expenditure, a reduction
in pensions and sinecures, a diminution in the number of
persons employed in the public serrice, and a reduction in
the salaries of all persons in the government receiving
above £l,OOO per annum, and concluded by recommend-
ing a considerable alteration in the mode of collecting the
taxes. The report having been read, the chairman, after
some observations on its contents. ridiculed the appoint-
ment of the Master of the Buck Hounds to the Vice-pre-
sidency of the Board of Trade. The government did not
understand the present position of the mercantile commu-
nity, and it was for the meeting to say whether they would
not shew them their duty in the present emergency. Mr.
Boult suggested the propriety of abolishing all excise and
customs duties, and substituting a direct taxation. He
also referred to the inefficiency of the suffrage, and the un-
due influence of the House of Lords. After some further
discussion, the report was passed, and the sub-committee
appointed to arrange the definite objects of the club, and
report to a future meeting. On Friday another meeting
of the council of this body was held at the Clarendon-
rooms, Mr. Robertson Gladstone in the chair. The chair-
man stated that Mr. Wylie, who had carefully considered
the subject, had drawn up a rough sketch of the plan of
financial reform which he conceived the association should
adopt and advocate, and which might be referred to a com-
mittee. Mr. Wylie then read the paper—an address from
the council to the public. It referred to the great amount
of the national expenditure, and especially to the increase
of £7,200,000 in the estimates sinee 1835, under the head
of " forces," and suggested that, without impairing our
army or navy, the outlay in time of peace should be brought
down from its present amount, £18,900,000, to £12,000,000.
It was also nroposed to reduce other items—justice, dip-
lomacy, miscellaneous, &c.,—retaining the £28,000,000
on the national debt, and thus making a total expenditure
of £44,000,000. To do this it was proposed to tax pro-
perty, and not industry. The value of the real property
of the country was stated at £2,400,000,000, one per cent.
upon which would yield £24,000,000, whilst five per cent.
upon schedules B, C, D, and E, of the property-tax was
estimated at £4,000,000, which united amount, .Z 28,000,000,
it was proposed should be specifically applied to meet the
charge upon the national debt. The other sources of in-
come were estimated to be (nett expense of collection
being deducted) first, stamps, £6,000,000; spirits,
£8,006,000; sugar, tea,tobacco, wine, and coffee, (atpresent
producing £15,000,000,) £8,000,000; total, £50,000,000.
The taxation should be on articles on which the cost of
collection would be the smallest, and the probate and
legacy duty on real property should be placed, and the
duties on certain insurances be repealed. The repeal of
the assessed taxes and excise, with the exception of spirits,
was included in the plan, and the revenue of the post-office
was to be devoted to the exclusive expense of that depart-
ment, the surplus to go for reductions on other items. It
was hoped that the crown lanes would liquidate the civil
list and the expenses of royalty. Mr. Wylie, in conclu-
sion, quoted a letter from Mr. Cobden, expressing an opi-
nion that there should be a reduction of taxation of at
least £lo,ooo,ooo.—Messrs. Robertson, Holland, Wylie,.
and Shiel, were appointed a committee to draw up a
plan for the approval of the council, and the meeting
separated.