The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-12 00:00:00

THE COMMISSIONERS OF BIRKENHEAD.

On Tuesday evening, the usual monthly meeting of the
Commissioners of Birkenhead took place at the Town-
ball, John Deane Case, Esq., in the chair. The follow-
ing members were present :—Messrs. W. Jackson, J. S.
Jackson, A. Kerr, Cole, Pim, Fry, Watson, Horner,
Hind, Wood, Dale, Greene, and Gilbertson.
The Lighting and Watching Committee recommended
that four of the police be ordered to do duty on board
the ferry-boats, and that four others, in their stead, be
appointed to the police. Agreed to.

From the proceedings 'of the Road Committee it ap-
peared that Mr. Appleton had offered to sewer a part of
Church-street, on condition that the usual township com-
mission be not charged ; and it was understood that Mr.
Appleton would, if his offer were accepted, pay the con-
tractor for the execution of the work.
Mr. W. JACKSON moved that the offer be rejected. In
doing so.he said he was militating in some degree against
his own interest, inasmuch as if the commission were
not charged in the case of Mr. Appleton, he might claim
an exemption from it in other cases; but he thought that
the townships had a right to receive it, as the inhabitants
had borne all the expense consequent upon the contrac-
tor's appointment.
The tno'ion was carried, and it was agreed that an ap-
prentice, to assist the Road Surveyor, should be inden-
tured to the Commissioners.

From the proceedings of the Improvement Committee,
it appeared that an offer had been received for 38,000 yards
of land in Conway-street, at 9s. per yard.
Mr. W. JACKSON, in moving the confirmation of those
proceedings, said it was desirable to accept the offer in
question, and that it was now proposed to offer the land
round the park for sale by tender—the lowest tender to be
40s. 6d., and the highest bidder, upon giving security, to
be declared the purchaser. He had very little doubt that
when they met next month, the whole of the property
around the park would be sold, and that the sale of the
park land, together with that in Conway-street, would
produce a sum of £125,000. They would then have 70
acres left ; and, valuing those seventy acres moderately,
an aggregate sum would be realised, sufficiently large to
pay off the entire of their bonded debt. They would then
have their Park, their Cemetery, their Town-hall, and he
hoped, their Slaughter-houses, free from all incum-
branccs. At the risk of being considered out of course,
he wished, seeing the position of the townships, to call
the attention of the commissioners to the propriety of
affording increased accommodation to the public by run-
ning boats all night across the Mersey, and by running
them as fast as boats could run, keeping three on the sta-
tion, and as fast as one came sending another off. (Hear,
hear.) He called for this accommodation to be afforded
the public, and he hoped the time was not far distant
when parties would be allowed to cross the ferry for one
penny instead of twopence a head. He then called upon
the Commissioners to reduce contracts ; and expressed
his opinion that if those suggestions were adopted, the re-
ceipts of the township would be considerably increased.
He concluded by asking the Law-Clerk whether, as seve-
ral gentlemen were desirous of placing their residences on
the boundaries of the Park, the Commissioners could ten-
der and purchase part of the township's property ?
Mr. MALLABY replied that the commissioners could
not vote upon or accept contracts which they themselves
had sent in. They were bound to leave the adjudicature
of such contracts to the other commissioners who had not
offered, or absent themselves on such occasions, and not,
either directly or indirectly, to influence the result.
Mr. W. JACKSON.—That does not prohibit them from
tendering ?
Mr. M A LLABY.—No.
Mr. GREEN said the committee would be in a position
to carry out Mr. Jackson's suggestions with respect to
the ferry in July next. (Hear, hear.)
After a few further remarks, the proceedings were con-
firmed.

The Ferry Committee reported that matters were going
on satisfactorily, that improvements continued to be made,
and that the new beat would commence plying in another
fortnight.
Mr. W. JACKSON asked when the second boat would
be ready ?
Mr. J. JACKSON replied that she would be launched in
April.
The board then adjourned to Tuesday, the 19th instant.

FATAL ACCIDENT.—A frightful accident occurred one
day last week, on board her Majesty's steam-vessel Styx,
lying off Woolwich dockyard. Ralph Thompson, an en-
gineer attached to the factory of the dock-yard, was en-
gaged with two others repairing the floats of the above
vessel, when, through some inadvertence, the paddle-
wheels were set in motion by the men in the engine-room,
and poor Thompson, becoming entangled in the wheel,
was instantly crushed to death.

SOLDIERS' WIVES.—A. case of great hardship has been
brought under our notice which, whilst it cannot fail to
excite the sympathy of the public, will, we hope, have
serious attention and redress on the part of the proper
authorities. It is well known that when the regiments
of our most gallant army are on their march through the
country, the children of the soldiers and their wives, in
instances of illness and fatigue, are taken on the baggage
carts, and thus accompany the corps to its destination.
Since it has become the practice to forward troops by the
railroad, the case is wofully altered for the unfortunate
women and children. Railroad companies have refused
to convey them with the regiment ; the poor soldiers
cannot afford to pay for their passage, and thus the help-
less creatures are thrown upon the world, mostly with-
out even the means of procuring the most common ne-
cessaries. The parishes will not pass them on ; and thns
the wives and children of the soldiers of a regiment which
has marched from a remote part of England to London,
thence to proceed by railway to Liverpool, for embarka-
tion to Ireland, will be abandoned at the Euston-square
terminus, to find their way to Ireland as best they may.
We ask is this treatment befitting for a soldier's wife—
is it consistent with humanity—is it calculated to pro-
mote the interests of public morality ? It may not be
out of place to mention what we hear has occurred with
respect to two regiments thus transported by railway.
The gallant officer commanding the 70th, feeling com-
passion for the poor soldiers and their families, ordered
that they should travel together ; and will it be be-
lieved that the authorities refused to sanction the addi•
tional expense so incurred, and that each soldier was
placed under stoppage of pay until his proportion of that
expense should be discharged ? Then with regard to the
67th Regiment, it is well known in military circles that
its officers, rather than suffer the wives and children of
the soldiers to be abandoned, subscribed among themselves
a sum sufficient to defray the expense of tbeir.transport.
Is it fair we ask, that officers, whose pay is so inadequate
to that position which they must maintain in society,
should be thus heavily taxed? And finally, we ask, is
this a state of things that should be suffered to continue?
—Observer.

For DUBLIN and BELFAST.
.‘'',4,-1' ,\._ THE CITY OF DUBLIN STEAM-
#IITiiII4, PACKET COMPANY,
1,;--...-..',..--,-- - Incorporated by Act of Parliament.
The above Company sail their Vessels, (with orwithout
Pilots,) taking Goods and Passengers.
For DUBLIN,
THIS DAY, March 12, at 3 o'clock P.M.
WEDNESDAY, ~ 13,
~,,,5 ~ P.M.
THURSDAY, of 14, , 6 ~ P.M.
FRIDAY, to Isk 7 .+
P.M.
16; 8
SATURDAY, If 1, P.M.
MONDAY, so 18, 9 11 P.M.
The QUEEN VICTORIA, PRINCE, PRINCESS,
or other first-class Steamersails EVERY EVENING, at
Seven o'clock, from George Pierhead, LIVERPOOL,
to KINGSTOWN HARBOUR, with her Majesty's
Mailsand Cabin Passenge.rs only.
For BELFAST, the ATHLONE,
WEnNEsnAv, March 13, at 5 o'clock P.M.
Fnrther information riven at the Company's Office,
24, Water-street,
JOHN K. ROUNTII WAITE, Agent.