The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-03-11 00:00:00

THE LIVEnPOOL STANDARD

COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS

The usual monthly meeting of the Council was held on
'Wednesday.

The committee appointed to inquire into the unneces-
sary restrictions imposed upon the trade of this port by
the Customs, presented their report, which stated that the
chief cause of complaint was the deficient number of land-
ing-waiters, none having been appointed since 1835. Du-
ring the past year, basing the calculation on the last six
months, there has been a daily average of no less than 28
vessels detained for want of landing-waiters, notwithstand-
ing a daily average employment of 25 tide-waiters. The
number of vessels so detained varying, of course, mate-
rially at different periods. On the 18th of July last it
amounted to 104, of which 63 were actually in discharg-
ing berths, and on one occasion in the previous month to
131, of which 45 were in discharging berths, and so re-
cently as the 17th ult. there were 71 vessels waiting. of
which 46 were in discharging berths, notwithstanding the
employment of 40 tide-waiters. Calculating the loss by
the detention of these vessels at £lO per day, there is an
annual loss of £lOO,OOO to the merchants and shipowners,
being more than the annual expense of the Customs' esta-
blishment of the port. Liverpool during the past year
has contributed nearly one-fifth of the whole customs re-
venue of the kingdom, and the increase of its commerce
during the last ten years has been unparalleled. In 1834
the revenue derived from Liverpool was £3,846,306, whilst
in 1841 it was £4,487.683,5h0wing an increase of £641,377,
notwithstanding the greatly reduced tariff which came into
operation in 1842. In 1834 the tonnage was 672,983, and
in 1814 1,102,505, showing an increase of nearly 64 per
cent. on the work required to be done by the landing-
waiters in the year 1814 over that of 1834 ; so that admit-
ting, what, however, your committee are not prepared to
admit, that the number of landing-waiters in 1834 was
sufficient for the work of the port, it will require an addi-
tion of from 30 to 40 to their number, if the present plan
of paying them is persisted in. The committee then go
on to recommend the revival of the mode of payment to
the landing waiters from 1818 to 1829, viz., one part by a
fixed salary and the remainder by a rateable remuneration
according to the work done. In Liverpool, in the summer
months, not more than from six to seven hours are prac-
tically allowed for the discharge of vessels, whilst at Hull,
Glasgow, and o'her places, ten to twelve hours are al-
lowed. The report them alluded to vessels working in
what are termed overhours, and the allowance for bonded
stores for ships, and to the invidious distinction between
London and this port with reference to wines and silks.
It appears that in London the whole wastage in wine in
the warehouses is allowed, whilst here only a moderate
allowance is made ; and while manufactured silks are im-
ported from the Continent into London, they are not al-
lowed to be so from this port. The report concluded with
expressing the fullest reliance that " the result will be the
prompt and entire removal of the grievances complained
of."

Mr. HORSFALL then, in a speech of remarkable per-
spicuity, detailed many arguments to enforce the adoption
of the report, the approval of which he moved, and it was
carried unanimously.

and talents of Mr. Hutchinson ; and supported the ad-
vance.

Mr. HODGSON had felt rather inclined to object to the
advance, but on looking at the minutes of the committee
it appeared that it had been promised to Mr. Hutchinson.
He condemned the habit of cavilling at every recommen-
dation of committees; it was a great wastage of time and
of mutual confidence.

Mr. HARBORD also was in favour of the recommenda-
tion of the committee. _

Mr. H. HGRNBY would not have spoken on the subject
but that he entirely differed from the remarks made by
Mr. Hodgson. It was the bounden duty of the Council
to examine strictly into the proceedings of the committees.
There was nothing ,derogatory to the committee in op-
posing or annulling their recommendations. He thought
the recommendation, in this instance, was inconsistent
with the established principle of giving servants a trial
before their salaries were raised ; and concluded by se-
conding the amendment.
Mr. HORSFALL quite agreed with Mr. Hornby that it
was necessary fully to discuss the proceedings of com-
mittees ; but he was always disposed to bow with great
deference to their recommendations. Coming fresh from
the consideration of this subject, he felt inclined to do so
in this instance. If members of that committee were not
able in three months to form a judgment as to the salary
of a market inspector, they were not fit to have a seat in
that council. (Hear.) He thought £2OO a year not
more than sufficient.
__

After some further discussion the amendment was put,
when there appeared—for it, nine ; against it thirty ; viz. :
For—Messrs. Thornhill, J. Brancker, Chalmer, North,
H. Hornby, J. Holmes, Sir Thomas Brancker, J. H.
Turner, and the Mayor.

Against—Messrs. Atherton, Shaw, Houghton, J. C.
Thompson, R. B. Hill, Tyrer, Middleton, Henderson,
Aspinall, Royden, Sothern, G. G. Hornby, Pemberton,
Wood, Birkett, Kaye, Kilshaw, G. H. Lawrence, R. L.
Jones, Sheppard, Harbord, Mann, D. Hodgson, Horsfall,
Houghton, Sands, Nicol, Molyneux, and Bushby.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
This committee recommended the opening an evening
school for adults at the North Corporation Schools.
The proceedings of the Church Expenditure, Town-
hall Establishment, Health, and Fire• Prevention Com-
mittees were confirmed.

The Coroner's accounts amounting
.to £127 4s. 4d.,
were referred to the Finance Committee.

MAYOR'S CONIMUFICATIONS

His WORSHIP read a letter from the Mayor of Great
Yarmouth, enclosing a statement of the calamity on the
Scroby Sands, off Yarmouth Beach, on Sunday, the 26th
of January, 1845, and soliciting subscriptions from the
inhabitants of the borough in aid of a fund for the relief
of the sufferers on that occasion.
The MAYOR said that he had returned an answer to
the effect that, he would read it to the Council, which
was the only way in his power to make it public. The
Mayor trusted the reporters would give publicity to the
application.
A memorial from four householders complaining of the
dangerous state of a building in Wood-street, was re-
ferred to the Finance Committee.

An application by Mr. T. B. Barclay, on behalf of the
institution called " The Refuge of the Destitute," to re-
new the lease of their buildings without the customary
fine, was ordered to stand over until the Ist of January
next. The Town-clerk gave it as his opinion, that the
fine could not be remitted without an application to the
Lords of the Treasury, and no part of the surplus fund
could be granted for the benefit of any institution not
solely devoted to the inhabitants of the borough.