The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-04-09 00:00:00

Ttli LIVERPOOL STANDAiII

THE RIVINGTON ABANDONMENT BILL.

The TOWN-CLERK then read clause ten as follow—

Mr. A. HENDERSON proposed, and Mr. FERNYFIOUGH
seconded, that the whole clause be struck from the bill.
After considerable discussion, in which Mr. Nicol, Mr.
D. Hodgson, Mr. Hornby, and Mr. Horsfall took part,
the amendment was put and lost, there being
For the amendment
Against it ....

Majority
The vote was as follows :
For the amendment.—Councillors Woodruff, Bighorn, Pres-
ton, Godfrey, Fernihough, Jones, Bennett, Beckwith, Hender-
son, and Hindley; Alderman Hodgson, Dover, and Procter.
Against it.—Councillors Walthew, Langsdale, Hodson, Bris-
coe, G. H. Horsfall, Littledale, Hornhy, Avison, Bell, Rimmer,
Wagstaff, Rogers, Tobin, Johnson, Picton, Parker, Freme, W.
J. Borstal', Mann, and Fisher; Aldermen Swainson, T. B.
Horsfall, Bramley-Moore, Nicol, Cooper, Wood, Molyneux,
Bent, turner, and the Mayor.

Mr. D. HODGSON then moved " That in lieu of Claase
10, it be an instruction to the Water Committee to apply
for powers to enable the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses
to lend money on the Water Act ; and also for powers to
regulate the charges for water; and that the same shall
be equal to, but in no case exceed the charges necessary
to produce a sum sufficient in each year to pay the in-
terest borrowed on the water account and the working
expenses of the establishment."

Mr. WOODRUFF haying seconded this amendment, it
was also put and lost.
The numbers were—
For the amendment ..
. Against it

Majority ..
The vote was as follows :

For the amendment.—Councillors Woodruff, Briscoe, Little-
dale, Picton, Bennett, and Henderson ; Aldermen D. Hodgson
and Procter.
Against it.—Councillors Langsdale, Bighorn, Preston, T. L.
Hodson, Godfrey, Hornby, Avison, Bell, Rimmer, Wagstaff,
Rogers, Tobin, Jones, Parker, Freme, Beckwith, Hindley,
W. J. Horsfall, Mann, and Fisher ; Aldermen Swainson, T.
B. Horsfall, Dover, W. Nicol, Cooper, Wood, Bramley-Moore,
Molyneux, Bent, Turner, and the Mayor.

Mr. H. HORNBY then moved that a clause should be
inserted in the bill to prevent the water rate from being
reduced till the water account had paid, and refunded all
sums which might be borrowed, pursuant to the powers
of this act, from the Corporate estate.
Alderman HORSFALL seconded this motion. Carried
unanimously,

Alderman PROCTOR then resigned his seat as chairman
of the Water Committee, in order that some friend to
the Pike scheme might be appointed to work out that
measure efficiently.
On the motion of Mr. FREME, seconded by Mr. T. L.
FIODSON, Mr. Hornby, Mr. Holt, Mr. W. J. Horsfall,
Mr. Nicol, Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Bell, were added to the
Water Committee with a similar intention.
This being all the business, the Council adjourned at
two o'clock.

THE STATE OF THE LAW OF ARBITREMENT

IN COMMERCIAL MATTERS,

A letter on the subject of the present inconveniences
and great expense attending the present mode of settling
commercial disputes has just been addressed to T. B.
Horsfall, Esq., as President of the Liverpool Chamber of
Commerce, by Mr. Leone Levi, which contains some very
valuable suggestions. Mr. Levi maintains that the inter-
ests of commerce suffer considerably from the present ad-
ministration of commercial laws in the Nisi Prius Courts,
in the first place from their being held at too long inter-
vals, and, in the next, by their costliness arising out of
captious arguments, lengthy pleadings, and the legal
subtleties which surround and mystify the plain matters at
issue. In a great number of cases, after all this inconve-
nience and expense has been submitted to, a reference is
recommended to a legal arbitrator, unacquainted with the
nature of the matter in question, or the knowledge of
commercial usages requisite to enable him to give a just
decision. As a remedy Mr. Levi proposes theestablishm en t,
through the medium of Chambers of Commerce, of local
tribunals for the settlement of commercial disputes, to
consist of a limited number of merchants of experience
and influence, with a law judge, approved of by the go-
vernment, to act as president. The decision of such a
body in any case should be made binding upon all parties;
and in this feature it differs from the present law of arbi-
trement, which is not so binding. To effect the desired
alteration it would be desirable to obtain a royal charter,
embodying in clear terms an arbitration clause, which
would give to the Chamber the power of dealing with all
matters in dispute between merchants, whether the parties
were members of the Chamber of Commerce or not ; and
that, in addition, Parliament ought to be appealed to for
a revision of the general law upon the subject.
There can be little doubt that such a tribunal, which
would have all the prerogatives of a court of law, would
materially diminish the duration and the cost of litiga-
tion, especially if taken up with spirit in influential
quarters ; and we most heartily hope that the proposal
will be carried out. The pamphlet contains a draft of the
bill that would be required, and an appendix containing
some valuable information on commercial practice.

BRITANNIA BRIDGE.—The second line of tube is to be
floated for the double roadway in May.
The mayor having occasion to be absent from town
for a fortnight, has appointed as his deputy, during his
absence, Mr. Alderman Procter.
FIRES AND LIGHTS ON BOARD SHIP.—A meeting of
shipowners, masters, seamen, and others interested in
procuring the repeal of the law which restricts the use of
fires and lights on board vessels in the Liverpool docks,
was held yesterday afternoon in the Cotton Sales Room.
A considerable number of American captains attended,
and several hundreds orseamen and flatmen. Many gen-
tlemen who have taken an active part in the advocacy of
the natural rights of the foreign sailor were present : and
among them were Mr. C. Chapman, Mr. W. Rathbone,
Mr. R. Sheil, Rev. Mr. Buck, Dr. Mackay (of the Morn-
ing Chronicle), and Mr. J. Dignon (of the Liverpool
Chronicle). Among the American captains were Mr.
John Britton, of the Constitution ; Captain Knight,
(of the New World), Captain Eldridge, (of the Roscius),
Captain Lever, Captain Kilwood, &c. Captain Knight
was called to the chair. He presumed that as notice had
been given of the meeting, the absence of parties interested
in the question might be interpreted into a feeling of
opposition. Mr. Rathbone had thought that the absence
of the Dock Committee must be owing to some mistake;
if so, it was no mistake on their (the promoters') part.
He (Mr. Knight) supposed that those who were opposed
to them would stop at home, but, for his part, he had
never met with any man who had attempted to oppose
them on principle; the opposition he had found was the
opposition of indifference on the part of persons not im-
mediately interested in the subject. Mr. Knight went on to
state that the present meeting arose out of one held in that
room in December last, at which a committee had been
appointed to Ivait upon the Dock Committee, to represent
the enormity of the grievances under which they la-
boured, and to request that they might adduce evidence
in proof of the position that more real danger was to be
apprehended from the clandestine use of lights under the
present system, than could by possibility exist under a
well regulated use of fire and lights. The Rev. Mr.
Buck read a brief report detailing the circumstances of
the interview of the committee with the Dock Commit-
tee. Mr. H. Chapman entirely concurred with all that
had been said by the preceding speakers. He was of
opinion that the danger was entirely imaginary on the
part of the Dock Committee. The danger was to be
found in the present system ; which, professing to restrict
the use of fires and candles, ledto the unlimited use of
open lights wherever it was considered such could be done
without detection. It was impossible to stow away a
cargo without the use of artificial lights--(hear) ;
and when it was considered what facilities were afforded
for breaking the law by the general use of lucifer matches,
he did not hesitate to say that the real danger was to be
found in the present system. Mr. Buck furnished some
particulars proving that it was a common practice on the
part of captains to use fire on ship-board. He advocated
the question on the ground of morality. Captain Kil-
wood furnished more particulars to the same effect, and
showed that similar evidenee had been given before the
Dock Committee. Ultimately, a resolution, proposed by
Mr. Rathbone, and seconded by Mr. Chapman, to the
following purport, was carried :—" That the Dock Com-
mittee be requested to publish the evidence laid before
them." Captain Hughes made a long speech, in the
course of which he maintained that if their demands were
not complied with, their course would be to unite in de-
feating the obnoxious law by simultaneously lightincares.
on board their vessels.

Mr. PICTON then moved that the bill for the Abandon
ment of the Rivington Works be withdrawn from parlia-
ment.
Mr. T. L. HoDsoN seconded the motion, which was
carried unanimously.
- EXTENSION OF TIME BILL.

Mr. Avisox moved that this bill be approved of by the
council.
Mr. T. L. fronsoN having seconded the motion, the
council resolved itself into committee on the clauses.
The preamble and clauses one, two, and three were
agreed to. On clause four being proposed
Mr. ROGERS moved as an amendment that the words
"shall be completed in five years" be struck out, and the
words " shall be completed in seven years" substituted.
The TOWN-CLERK having explained that five years was
according to the standing orders of the parliamentary
committee, the amendment was withdrawn.

Clauses five, six, seven, eight, and nine were agreed to
without discussion.

" And be it enacted, that the lands, tenements, heredita-
ments, and estate of the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses
shall he a collateral security for any principal sum borrowed or
to be borrowed on the credit of the said water account as
aforesaid, and the Borough fund of the said Borough shall
be a collateral security for any interest accruing due in respect
of such principa' sum Provided always, that it shall not be
lawful to pay or discharge any such principal sum or interest
from or out of the said lands, tenements, hereditaments, and
estate of the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses, or from or
out of the Borough fund of the said Borough, unless a water-
rate, under the provisions of the said first recited act, shall be
first duly made and levied to an amount sufficient to pay and
discharge the interest accruing due and payable in respect of a
sum of re expended in the construction and completion
of the said Green-lane Waterworks, and the pipes and machi-
nery connected therewith, and the cost of raising and distri-
buting water for the public purposes stated in such act, nor
unless the several rates, rents, and prices for water, by the said
Liverpool Corporation Waterworks Act, IS-17, authorised to be
made, levied, and received, are made, charged, and levied, at
the Highest rate specified in the said act, and together with the
amount levied and received under and by virtue of such water
rate as hereinbefore mentioned, are insufficient for the dis-
charge of such principal sum and interest respectively."
This clause was opposed by Mr. BIGUAM, on the
ground that it was calculated to do great injury to the
Corporate Estate.