The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-05-07 00:00:00

erns liiiliCriiii s iliiiiiiiiith,

The proceedings of the Water Committee were con-
firmed, including a Fire-police rate of a farthing in the
pound.
The Malttlts' Committee recommended the removal of
the Pedlars' Market, and their proceedings were con-
firmed.

On the proffedlngs of the Health Committee being
read, Mr. l'Anictiti said he had the pleasing duty to pro-
pose a reduction of the local taxation. In doing so he
assured the Council that the reductions were made upon
the most authentic calculations. _ _ _

Mr. FERNIHOUGH and Mr. B. Moona complained of
the reduction in the price at the Baths, at St. George's-
pier. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Mr. PARKER defended the reduction, and the proceed-
ings were confirmed.
Mr. PARKER then moved the adoption of the several
paving, sewerage, water, and general rates for the year;
total for Liverpool, ls. in the pound, against Is. sd. last
year. The rates for the out townships were rather more.
A protest from the Parochial Water Committee against
the decision of the Council to go on with the Rivington
scheme, in consequence of Mr. Stephenson's report, was
read. The document is so very voluminous, being divided
into 12 long sections, that we do not think the heads of it
only, would—after all the discussion on the subject—be
acceptable to our readers. Suffice it to say, it embraces
all the objections to the Pike scheme which have so long
been before the public • that it sets forth that the cost of
the existing wells abandoned was £660,000 ' • the cost of
Rivington works, £500,000, which with loss by
the adoption of the Pike during a period of 23 years,
£125,540, making a total in 23 years of £1,285,540.
It contends that the decision of the Council is at variance
with the facts, and is opposed to principle and sound po-
licy, and hence this protest. Another proteat on the
same subject, and from the National Confederation, was
also read. After stating a variety of arguments against
the Pike scheme, it states that the present water rate will
be inadequate to discharge the interest upon the present
debt, and that which is to be contracted to an unlimited
extent ; therefore it is self-evident that a borough rate to
an unknown amount will be levied upon the inhabitants,
and the owners of various descriptions of property who
are not now assessed to the water rate, if the present bill
in Parliament should pass.
After a short discussion both memorials were received,
and the Council adjourned to to-morrow (Wednesday.)

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Prices, includipi Morocco Case or Frame, from 15s.

TO THE PROPRIETORS OF THE LIVERPOOL

LIBRARY.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ,—I take this means of ad-
dressing you in consequence of the difficulty of obtaining
the correct address of many of those to whom my remarks
are important. This I hope will be a sufficient reason
for so doing. . . _

On my election as a member of the committee in 1849,
I was surprised to find that the Liverpool Library had
only an average amount of £33 per month, or about
£396 per annum, to expend in the purchase of books, and
following the course which I presume all men do, when
they undertake a new office, I tried to make myself ac-
quainted with the resources of the institution. My ob-
ject in addressing you now is to draw your attention to
the state of the income as I find it at present existing;
and as I am convinced that few of .you can be fully ac-
quainted with it, I beg respectfullrto lay before you the
following statistics.
On the removal of the library from Lord-street to
Bold-street in 1801, the number of proprietors was 893,
with about 7,500 volumes of books, and the population of
the borough was about 77,653. I find in 1850 there are
801 proprietors recorded on the books, with near 350,000
inhabitants in Liverpool, and 39,000 volumes of books.
Thus, whilst the population of the town and the number
of volumes have both increased in more than a fourfold
degree, you will see that there are 92 shares fewer in 1850
than there were in 1801 ; and if we estimate (from family
connection) an average of six readers to each share, the
number of readers has been diminished more than five
hundredand fifty. This hasbeen occasioned by the forfeited
shares not having been resold.
Now since the intellectual wants of the community are
every day becoming greater, as the population increases,
and a desire for knowledge is extending itself on every
side, it does appear strange that the Liverpool Library
should curtail its usefulness by reducing the number of
readers ; and still stranger is it, that so much money as
would be realised by the resale of the forfeited shares,
should be allowed to remain idle, when the continually
repeated answer to the recommendations for new books
is that " there are not funds sufficient." And the remu-
neration of your librarian, after a faithful service of more
than 35 years, is no more than is given by private indi-
viduals to their head warehouseman.
That the prices of the shares are not quite so great as
when the library was first founded I admit; but, surely,
in 1850, no one would stand forward and say, that be-
cause there is a little reduction in the original price we
will hold them, at a loss of both interest and annual sub-
scriptions until they increase in value. If sold at the
present price of £8 or £9, they would realize £736 or
£B2B ; and an annual subscription of £1 ss. would bring
in £ll5 per annum, which would enable the committee
to purchase the first year more than 3,000 volumes, and
nearly 400 volumes annually afterwards. This would in-
crease the property of the shareholders in the value of
the stock ; whereas the society has already lost more than
£5OO at simple interest of money, by allowing the for-
feited shares to remain so long unsold ' • and for this there
is, I believe, no precedent, as I find that in 1838, six
shares were sold by the society, at the rate of £7 9s. 2d.
each. _ _ _ . . .

I would remind you that it is not my intention to in-
crease the number of shares. Nor need I point out to
you that it is desirable to make the library as valuable for
reference as possible, especially as there are many depart-
ments totally unrepresented, and others far short of
coming up to the position which their literature occupies
at the present day. There are other departments still,
like the Great Desert, where the traveller has to wade
through the dry sand of former times, without finding the
cases which are known to exist at the present time..

I am aware that many object to the extension of know-
ledge; but surely there are few such, in an enlightened
place like Liverpool, where the first public library was
established. Where should knowledge be more cultivated
than in our town, which sends her ships to all parts of the
world, and whose merchants are pre-eminent for their
enterprize, and the arts of civilization which they carry
with them wherever they go ?
Then let me earnestly beg of you to consider no more
the gaining of 20s. or 40s. by the rise, or loss of so much
by the fall in the price of a share in the library • but let
the public see that you are willing to make a slight nomi-
nal sacrifice to obtain a real good. You can direct your
committee, at the annual meeting to be held in a few days,
to use their utmost endeavours to induce the sale of the
ninety-two shares at their fair market price, and with the
proceeds to purchase such valuable books as may be out:of
the reach of private individuals. You will thus enhance
the value of your prop rty and benefit society at large.
I have the honour to be, ladies and gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
JOSEPH MAYER.
Lord-street, May 6th, 1850.