The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-10-24 00:00:00

I am a decided advocate for
Corporate Estate.
I am anxious to see our Public Burdens fairly Equalised

be listing of the Docks and the

I am desirous of Economizing (as far as is consistent with
the due maiiitenauce of so important a Trust,) the Expenditure

of the Corporation.
I have always been opposed to the " Rivington Pike Scheme,"
in all its stages, and should an opportunity offer I shall be Pre-

pared to resist its further progress.
lam a Resident Tradesman of your Ward—l was born there
and as such my interests no less than my feelings are identifie

will do my best to serve you

I am, Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
THOMAS WAGSTAFF.

121, St. James's-street, Oct 23, 184

TO THE RATEPAYERS OF LIVERPOOL.
AS the EQUITABLE RATING COMMITTEE
appointed by the Inhabitants, in GENERAL VESTRY
assembled on Easter Tuesday last, we desire, at the present
moment, to address our Fellow Parishioners a few remarks on
a subject which immediately affects. the interests of every
ratepayer and every owner of property in the town.
We refer with satisfaction to the efforts which have been
made during the present year to reduce the pressure of Local
Taxation, by endeavouring to render those two gigantic pro-
perties, the Dock Estate and the Corporate Estate, contributary
to Local Burdens.
We could not see the justice of the Liverpool Docks, which
may be called the Marine Highways for the Commerce of the
World, and which notoriousiy collect large masses of the la-
bouring Poor to their quays, and in the same ratio create Pau-
perism, exempted from contributing to the sunnort of the

Poor, without taking peremptory measures to remedy the evil.
If the Docks add, as unquestionably they do, to the burdens of
the Parish, every principle of fairness shows that they ought to
contribute to the funds of the Parish. When the East Indian,

the South American, or any other Merchant sends his produce
to Liverpool, it is properly subjected to certain Dock Dues, to
defray the expenses incurred for the safety and accommodation
of that produce • and equally right and just is it that the same
produce should contribute to the support of that Poor which
are thrown on the Parish Funds by the casualties arising from

a cessation of employmei
rishioners have borne mor

to save the pockets, not only of the importing Merchant, lid
of the various persons scattered over the three Kingdoms, who
consume the multitudinous articles which every tide and every
wind waft to our port.
We consider it to be an unfounded apprehension that the
imposition of a penny on a ton of Sugar, or a halfpenny on a
bale of Cotton, for Parochial purposes, would injure the trade
of the Port. Such a Tax, although it would greatly relieve the
Ratepayers of the town, is in itself so infinitesimal that it
would not be felt by the parties who use the Docks, or the mil-
lions of persons who consume the produce which they contain.
Liverpool in fact owes its greatness to its locality, backed as it is
by the manufacturing districts. When it is remembered that
during the last year the enormous sum of .e 40,000 has been
sacrificed in the reduction of Dock Rates, and this too without
materially adding to the tonnage of the Port, opposition to
Parochial Rates on this property surely comes with a bad grace
from its rresent source.

Hardly less important than the Rating of the Docks, is the
Rating of the Corporate Estate. Like the Docks, all Corporate
Estates elsewhere pay Parish Rates, and this town would have
been in the same position, if the then municipal authorities of
the town had not cleverly contrived, without the knowledge of
the Parishioners, to introduce a clause into the Municipal
Amendment Act, exempting the Corporate Property situated
within the old Borough from being so rated. The absurdity as
well as the injustice of the present state of things will be best
exemplified by stating this astounding fact, that, if the Town
Hall, the Sessions House, or the Public Offices were situated in
Kirkdale, in Toxteth Park, or in any of the Townshi

)s corn-

prising with the parish, the present Borough, they would be
legally liable to Parish Rates, but being within the Parish, they
are, through the instrumentality of the clause now referred to,
exempt.

We leave these facts is speak for themselves. The Municipal
Election is approaching. The decision rests with the Rate-
payers. The Town Council has affirmed the. principle we now
contend for, by a majority so small, that it can hardly be
deemed to have triumphed, and unless public opinion is brought
strongly to bear on the question, so as to insures good working
majority in the Council. all the exertions which have been hither-
to made may be frustrated for a time. The enmity with which
the new movement is viewed by certain interested parties,
shows that the opposition will be strong, although ultimately
it must prove unavailing. The fact that the Local Rates will
be reduced nearly one.half by the success of the battle which
the Parish is now fighting, is surely sufficient to rouse the dor-
mant energies of the Ratepayers on the First of November.
The thousands of houses which are now tenantless, the inmates
of which have crossed the river or gone beyond the town to
escape the existing pressure of taxation will be again occupied.
We wish to state, in conclusion, that we are not partizans;
we appear, not as the supporters or the opponents of any of the
Candidates for Municipal honours ; but viewing the question
as it affects the welfare of the town, we have a zealous interest
in the success of the Candidates who will heartily co-operate
with us in the objects for which we are struggling—namely,
to equalise, as far as possible, Parochial Taxation, and to pre-
vent it from pressing with undue severity on any particular
class.

JOHN FERGUSON, C. E. RAWLINS,
WM. BENNETT, JAS. R. JEFFERY,
THOS. POOLE, THOS. GODFREY,
THOS. URQUHART, JNO. WOODRUFF,
THOS. CLARKE, THOS. DOVER,
WM. WATSON, • JNO. SMITH.
E. P. M`KNIGHT.
Liverpool, 21et October, 1848.