The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-03-08 00:00:00

SELECT VESTRY ACT,

As the attention of our readers will, no doubt, be attracted to
the advertisement...of a requisition received by the churchwar-
dens, calling upon the rate-payers to give their votes for or
against the adoption of Sir John Cam Ilobhouse's Vestry Act,
we have deemed it our duty to lay before them, in another co-
lumn, an abstract of its principal provisions.
We understand that this act arose out of the contests in seve-
ral of the metropolitan parishes, between the rate-payers ands
'the vestrymen, the latter holding their office for life, and being
elected by the members of the vestry without any reference to
the rate-payers. Among the number the parish of Saint Mary-
le-bone as it stood highest in reference to wealth and popula-
tion, so it was equally distinguished for an expenditure so ex-
traordinary, and contrary to judicious parochial economy, as
to excite tne attention even of the most respectable of the pa-
rishioners. The vestries complained of consisted of noblemen,
members of parliament, magistrates, and gentlemen unused
and indisposed to the details of business, and as the parochial
accounts when passed by the vestry could not be appealed
against it is not, surprising that the parishioners sought an
amendment, by which the expenditure might be brought,, in
sonic degree, under their control.
The contests which continued through several years had the
effect, for a time, of confounding these vestries, with the select
vestries annually elected by the- rate-payers under Mr. Sturges
Bourne's Act, by which the affairs of this parish in 1821 were
redeemed from their encumbrances, and placed upon a footing,
which, up to the present time, has been satisfactory to the
respectable rate-payers. We are, therefore, at a loss to know
what improvement can be contemplated by the proposed adop-
tion of Mr. Hobhouse's Act in this parish. So far, the present
system has been proved to work well in its general and particu-
lar management: That individuals, appointed on the select
vestry, have sought only the advantage of a particular body or
class to which they belong, and not the interest of the rate-
payers at large, by "no means derogates from the general utility
of the vestry sysfem, it only shows the necessity of caution and
watchfulness on the part of the parishioners as to the appoint-
ment which might induce the respectable parishioners themselves
to volunteer their services on the vestry. This is the only
effectual mode of preventing the possibility of abuse in the
Select Vestry under Mr. Sturges Bourne's Act.
The principal alterations which will be effected by this 'Act,
if adopted, are, that the members of the vestry will be elected
by ballot, each rate-payer having one vote and no more • that a
householder of £lO per annum may be elected; and that the
vestry must consist of one hundred and twenty members. We
are fully aware of the difficulty of obtaining the consent of men,
respectable in character and property, (and of such the select
vestry of Liverpool ought to be compossd,) sufficient to fill up
the vacancies that annually occur out of the number (twenty)
required under the present system; and we, therefore, hold it
utterly impossible to obtain one hundred and twenty such per-
sons as the rate-payers would approve.
,And taking it even in the popular point of view, as it would
be radically termed, it is to be observed, that supposing 120
membei.s be elected, they are to reniai4 three 'years in office,
however ineligible, inattentive, inefficient, or objectionable
they may be ; whereas, at present, the whole, or any part, may
be annually changed, and vacancies be filled up within six
months:
We will not, on this occasion, stop to inquire into the mo-
tives, or display the qualifications of thiise who, have signed the
requisition, it being under Mr. Hobhouse's 'act, competent to
any fifty ratepayers to make it, we may, however, be allowed to
doubt the policy of agitating the question in this parish under
the circumstances referred to ' • at the same time it is satisfac-
tory to Observe, that it cannot be again agitated within three
years, if the ratepayers decide against its adoption.

. We now fulfil our promise of laying before the freemen a list
of the leading names which were attached to the disfranchise-
ment petition. Of the respectability of the petitioners we leave
our readers toform their own opinions.
W. RATHBONE, Chairman of Mr. TitortNEkx's Committee.
Thomas Coglan. John Coglan.
Hugh Horn by. Egerton Smith. ,
Godfrey Barnsley. • Thomas Bolton.
Morgan O'Connell. James Ryley.
James Rylcy, Junior. R. E. Harvey.
David. Hodgson. * W. Shepherd ! ! ! 1 !
J. „Tones!, . Ebenezer Jones.
. . .
Thomas Jones. • Robert Jones.
Joseph-Robinson. - • • Vv". Robinson..
James Mullineux. - John Wybergh.
Joseph King. • ' John 'O'Connor.
Samuel Thornel y. • . •• • ; James. Carson,. M.D.
Benjamin Subley. W. Wales, and.E. Baines,
John Cropper, Junior. • Richard. Spiel.. • • .
W. Stewart; • • • -R. V. Yates. • •
John Bushell. Edward Cearris, Junior.
D Rowland.
... .

If an}:paTties feel themselves aggrieved by the non-publication
of their names in the above list we shall be happy to give them
a placee uoien fvu.
?.
sobeecpal
ei
ro n .s
Wspeech at the meeting of Mr. Ewart's
friends,