The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-02-01 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

THE NEW DOCK BILL

MEETING OF THE ELECTORS OF LIME-STREET WARD

Yesterday evening, a large meeting of the electors of
Lime-street Ward took place at the Concert-hall, Lord
Nelson-street, in consequence of an advertisement posted
and published by Mr. Henry Danson, one of the council-
lors of the ward, " requesting their attendance, when
they would have an opportunity of expressing their opi-
nions on the New Dock Bill, which the Dock Committee
appeared to be disposed to prosecute in parliament, con-
trary to the opinions of a majority of the Council." Mr.
Danson, in his announcement expressed his sense of
so novel a movement on his own part, and stated that,
though Mr. J. B. Lloyd, his colleague in the ward, con-
curred with him in relation to the bill in question, he did
not agree in the propriety of the representatives of the
ward summoning a meeting. Mr. Lloyd, nevertheless,
gave his sanction to the meeting by appearing on the
platform, and he, his colleague, and their friends, were
enthusiastically received by the meeting.

Mr. JEFFERY, of Church-street, was called to the chair,
and explained the business before the meeting in a spirited
manner, expressing his opposition to the bill if the rating
clause were not introduced. _ _ _

Mr. DANSON being called up, eloquently explained his
views at considerable length. Desperate diseases, he said,
required desperate remedies ; and as the ward had fought
manfully on former occasions when their rights were
threatened with invasion, he trusted that they would
again show their determination not to be overcome. The
fight on the New Dock Bill was to come on for the fourth
time in the Council on Wednesday next, and he hoped
the spirited constituency of Lime-street Ward would come
forward and show that neither the Dock Committee (nor
any other body) should be permitted to injure their in-
terests. He went on to explain the different phases
of the New Dock Bill since its introduction,—in aIT
cases avoiding a rating clause, by insidious means,
and stated that by the bill regulating the Albert Dock
Warehouses the goods of merchants were in a manner
put into the hands of the pawnbroker—the rates and
charges being locked up. He related the whole history
of the present bill from the 15th September to the pre-
sent time, showing that the Dock Committee had step by
sten endeavoured to carry their point—keeping the
public, by ambiguous verbiage in each new amendment
or alteration of their bill, as much in the dark as possible
as to their final intentions—all of which were, however, to
evade the rating clause. He also read the following letter
from Mr. S. Holme, which was received by the meeting
with marked approbation :
" Holniestead, 31st January, 1848. _

• " DEAR SIR,—I write this note from my bed, where I
have been confined for some days by a severe attack of
rheumatism. My brother tells me that, in consequence
of the last decision of the Dock Committee, you have
most properly called a meeting of your constituents on
the subject. _ _

" I regret that I am unable to attend' the meeting, and
which, as a member of the Council, r would have done
had I been out ; and I, therefore, take the liberty of
saying that anything more destructive of the independence
of the Council than this, the fourth attempt to coerce or
live out that body, I never knew ; and I trust that after
so many days' discussion, the Mayor will not again allow
the subject to be mooted. _

" I see clearly that if the Dock Committee are permitted
to go to Parliament, both the owners of warehouses and
the parishioners at large will be sacrificed, and the ulti-
mate result of these proceedings will be an absorption of
many occupations by the Dock Committee on the one
hand, and a separation of the interests of the merchants
and the tradesmen on the other—an event which every
one will deeply deplore.
" I am in such pain that I cannot write much ; but I
warn the inhabitants of the consequences to themselves, if
the Dock Committee should succeed in their attempt.

" Let proper notices be given, and proper plans be
digested, and it will then be time enough to go to Parlia-
ment, to carry them out. We must have a few more
tradesmen in the Council next November.
" I am, Dear Sir,

" Youis faithfully,
" SAMUEL HOLME

" Henry Danson, Esq."
Mr. Danson said, in conclusion, that no evil could arise
from a postponement of the bill. The bill would be again
discussed in Council on Wednesday next. He read' the
notice on the paper to that effect, in order to show that it
was vague, and in fact, as he conceived, a mere quibble,
undeserving the confidence of the Council or the consti-
tuency. He considered the whole proceeding an insult to
the electors and to himself, and urged that they should so
give expression to their opinions as to achieve justice to
the rate-payers by obtaining a rating clause. (Cheers.)
Mr. JOHN BUCK LLOYD said that he felt as deeply' as
his colleague on this important subject. The parochial
rates were limited to the parish, and sites for new struc-
tures near the docks were scarcely to be found. They
ought, therefore, since a large quantity of now rateable
property was proposed to be taken away, to look with ajea-
lons eye upon anything that would take away the amount of
parochial income. He considered that no warehouse
should be erected without its being" subjected to rating.
Double caution ought to be used to prevent the present
bill from passing without a rating clause, and the bur-
gesses of the ward should have his support in opposing it
at every stage until that clause was introduced. The Town
Council were the representatives of the burgesses, and
many of the Dock Committee were elected by the payers
of dock rates whose interests were apparently somewhat at
variance, but, as a warehouse owner, he was himselfready
to waive any individual feeling to promote a genera/ good.
By commerce we lived, and by commerce we paid our
rates, and that which would advance the interests-of the
port would be alike beneficial to all. He urged the neces-
sity of cheap warehouses in order to maintain a market for
the goods stored in them. If warehouses round the docks
would be advantageous, it -was the duty of the ratepayers
to support the bill, but it was also their duty to watch
carefully that such warehouses bore a proportionate share
of the burthens requisite to support our local liabilites.
Mr. PARKINSON then moved a vote of thanks to Mr.
Danson for having called the meeting, and to Mr. Dan-
son and to Mr. Lloyd for their able and united' advocacy
in the Council Chamber of the interests of the rate-payers.
Mr, PICTON, the late candidate for Lime-street Ward,
in a somewhat lengthy address seconded the motion.
He congratulated the burgesses on their good fortune in
securing the energies of such able and energetic repre-
sentatives.
__

Mr. G. HAIGH then• submitted a memorial for the
adoption of the meeting. It prayed the Council not to
pass the bill without the introduction of the rating clause.
Mr. JOHNSON seconded the adoption of the memorial,
and Mr. J. SMITH spoke at some length in its favour.
A vote of thanks to the chairman, M. Jeffrey, :was
then moved by Mr. Lloyd, and seconded by Mr. Danson,
which was carried by acclamation.