The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-09 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STAINBARii.

LOCAL MEETINGS,

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS

On Wednesday the usual monthly meeting of the
Council was held at the Town-hall.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.—MR. WILLOUGHBY'S LEASE.
The proceedings of the Finance Committee comprised
an offer upon the part of the Rock Ferry Committee to
let two steam-toats to the Corporation, for the sum of
£8 each per day, to be run between Liverpool and Bir-
kenhead, at the same times that the late lessee of the
Birkenhead Ferry (Mr. Willoughby) used to run his
boats. The Corporation agreed to accept this offer, and
appointed a proper officer to receive the tolls. With
reference to the Coroner's office, the committee agreed
to allow to a witness, not a medical witness, ls. ; boat for
picking up a deld body, in fine weather 45., in rough
weather Bs. ; allowance to publicans for holding inquests
in their houses, 4s. ; ditto, when the dead body remains
all night in their houses, Bs.
Mr. WOOD sought for some explanation relative to Mr.
Willoughby, who, according to current report in the
town, had been very badly treated by the Corporation,
in having been asked an additional rental of £4OO a year
for the Birkenhead Ferry.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE observed that it was not the
custom of the Corporation to deal with severity towards
their tenants, and more especially to so good and punc-
tual a tenant as Mr. Willoughby had been. That gen-
tleman's lease, which was a seven years one, had expired
on the Ist of May, and then the Finance Committee
began to consider whether the lease was not susceptible
of some beneficial arrancrement for the future; and they
thought it was. Mr. Willoughby had been in possession
of the property for the last fourteen or fifteen years, and
for eleven years he had only been paying a rental of £9OO
a-year. When first he went to Birkenhead, the inhabi-
tants of that township numbered about 6,000; at present
they amounted to about 16,000; and, therefore, the com-
mittee thought, although it was very difficult to form any
real estimate of a ferry, that more money ought to be
exacted, the more particularly as the Corporation had
expended the sum of £2,000 upon the improvement of
the property last year for which improvement Mr. Wil-
loughby had only paid £5O, though he might have been
charged 71 per cent. on outlay. In demanding an in-
crease of rent now, the Finance Committee had been
guided entirely by the opinion of their surveyor.
Mr. PARKER said that Mr. Willoughby did not com-
plain of the Corporation for having tried to make the
most of their estate, but he certainly did think that when
he had £15,000 embarked in his steamers, he ought to
have received timely notice of the intention of the com-
mittee to raise his rent by the sum of £4OO a-year,
whereas he was only informed of it a few days before the
Ist of May. He (Mr. Parker) feared that the Corpora-
tion by their present movement would depreciate the ferry,
by one-half, and that if they were to carry it on them-
selves they would not realise £5OO a-year by it.

Mr. EARLE said that Mr. Willoughby, who was very
cunning, must have known very well that his lease would
expire on the first of May ; but the fact was, he was about
to hand over his hotel to somebody else, and then he was
balked a little in not being able to get a tenant for the
hotel, and he found fault with the Corporation.
Mr. DANSON thought a very reasonable increase of rent
had been asked ; for, in reality, deducting the interest on
the cost of the improvement made at Birkenhead last
year, it did not amount to more than £2OO a year.

Mr. AIKIN said it appeared to be the general opinion of
the Council that the Corporation had acted perfectly right
in demanding the increase of rent.
' Mr. THOMPSON moved that it be an instruction to the
Finance Committee to enter into the necessary agreement
with the Liverpool and Bury Railway Company for the
improvement of Burlington-street.
Mr. H. HORNBY objected to this improvement, upon
the ground that the sanatory condition of the town had
the first claim upon the attention of the Council. The
rates were likely to press with immense severity upon the
burgesses, and if improvements were to be made, he
thought that the rich should come forward and pay a vo-
luntary rate for the purpose..
A motion for referring the proposed improvement back
for consideration, was carried by a majority of 34 to 6.
Mr. BENNETT asked why the Corporation had not paid
their po'r-rates to the parish ?
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE replied that the delay was occa-
sioned by some items in the account being incorrect ; but
the fact was, that although the Corporation paid poor-rates
on the markets, they were not, strictly speaking, liable to
the payment of any such rates ; and he believed the mat-
ter would shortly be adjusted between the Council and the
parish, through the instrumentality of Mr. Lowndes.
Mr. EVANS strongly objected to the principle of having
the markets, or any other portion of the corporate pro-
perty taxed in any way whatever ' • and if the Finance
Committee paid any rates they had compromised their
duty.

Mr. PARKER.—The whole town, sir, is alive to this
subject, and all I can tell you is, that every bit of the cor-
porate estate will and shall pay the local rates before long,
as well as the docks.