The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-11-29 00:00:00

Mediate approaches to the docks, which were of the greatest
advantage to the commerce of the port. The Town-clerk then
adverted to the number of actions which had been brought
against merchants, for which some blame had been im-
puted-A° the -Common Council, and explained that the
reason was, that when the bill of discovery was filed by Mr.
Bolton, fitly or sixty other merchants also refused to pay
the dues. Consequently actions were commenced, and
application was male to a judge to consolidate the ac-
tion. This was refused, but the proceelngs were staye.a,
and in the meantime the sums theneeforwarti accruing to the
Corporation for town dues were directed to be placed in the
hands of Messrs. Heywood, to abide the issue of the actitia
against Messrs. Bolton and Co. He then said it was upon the
commissioners' notes that the greater part of the town dues was
paid by foreigners, and. persons hviug away from the town of
Liverpool, and at no period had there been remoustrances from
people abroad, or from Manchester or other towns, to whom
they were charged; and he drew a conclusion that the inhabi-
tants, freemen or non-freemen, were benefited by the payment
of these dues, which were expended, as he had before shown,
for the general benefit. In all large towns, the commissioners
must be aware, there were heavy rates for the mainten-
ance of the police. and the courts of justice;
and acts of Parliament were pass:,d to carry into effect the
improvements of thoie towns. ile would iitstauce the greet
improvements in the town of NI tuchester, one of the greatest
of which was the widening of Market-street ; and how were
those improvements effected? Why, by rates levied upon the
inhabitants for such purposes. ( hear.)
The Town-clerk then alluded to the appropriation of £5OOO
or £7OOO to•the purposes of the poor rates paid by the corporate
property, which was a great relief iu the general amount of
those rates. He then referred again to -the question of the
town dues, for the purpose of showing that, at the trial at West-
minster-hall, the hardship was stated to be that the freemtu
were exempt, and not the complainants; but now it appeared
that the question at issue was not the seine as in -February.
Mr. Foster then alluded to the bill of exceptions tendered by
the defendants' counsel, at the conclusion of the trial in Febrt-
ary. If •the ordinary course had been resorted to, the defeo-
dents, as the commissioners well knew, ought to have moved
the court within the first four days of the succeeding term
fora new trial. In not doing so they had pot it in the power of
the Corporation to move,for affirming the judgment and issuing
execution. In the month of April, he (the Town-cierk ) ap-
plied to Mr. Lowe for the particulars of the bill of exceptions,
when Mr. Lowe undertook that. it should be immediately forth-
coming—since when, to the present tune, nothing more had been
heard of it. He would further observe, in proof of the evils of
the present state of the question of the town dues, that the ap-
plication of government to provide accommodation for the judges,
to' bring home, according to the common phrase of the day,
justice to every man's door in Liverpool—the granting of land
for the Mechanics': Institute, of which they had katrdsomething
from M r..Mu deneux—that and other matters all awaited the issue
of that question. Let the bondholder knew (Said the Town-clerk)
to what he had to look for the security of his property—bonds
being in existence to the amount of nearly a
_million sterling,
and the maintenance of his rights and property.—( Loud and
continued cheers.)--aHe hoped, therefore, when they made their
report to the King, they would state the sources from whence
the town dues were derived; and that they were expended fur
the improvement of the town, not only upon Corporation pro-
perty, bat if they would look to the map of the town they would
find improvements, upon an extensive scale. made where the •
Corporation had no property at all. The Corporation had a
right to all their dues, and its expenditure was for public ob-
jects only. He called ;-he attention of the commissioners to
the markets, baths, docks, and numerous other public works.
He (Mr. Foster) then proceeded to congratulate himself and
the commissioners that their labours were drawing to a close ;
and .he also congratulated the Ceurnon Council, the bur-
gesses, and the inhabitants at large, that the charges of the
misadpropriation of money, the jobbing, and the various
other allegations which had been heaped upon them, had beets
triumphantly answered; and that the Corporation were entirely
freed .from them in the eyes of this community and the peop',e
at large. And, whatever might be the issue of this inquiry, should
the Legislature think fit to alter the numbers or the quality of the
Comnitin Council,•he hoped that, in any commission which might
hereafter sit upon a future Common Council,tbatbody might con: e
out wi at. as clean hands as the present, and that all ultimate mea-
sures might be for the good of" the good old town of Liverpool mid
the trade thereof." (Mr. Foster here sat down amidst.loud and
long-continued cheers from every part of the court.)
'I be Mayor then rose, and observed that he perfectly, coin-
cided in all the sentiments uttered by the Town-clerk ; and
concluded by saying that the Common -Council had always had
the good of the town of Liverpool at heart, and would continue
to have the same feeling. (Cheers.)
Mr. Bolton then rose to make some observations on Mr. Fos-
ter's reply, whets the commissioners interrupted him by stating,
that- they would hear him to-morrow; (this day;) at the same
time observing that, as Mr. Foster would continue his reply on
the Dock Estate, (also this day,) it might be more conv(Unent
that Mr. Bolton should defer his observations until Mr. Paste
had concluded, which was assented to by Mr. Bolton, and the
court adjourned until this day, at ten o'clock..