The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-09-24 00:00:00

EARLY CLOSING OF SHOPS.

The adjourned public meeting of the inhabitants, con-
vened by the Mayor, " to consider the most desirable
means of bringing into use such an amended system of
business, in rcard to the hours of attendance as may give
permanent and effectual relief to a large and deserving
class of persons, without injury either to their employers
or the public, was held on Wednesday evewing, at the
Music-hall. Amongst those present were the Rev. W.
Falloon, W. Bevan, D. Ferguson, Dr. Beaumont, and
Graham ; also, T. Blackburn, J. Cropper, W. B. Hodg-
son, Hugo Reid, John Smith, Esquires, &e. &c. There
was a large attendance, and unanimity prevailed through-
out.
The M AYOR, who presided, said the present meeting
stas adjourned from April last, and he believed that if the
object in view could be carried into effect, the employer
and the employed would be mutually benefitted. He
called on the secretary, Mr. Flower, to read the

REPORT :
The committee reported, that in furtherance of the re-
solutions of the last meeting, for promoting the closing of
the shops at seven o'clock, their first care was to direct the
attention of purchasers to the evils of late shopping, and
with this view an authentic report of the resolutions and
speechos was published. They also issued two addresses
embodying the sentiments then so cordially approved—
one to the inhabitants, and the other to the tradesmen.
Of the former 28,000 copies were distributed, and of the
latter 400. Two individuals were engaged to canvas the
town for signatures to the declaration adopted at the
meeting, and upwards of 10.000 persons affixed to it their
names—thus pledging themselves to discountenance late
shopping. Few persons applied to had refused. Shortly
after the meeting forty of the booksellers and forty of the
ironmongers notified their determination to close at the
appointed hour, and other tradesmen had followed their
example. A few weeks ago a declaration had been pre-
pared for signature by the principals, expressive of their
determination to close at that time, after the Ist of Octo-
ber ; but, unhappily, this failed of success, some decidedly
refusing ; others declining until the superiors in trade
agreed, &c. The committee, however, believe that a more
favourable teeing now exists. The report next speaks in
high terms of an address of the Assistants' Association,
the sentiments of which evinced an intelligence and a pro-
priety of feeling highly creditable to that useful body of
men for whose emancipation they have laboured. The

operations here have induced public meetings for a similar
purpose in many of the large towns in the kingdom ; the
Conference of the Wesleyan Methodists had favourably
considered a memorial on the subject ; and the Lord
Mayor of London had commended the example of Liver-
pool from the bench to the notice end imitation of the
citizens of the metropolis, and expressed his obligation to
our own chief magistrate for the zeal with which he had
espoased the cause. The committee also bear testimony
to the constancy with which his worship had presided over
their deliberations and promoted their designs, and tender
him their thanks for the use of a room in the Town-hall.
A larger fund would be desirable, and though much had
been effected with that at their disposal, they appeal to
the inhabitants for support, " by every motive which the
principles of British justice and the influences of christian
charity can supply 7"

_
Mr. FLOWER then read a statement of the account,
from which it appeared that £7B had been received and
£66 expended, leaving a balance of about £l2. Debts
had, however, been contracted which left £l6 against the
association.

The Rev. D. FERGUSON, in moving the adoption of the
report, referred to the principal topics. Few of the shop-
men were above 35 years of age, and if the shops were
closed at seven the young men might obtain that educa-
tion which would fit them for higher stations.r:He trusted
the evil complained of was checked, and that they would
not rest until they gave it a death blow. He deprecated
in strong terms the keeping open of shops to late hours
merely for gain, at the expense of the health and well-
being of the assistants.

The Rev. Dr. BEaustoNT, in seconding the motion,
described the movement as a domestic, social, and national
affair, and said, that if such oppression existed in distant
lands, this country would soon call out. But their charity
ought to begin at home ; and he appealed to the fair sex,
who might soon settle the question.
The motion was carried unanimously.
The Rev. Mr. BEVAN, after some pointed remarks,
proposed a resolution to the effect, that the meeting con-
gratulated the shopkeepers' assistants, and all who had
taken part in the endeavour to improve the condition of
that class, by shortening their hours of labour, in the
progress the cause had made, and, at the same time, de-
sired to exDress its high praise for the kindness and gene-
rosity of those tradesmen who had conformed with the
wishes of the public, by closing their shops at seven
o'clock.

Mr. JOHN CROPPER, on being introduced by the
Mayor, said that formerly the merchants' offices were
kept open till nine, ten, and often twelve o'clock at night ;
now they were seldom open after six, and as much busi-
ness was got through. Besides in shopping by candlelight
people were worse served.
Mr. JOHN SMITH, after some remarks on the inutility
of public parks, &c. to those who were so confined that
they could not resort to them, said he had heard some say
that lived near the markets, that while the latter were
kept open the shops could not be closed, he moved :
" That his Worship the Mayor be reepectfuily requested
to urge on the Town Council or the Market Committee
the adoption of a system that will have the effect of earlier
closing the public markets."
The motion was seconded by Dr. BEAUMONT, and
carried.

Mr. BLACKBURN recapitulated some of the leading ar-
guments, and moved that the committee take steps, as
were desirable, to procure the closing of shops at seven,
and report their progress at a public meeting six months
hence.—Carried unanimouslo. _ _

Mr. W. 13. HODGSON moved, in terms of high eulo-
giutn, a vote of thanks to the Mayor and the committee,
who, without reward, had so strenuously exert:d them-
selves.

.............
Mr. REID seconded the motion, and it was also carried
as the others.

Mr. SMITH moved a vote thanks to Mr. Flower, the
mainspring of the movement.—Carried by acclamation,
and ably replied to.
A hearty vote of thanks was also carried to the Chair-
man, and the meeting broke up.

IRON STEAM-SHIP BUILDING.

(Abridged from the Journal.)

We understand that the Admiralty contemplate having
four new iron war steamers built here very speedily,
should the contract be such as to present no obstacle on 1
the score of economy—a contingency by no means likely
to occur, considering the great experience our iron ship-
wrights have now had, and the peculiar advantages our
port presents in this department of nautical architecture.
On Thursday last we visited the iron ship-building yard
of Messrs. Thomas Vernon and Sons, of Barrack-street,
North Shore, the eminent iron ship-builders, whose con-
struction of the Nimrod, and the extraordinary success
that has attended that remarkable vessel since she com-
menced sailing in November last between Liverpool and
Cork, have given an impetus to the building of iron
steamers. We found every available inch in Messrs.
Vernon's yard, fronting the river, occupied by iron
steamers in various stages of progression. On the stocks,
and in so very forward a state that their launch may be
expected to take place at Christmas, we observed two
noble steamers. One is almost an exact counterpart of
the other, the only discrepancy being a slight difference
in the construction of the engines, which are made by
Messrs. Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy, of the Clarence
Foundry, and will no doubt sustain the pre-eminent re-
putation of those gentlemen. Each vessel is of 750 tons
burden, and 350-horse power.
The one is named Wladimer, belonging to the Russian
government, and the other the Der Preussiche Adler,
belonging, as her name sufficiently indicates, to Prussia.
They are to be under the joint patronage of both govern-
ments, and to be employed in the service of both in
conveying the mails from Stettin to St. Petersburgh, a
distance of 1,000 miles, and are expected to commence
running early next spring. They are being constructed
so as to admit of carrying sufficient coal of the ordinary
quality for the whole voyage, and six guns of very heavy
calibre, three fore and three aft. The dimensions of each
are, between perpendiculars, 185 feet ; breadth of beam,
29 feet; and depth of hold 17 feet 6 inches. The cabin
accommodations will be for about 100 passengers ; but
owing to the necessity of preserving the charactot of war-
steamers,
statete a m
errosOmaandotnhetiirtebesicnagleboufiltal,oawga,
magnitude
ee
thatwill not be a.nhya
looked for in vessels of such proportions.
.There will,
aa
tl se r
af theirit
for.
however, be a house on the deck of the 1W Wladimer for the
oEtmhepre
forror ,
his whenevervrussia n I ig
Majesty,
y hoeini
similarly board, a.
disposed.n on the
conformationltis,however,
that i❑htehsee
eosrseeilsmwpoilrltant.
presentessenn.t,i
tors. The iron is of a peculiar strength, undergoing a
the amazement and gratification of their foreign proprie-
very novel process in its manufacture, and Messrs. Ver-
non have only just taken out a patent for applying it in
side frames and deck beams, in a manner that unites the
maximum of resistance with the minimum of bulk. The
non-professit nal reader will hardly believe that a single
plate weighs between six and seven hundred weight, and
that all the plates are united with such mathematical pre-
cision and exactitude, that although each plate is welded
to the frame work by numerous massive rivets (driven in
red hot) the whole exterior of the vessel presents a surface
to the eye and the touch literally as smooth as this paper,
and the huge thing will bear being examined in all its
parts as closely as if it were a piece of cabinet work or
ivory carving. Though there may be, and probably are,
particular. plates in the Great Britain heavier than any in
the IA laduner and Der Preussiche Alder, we believe the
strength of the latter vessel is at least quite as great as
that of the former, notwithstanding her larger burden.
Among the other novelties to be employed on board
these Russian and Prussian mail boats is the application
of a small steam-engine, placed on deck, to the windlas
that lifts the anchor. The boilers to the engines are to
be what are called " tubular boilers," being the first time
of their adoption in steamers—the engineering being on
what is called, we believe, the " direct action" plan, and
embracing the very latest improvements. Like the Iron
Duke, and several other vessels of late build, these are
to be divided into water-tight compartments—five bulk
heads in each. So small is the space occupied by the mo-
tive power of each vessel, and the coals necessary for the
whole voyage, that it is supposed there will be stowage
room for nearly 500 tons of cargo. The cost of both,
when completed, cannot, we should imagine, be a farthing
under £lOO,OOO.
There are also on the stocks, at Messrs. Vernon's, two
other large iron steamers. One is the Sabrina, for the
Cork Company, (built on the same blocks as the Nimrod,)
and will be launched on Saturday next, the 28th. She is
of 524 tons burden and 240 horse-power ; will have ac-
commodation for GO passengers; and in her engines
(made also by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy) and most
other respects, will greatly resemble the vessels just men-
tioned. The length of her keel is 164 feet ; between per-
pendiculars, 175 feet ; breadth of beam, 25 feet 3 inches ;
depth of hold, 15 feet.
The second vessel is the Queen which is intended for
the Whitehaven Company. This vessel approximates, in
her leading features, pretty closely to the other, having
also tubular boilers, made by Fawcett and Co. She
measures 160 feet between perpendiculars, 21 feet beam,
and 13 feet 6 inches in depth. She is 200-horse power,
450 tons burden, and will, probably, accommodate be-
tween 50 and 60 passengers in her cabins. She is on the
blocks of the Troubadour, an iron vessel of Vernon's,
even more famous, if possible, than the Nimrod—seeing
that she has been now nearly four years running between
this port and Bristol, and during the whole of that time
has not made one single drop of water, nor exhibited the
slightest discernible symptom of corrosion—every plate,
rivet, and fastening being as good when she was last ex-
amined in the graving dock as when she was launched.
If such was the case with the Troubabour, what may we
expect from the Queen, seeing that the latter is between
the fortieth and fiftieth iron vessel made by the same
builders ?
In addition to the foregoing, Messrs. Vernon have laid
down two more iron steamers of, we believe, between 700
and 800 tons, and between 300 and 400-horse power each.

REGULATION OF JOINT STOCK COMPANIES.

A very important act received the Royal assent on
Thursday, the sth instant, entitled " An Act for the
Registration, Incorporation, and liegulation, of Joint-
Stock Companies." the object of which is to bring under
the eye of Government of all joint-stock companies, and
to prevent the establishment of fraudulent concerns with
high-sounding names and pretended patronage, whereby
with the promise of a high interest have been deprived of
their money and reduced to great distress. There are 80
sections in the act, with several schedules annexed. It
has immediate operation from the sth instant, with respect
to the officers to be appointed for the registration of corn-
panics, and the regulation of the office provided for that
purpose, and all other provisions as to the companies to
which they have application, on the Ist November next.
The preamble of the act, on consideration of which the
sections have been framed, declares it to be expedient to
make provision for the due registration of joint-stock
companies during the formation and subsistence thereof.

and also after such complete registration to invest such
companies with the qualities and incidents of corporations,
with some modifications, and subject to certain conditions
and regulations, and also to prevent the establishment of
any companies which shall not be duly constituted and
regulated according to the provisions of this act. It is
provided, that before any advertisement or other proceed-
ing appears of an intended joint-stock company (which
term has a very large signification), a provisional registra-
tion shall take place at the " Registry-office," giving cer-
tain particulars, in order to guard against mere adven-
turers obtaining money from the public, and in the event
of non-registration as described, the promoter to be
liable to be fined £2O.
A complete registration is to take place before a com-
pany can act other than provisionally, and full in ormation
afforded respecting the deed of the company, &c. Patrons
and Directors must in future hold shares in the company,
under a penalty of £2O, and the inspection of books is
given to shareholders under eel tain bye-laws, in order
that the affairs of companies may be ascertained, and any
director or officer who shall wrongfully " do or omit nni
act" with intent to defraud the company or any share-
holder therein, or falsify or fraudulently mutilate, or
fraudulently make any erasure in the books of accounts
or books of registry, or any document belonging to the
company, then such director or other officer shall be
deemed to be guilty of a misdeanour. The following pro-
vision has been framed to prevent fraudulent companies :
—Section 65, " And forasmuch as great injury has been
inflicted upon the public by ccmpanies falsely pretending
to be patronized or directed or managed by eminent or
opulent persons ; now, for the purpose of preventing such
false pretences, be it enacted, with regard to every com-
pany or pretended company whatsoever, whether registered
or not, and whether now existing or not, that if any per-
son shall make any such false pretences, knowing the
same to be false, in any advertisement or other paper,
whether printed or written, and whether published in any
newspaper, or handbill, or placard, or circular, then every
such person shall forfeit for every such offence a sum not
exceeding £10." By another provision it is enacted, that
if a judgment in law or decree, &c., cannot be enforced
against -a
company, then it may be enforced !against the
person, property, and effects of a shareholder, 'who shall
have his remedy against the company. Various penalties
are prescribed ; and by another provision the registrar of
joint-stock companies is to make an annual report to the
Privy Council of Trade, setting forth the particulars men-
tioned in the 79th section of the present act, which report
is to be laid before Parliament.