The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-09-12 00:00:00

COUNTY ANNUAL GENERAL SESSIONS.

The adjourned court was held on Thursday, at the
Court House, in Preston, at eleven o'clock. There were
about forty magistrates present, including several from
this town. The Rev. Jonathan Brooks presided.
The first business transacted was the consideration of
the County Treasurer's accounts for general purposes.
The expenses, including £18,465 9s. Bd. for the prosecu-
tion of felons and misdemeanants, were stated to be
£16,699 Os. 5d., leaving a balance due from the Treasurer
of £57,373 12s.

, .
Mr. Thomas Rodick, of Liverpool, said that he did not
know that it would be of any avail making any remarks on
those accounts, but it seemed to him that they were al-
lowed to so on increasing to an awful extent. He did not
think there would be any good done until a parliamentary
commissio❑ of inquiry was instituted, and then there
would be such an exposure as would astonish all. With
regard to the printing, he found that cost £1,683. At the
last meeting he proposed that the list of voters should be
printed by contract. In Staffordshire and Somersetshire
this plan was adopted, and he was convinced it would be
a saving of two or three hundred pounds a year to the
county. He begged to move that in future the list of
county voters should be printed by contract.
After some remarks from Mr. Addison and the Rev.
J. T. Horton, Mr. Rodick's motion was passed.
The Rev. J. T. Horton called the attention of the court
to the expenditure in the conveyance of offenders to pri-
son. He used the word advisedly when he said there were
great enormities committed in this respect.
Considerable discussion ensued as to the legality of the
charge for conveying prisoners when no expense was in-
curred, but ended without any resolution being proposed.
Mr. Addison said that last year the expense of prosecu-
ting was upwards of £17,200; this year it was £18,465
9s. Bd., and whether it would be diminished or increased
by the winter assize shoot to be established, he did not
know. He called the attention of the court to the enor-
mous expense for coroners' inquests, which was £2561 Its.
One of the coroners had paid £4,000 or £5,000 for his
election, and he would not have done so if he
had not expected his remuneration• to'be £4,000 or £5,000
more than he deserved. 3,000 inquests had been held,
and he believed in not more than 300 of the cases was
there the least suspicion of foul play; hut when a coroner
got £1 6s. Bd. for holding an inquest, and nothing if he
did not hold it, and the matter was left to his own discre-
tion, they knew which way he would judge. Of course the
court had no power of interfering, but it was right the
public should know how the matter stood.
After some further conversation, the general accounts
were passed.

COUNTY LUNATIC ASYLUM.
Mr. Rodick called the attention of the court to the
stated salary of 50 guineas paid to Mr. Sharp, the archi-
tect, but said that he found for extra work during the year
he had received £674 14s. If he were to have a regular
salary, he thought he ought to do the zest of the work for
nothing.

The accounts were then read and passed.
On the reading of the county bridges accounts a long
discussion took place.

HOUSE OF CORRECTION AT PRESTON.
Mr. J. W. France asked if the proviso (in the contracts
for the work in the alteration of this prison) that one-
third of the work done should always be kept in hand
when any money was paid to the contractor had beers
acted on ? and then referred to dates to prove that this
could scarcely have been done.

Mr. Rodick said, as far as he could see, he would de-
nounce the whole matter is a job, at least so far as the
West Derby Hundred was concerned; and he, for one,
would assent, under such circumstances, to divide the
southern from the Preston division of the county ; but he
was afraid it would be locking the stable after the steed
was stolen, for they were sucking the honey from them
now. Here was an expenditure of £6,000, of which the
Hundred of West Derby had no notice, and were not
aware of the necessity for it. Mr. Marshall stated in
print, that the whole of the estimates for the changes in
the House of Correction would only be £3,000, whereas
they would be double. Major Jebb had censured some of
the unnecessary expenses of the gaol; and certainly if
West Derby did not appeal against the charge, it would
be left to an individual to do so.

On the accounts of the House of Correction, Kirkdale,
being read over, the chairman said there was a large in-
crease in the item of clothing ; but that was owing to the
increase of assize prisoners, and the stock having been
allowed to get low. The gaol was now so crowded that
they were compelled to refuse any of the Liverpool
borough prisoners.

ASSESSMENTS.
A rate of lid. was allowed for general purposes, and
4d. for county bridges. Constabulary force rate for
Lonsdale—north id., south Yid. ; Amounderness, Id. ;
Blackburn, higher and lower, lid. ; Bolton 3d. ; Middle-
ton, 1/d. ; Ashton-under-Lyne, 3d. ; Manchester, 21d.;
Kirkdale, Ormskirk, Prescot, and Warrington, 3d. each.
On account of the Preston House of Correction, 4d. for
maintenance; Kirkdale House of Correction for mainte-
nance, Id. For bridges—Lonsdale north, Id. ; Amoun-
derness, id. ; Blackburn, id. ; Leyland, id. ; West DerbT
Id. For salary of chairman of Salford quarter ses-
sions, ild.