The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-11 00:00:00

Todd said that
quays has been a

ou-iatmeren, and I am sure 1

when I say that any variation of plan, ---
that which has so great advantages, would be poorly com-
pensated for by other advantages." The Mediterranean and
Levant Association expressed a similar opinion through Mr.
Pilcher and Mr. Paul; but, notwithstandin", th ese, there
was the Shipowners' Association, and perhaps one or two
others, that expressed an opposite opinion. They were
much in favour of Mr. Gage's plan ; and the dock com-
mittee therefore decided upon calling in the very best infor-
mation which they could possibly obtain upon the subject.

They. wrote to Mr. \Valker and Mr..
and heard all that the associated bodies bad got to say. After
some time those gentlemen sent the Dock Committee their
reports and plans, but before that the Dock Committee had
shewn the plans of Mr. Hartley and Mr. Gage to all the dock
and harbour masters; they took their opinions as practical
men, and to a man every individual who had been examined

Cubitt

preferred the plans for which the act of parliament had been
obtained, those of Mr. Hartley, to those of Mr. Gage. Who,
then, was to decide ? Were the Dock Committee to call in
the associated bodies again after having already beard their
opinions? Were they to appeal to the town, or who was to
decide the question ? The Dock Committee after having
given the greatest possible consideration to the subject
thought they were the parties to decide, and they did decide;
they decided that the plans for which they had an act of
parliament should be the plans upon which they would pro-
ceed. Then the question arose whether the reports of Mr.
Walker and Mr. Cubitt should be shewn to the public, and

the Dock Committee said they should lie upon the table for
their inspection. Mr. Gage called upon him (Mr. Sands) to
know whether he might read them ; he replied, " certainly,
do what you like," and he further gave instructions to Mr.
Mason, the secretary, to allow Mr. Gage to make extracts if
he chose,—in fact to do what he thought fit. Now, he wanted
to know what good could now come from their being printed.
The Dock Committee had already incurred an expense of
seven hundred or eight hundred guineas by what had hitherto
been done, and it would cost at least two hundred guineas
more to print the reports and the evidence. Besides, they
were not going to act upon those reports if they were printed.
He therefore could see no good in printing them, or he should
be very happy to agree to Mr. Gladstone's wishes ; but the
reports might lie upon the council-table for the next three
months, or for six months if they chose, for the Dock Com-
mittee had no objecticn to that. ' This was Mr. Walker's
'inion upon the plan of Mr. Hartley :7--" had no act been
-d nor any restrictions imposed, I should still say that,
it is decidedly the best plan for the
or a dock with bonded warehouses. The act makes
can be proceeded with at present." Mr.
:—" Upon the whole, after the most
eration of the subject, I have no hesitation in
decided opinion, that the best and most de-
wier all the circumstances, is to construct the
houses round, upon the plan as settled by
After this, he thought Mr. Gladstone 'would
the plan upon which the Dock Committee
vid with which they had already made

11 things considered,

it the o
Cubitt'

e plan, t

Hartle}

on was

Mclennan -EvANs would not detain the council many
Some one had questioned whether the council had
or had not the right to call for these documents ; now he
should be very sorry if the council had not the right to call
for or look at any documents belonging to the Dock Commit-
tee. It ought to be recollected that the council were the
trustees of the docks, and therefore, if they desired any docu-
ments belonging to that body, he considered they had a perfect
right to ask for them ; but be was also equally certain that
upon the present occasion, the council would have the good
sense not to ask the exercise of a right that would be abso-
lutely worse than useless. He conceived that the ridiculous
notion of interference with the committee out of doors ought
to cease now. They had done everything that it was possible
to do, not only to satisfy but to gratify every body out of
doors, without examining nicely with regard to what right
they had to require so much from the committee. He had
to observe before now that after all the lengthened investiga-
on that the Dock Committee had made of persons, and of
material in the management of the docks, for
!d engineers and professional men of all de-
-1 the very highest of their class, that if then
g upon the subject of dock n

consider

1 knowledge cxistin

construction anywhere it was in the dock
lie hoped that the council and the public at
ld rest satisfied that everything had been done

:h was for the best