The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-21 00:00:00

Mr. BnAwry-Moot-tr.—Then Why are all these leaves
left blank ? Here they are, sir! (Cheers.)
Mr. A IKIN.—To the innocent mind all things are inno-
cent. " Honi soil qui snal y pense."
Mr. PROCTER stated that Mr. Bolton, who was a member
of the Borough Court Committee of that day, stated in the
Paid. Officers Committee, that though he could not tell what
was done he knew that the Chairman made his own memoran-
da, and put them into his pocket.' That was not the same
version as Mr. Aikin's and Mr. Bright's. if the committee
had appointed a chairman, why had not the other proceed-
ings been entered ? Why were these 48 pages left blank ?
It must have been for some purpose.
Mr. BRIGHT said the committee had, in fact, done nothing
but given notice of their intention to apply to parliament.
Mr. BRAMLEY-Moore.—Then that ought to have been
recorded, but it is not.
Mr. BOLTON wished to say a word in explanation of an
observation by Mr. Procter. At the commencement of the
council proceedings in January 1836 several committees were
appointed, and among others the Paid Officers' Committee,
of which he was a member. The course of proceeding was
this—it was the duty either of the Town-clerk, or the Clerk
of committees, to keep a record of all the proceedings of
Committees. It was thought advisable that this committee
should not be encumbered by any officer, because questions
might be put which it was desirable they should be kept ig-
norant of—therefore, of the preliminary enquiries, as to the
manner in which the officers discharged their duties, and so
on, there was no record whatever. There certainly was
none in the Paid Officers' Committee till the report was
published on the 2nd March, 1836.
Mr. PROCTER said that, from that, it was clear that the
memorandums spoken of were intended to be filed ; but still,
why were all these leaves left blank? (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BOLTON.—The documents themselves were handed
over for record, either to the Town Clerk or the Clerk of
Committees. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HODGSON expressed his regret that there should have
besn so much personal discussion, but he attributed that to
those who were commonly the great disturbers of the pro-
ceedings. He regretted the course which the debate had
taken, and he thought it would have been much better left
until the whole evidence was before them. He was satisfied,
however, that in the report, no more allusion to persons
than was necessary to illustrate the fact of their position ;
indeed, it would have been impossible to have conveyed an
idea of their situation without showing in whose department
the irregularities appeared, or where the want of system and
management existed. But there was one important point in
the report which had forcibly struck him in reading it
over, and which seemed a subject for explanation. It
seemed to him important to have some statement of the
regulations under which the different officers were called
upon to conduct the duties committed to their charge,
which at present appeared to be a jumble, so that the council
might be enabled to arrive at a just conclusion. Now,
from the blank leaves, he thought he was justified in inferring
past mismanagement, and that the business of the corpora-
tion bad been so utterly without rule and regulation, that
parties had been allowed to act just according to their own
self-will. And, though the council might be called upon to
make great changes, they must, nevertheless, deal very
leniently with those persons who had had no rule or regula-
tion. Let the cap fit where it ought. If the late dominant
party who had so long held power, had left the thing in such
a state that there was neither rule nor regulation for the
officers to guide themselves by, who was to blame ? Surely
not the officers ; but the men who, in the true spirit of liber-
alism, first introduced reporters to publish their proceedings,
and who were afterwards the very first to complain of their
publication.
Mr. EARLE.-01a, the Angel!
Mr. HODGSON said, that in order to enable the council to
make a just comparison, what was now most wanted, was the
evidence; and therefore he moved that the evidence, such as
had already been taken before the committee, and in conti-
nuation, such as should be taken before the committee, be
printed (riot published) for the use of the members of the
council, and each member of the council be furnished with a
copy.
I Mr. ASPINALL seconded the motion.

Mr. EARLE said they had sometimes heard a great deal
about the necessity for the practice of economy with regard
to the corporation funds. Upon my word, continued he, to
go and publish such a long rigma' ole as this would be money
extremely ill spent. We can all read it if we like. As Mr.
Hodgson has had a slap at liberalism, and as I always take
pleasure in rapping at him when I can, I here state that no-
body cares one button top for what he says; and that he
knows. I tell him that from his own party ! I tell you
the truth, Sir!! (Great confusion, and cries of " Order.")
Mr. BIRKETT.—I think I know some little of the feeling
of the conservative party to which I have the honour to
belong—quite as much as Mr. Earle—and I can give a most
unqualified contradiction to what Mr. Earle has just stated.
(Cheers.)
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE spoke in high terms of the services
of Mr. Okill, and said that the reason of his absence from
the meetings of the committee was, that he had received per-
mission from the Finance Committee to be absent for a few
days while superintending the removal of his effects from
Bootle to Childwall.

After some further discussion, Mr. Hodgson's motion for
printing the evidence was withdrawn, at the request of Mr.
LLOYD, who replied at considerable length upon the whole
case.

The motion proposed by Mr. Lloyd was then agreed to.
The last council of the municipal year was appointed to be
held on Saturday, the 29th instant, and the council separated
at four o'clock.

MEETING OP THE DOCK COMMITTEE. The weekly
meeting of the Dock Committee was held yesterday, when
the following members were present :—Messrs. Sands (chair-
man), Horsfall, Barclay, Middleton, Molyneux, Nicol, Holt,
Holmes, Aikin, Evans, Bulley, Tobin, Bold, Shand, and
Mellor. A deputation from the Shipbuilders' Association,
consisting of Mr. Wilson, Mr. Royden, and Mr. Milchrist,
were introduced; and also the North and South Harbour-
masters, and Mr. M`Bride (master of Clarence Dock), for
the purpose of laying before the committee their opinions
upon the proposed lengthening of the Clarence South Graving
Dock. The dock officers were unanimously opposed to it,
on the ground that it would interfere with the working of the
Clarence dock ; the deputation then pointed out the mode by
which all the alleged inconvenience might be obviated, and
strongly impressed upon the committee the necessity for in-
creased graving dock accommodation. The parties then re-
tired, and the committee, after having deliberated upon their
testimony, decided, by a majority of nine against six, that
the graving dock should be lengthened, but the consideration
of the exact length, whether for three or .four ships, was
posponed till Thursday next. Some explanations were then
entered into respecting warehouses upon the dock quays with
reference to Sir John Hall's opinion thereon ; and Mr.
Bold, in justification of what he had stated at a former
meeting upon the insurance of them, produced a letter from
Mr. Hamilton, of London, secretary to one of the offices
there, who stated that the objectionable character of ware-
houses would materially increase the risk, and consequently
the premium of insurance in them. The committee then se-
parated,

MUNICIPAL ELECTION.—The following is, to the best of
our information, a list of the candidates declared to come
forward at the approaching municipal contest :
Wards. Conservatives. Radicals.
1. Everton Shand None
2. Scotland
3. Vauxhall
4. St. Paul's....
5. Exchange North Mellor
6. Castle-street
7. Gibraltar Samuel Holme None
8. Pitt-street. .
9. Great George *Rovden None
10. Rodney-street
11. Abercromby.._ Bushell None