The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-08 00:00:00

MEETING OF BIRKENHEAD POLICE COM-

MISSIONERS

The first general meeting of the commissioners under the
police acts since the annual election, was held in the Town-
hall, Birkenhead, on Tuesday, for the purpose of electing a
chairman for the ensuing year, the appointment of commit-
tees, and the despatch of general business.

ELECTION 05' CHAIRMAN.
Mr. J. S. JACKSON said the first business before the meet-
ing was the election of a chairman to preside over the deli-
berations of the ensuing year ; and he had now the honour
of proposing that the gentleman who had so ably filled the
chair last year be re-elected. He had held that office for
many years, and without meaning to flatter, for it was his
sincere opinion, he would say that the commissioners had in-
variably received from that gentleman the utmost kindness
and attention. He had indeed not only given satisfaction to
the commissioners, but to the great body of ratepayers whom
they represented. He had therefore great pleasure in mov-
that John Deane Case, Eq. be appointed chairman of the
commissioners of police for the ensuing year. (Applause.)
Mr. COLE seconded the motion. It was carried by accla-
mation.

Mr. CASE then took the chair, from which he immediately
rose and said—ln being again honoured by being placed in
the honourable position of chairman of the Commissioners of
Birkenhead, I beg to assure you most unfeignedly that I
feel most sensibly the honour you have conferred upon me
in placing me again in this position. During the time I have
had the honour of presiding over your meetings in this room,
it has been my constant endeavour to promote the feelings of
goodwill and good fellowship among the members of the
board, and if I have in any measure succeeded in giving satis-
faction upon that point, or upon any other of those important
subjects which have come before this board, I feel amply repaid
for the trouble—l should perhaps disclaim the word trouble
—of presiding in this room. To fill the chair in this room
is a position which must flatter any man, because we see the
town of Birkenhead (for I will no longer call it any thing but
a town) rising, year after year, in a very imposing manner,
towards future eminence arid greatness. lam certainly one
of those who do think that the extent to which this place
may arrive cannot be seen ; and, therefore, under all these
circumstances, I do certainly feel very much honoured in
being again placed in the situation of chairman of the Board
of Commissioners for the town of Birkenhead. (Hear,
hear.) But, gentlemen, there is one subject which, if you
will allow me, and will not think I arrogate too much to
myself in naming it, I should be very glad to throw out for
the consideration of the board. It is very well known that
the person holding the situation of chairman of any body
such as this, must occasionally feel in want of a second in
the way of a vice-chairman ; and it has occurred to me, if it
met with the approbation of the board, that it would be a
very proper thing to eleet a vice-chairman of the commis-
sioners of Birkenhead. (Hear, hear.) I shall not say more
than that; but at the same time I think it is a subject well
worthy of consideration. Occasions may arise when the
chairman may be absent ; and there should be, as in all other
public bodies, some one to whom the board might look to
take the situation upon him in the absence of the chairman.
I hope you will not think I assume or arrogate too much in
having brought this subject to your notice on this occasion.
I will only add that I beg to offer you my sincere and heart-
felt thanks for the honourable position you have again placed
me in. (Hear, hear.)

ELECTION OF A VICE-CHAIRMAN.
Mr. GREEN, in accordance with the suggestions of the
chairman, begged to propose that a vice-chairman be ap-
pointed, and that Mr. William Jackson be elected to fill that
office. (Hear, hear.) At the same time he must be allowed
to make another remark. It might be said " let well alone ;"
and in general it was a very good rule ; but he considered
that as this was a representative body there should be a con-
stant rotation of office in it—that when a vice-chairman had
been elected he should succeed the chairman, and so on. He
was happy to see Mr. Case in the chair, and he should be
very sorry if the commissioners were to lose his valuable
services, yet he did think that there should occasionally be
changes in every situation on that board. With these re-
marks he begged to move that Mr. William Jackson be ap-
pointed vice-chairman of the commissioners of Birkenhead.
Mr. HORNER seconded . the motion, and it was unani-
mously carried. _ _ _ _ _

Mr. WILLIAM JACKSON said, that for the honour the
commissioners had just done him he felt most grateful and
proud of it; but he must say, that whether elected to the
office of Vice-Chairman or not, would make little difference
to him in the exertions he should make for the interests of
the town of Birkenhead. He only wanted to be judged by
the past as a security for what he would do in the future, and
whenever lie failed in his duty, he should esteem that man
his best friend who would first tell him of his fault. (Ap-
plause.)

QUALIFICATION OF COMMISSIONERS

Mr. Christopher Bentham and Mr. John Walker, two
Commissioners returned at the late election, qualified, and
took the declaration imposed by the act.

APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEE

The LA.W CLERK (Mr. Mallaby) said that, as in former
years, he had taken the liberty of sketching out a list of the
various committees for the ensuing year, of course leaving it
with the board to make such alterations in any of them as
they might think advisable. There would be a finance com-
mittee, composed of one out of all the other committees, so
that each committee would be in possession of the state of
the finances : a watch committee, a road committee, and a
market committee. The following nine was the list he had
drawn out :

Finance Committee—Messrs. Green, Bentham, Laird,
Cole, Watson, Walker, and Stansfield.
-Watch Committee—Messrs. Laycock, Horner, Pym,
Watson, Appleton, Kerr, and Gilbertson.
Road Committee—Messrs. Laird, John S. Jackson, Fry,
M'Nicol, and Horner.

Market Committee—Messrs. Laycock, Cole, Raynes, Prit-
chard, and Ra,venscroft.
Ferry Committee—John S. Jackson, Green, Bentham,
Kerr, and Fry.
The Chairman and Deputy. Chairman to be e::-officio
members of all committees.

Mr. COLE inquired why Mr. Walker and himgelf had been
taken off the Road Committee ?
The LAW CLERK said he would answer that question
candidly. There had come to his ears, not one but several,
complaints that the Road Committee had been overladen
with land-owners, and those representing land-owners'

interests; and he had therefore, without wishing to hurt
the feelings of any one on this subject, taken the liberty
in re-constructing the Road Committee, to put in two gen-
tlemen out of the last appointment, with three others out
of the body of commissioners. Two out of these three had
been upon the Road. Committee before ; the other had not
been upon the Road Committee before. Out of the Road
Committee, as proposed, there were two principal land-
owners, and three rate-payers. His reason for suggesting
these names frankly was, because, complaints were made,
not only that there were owners of property upon that com-
mittee, to a large extent, but that they had influenced
the expenditure of the funds of the commissioners to an
immense extent, and had so caused a heavy debt to the
township. There ought therefore to be some change made.
He boldly avowed that to be the reason, and if he was right
the.commissioners would support him ; if he was wrong he
should be glad to see the construction of the committee
altered. The Finance Committee was so constructed as to
have one member from every committee, with the view that
they might be acquainted in some degree with the proposed
expenditure of all committees beforehand. They would
then have the means of seeing whether committees should
or should not recommend those measures which were likely
to increase expense.

. -
Mr. COLE defended the late Road Committee, and in-
quired who were members of it at the time the alleged im-
proper expenditure took place?
The LAW CLERK did not pretend to judge of that. All
he said was that there were landowners upon the committee,
and complaints had been made that their interest had caused
an immense expenditure of the funds of the commissioners;
and that the permanent debt had been increased i❑ conse-
quence of those proceedings. However eligible those pro-
ceedings might be for the final benefit of the township, the
present effect of them was a disagreeable burden in the shape
of taxation and debt.

Mr. PARKER (of the Liverpool Town-council) said he
thought the question put by Mr. Cole ought to be distinctly
answered.

The LAW.CLERIC said no charge had been made against
the individual members off` the committee.
Mr. COLE said the Road Committee had sat for the last
two years ; and it having been stated that their expenditure
had been extravagant, he wished to be informed what that
extravagant expenditure was?

The LAW CLERK replied ihat the Road Committee books
and accounts would explain.
Mr. COLE thought the charge ought to be substantiated
now.

Mr. LAIRD said he should certainly not act upon the pro-
posed Road Committee unless this matter was cleared up.
Mr. STANSFIELD said the members of the previous Road
Committee should be well assured that nothing personal was
meant towards them. He looked at the question on a broad
ground. He considered it a sound and proper principle to
be acted upon, and if he were a landed proprietor he should
be very glad to relinquish his situation on the Road Com-
mittee on that account. He was aware himself of what the
Law Clerk had stated, that there was much jealousy abroad,
and that much observation had been made on the immense
expenses of the Road Committee as having been incurred by
those interested in land.

Mr. WALKER enquired whether the money had been un-
necessarily expended?
The LAW CLERK did not mean to say that one farthing
had been unnecessarily expended. He had not said so.

Mr. J. S. JACKSON had been a member of the road com-
mittee, and was ready to meet any charges alleged against
them, either by the Law Clerk or any body else. Charges
of this sort should not be made unless they could be sub-
stantiated. They could not, be substantiated, for he (Mr. J.
S. Jackson) 'was able to prove that the road committee had
not spent one farthing more than they had levied.
Mr. GREEN said that might be so; but did Mr. Jackson
mean to say that they were not in debt?

Mr. J. S. JACKSON' meant to say, that they were not in
debt. He agreed with Mr. Laird, that these charges ought
to be cleared up. He did not believe, however, that the Law
Clerk had made any charge against individual members of
the committee. He believed that the public were impressed
with the belief, that the rates had been increased by the
greater expenditure upon the roads ; but he would prove, be-
fore that day week, if the commissioners would give him an
opportunity, that the Road Committee had not expended one
penny more than they were authorised to do. What was to
become of the township if it had not gave roads? Time
after time, in that room, it had been recommended that the
committee should repair them, but how could they repair
them without means? The township of Birkenhead would
go to the dogs if it had not good roads, and whoever was
elected upon the committee, he hoped and trusted they would
make good roads.

Mr.WATsorf was very glad that this conversation had oc-
curred, because it would be satisfactory to the township to
know that there had been no more expenditure on the roads
than was necessary. It was impossible to keep up good
roads without an adequate expenditure; and it would be sa-
tisfactory to the public to have a statement laid before them
such as was proposed by Mr. Jackson.
Mr. WILLIAM JACKSON said that, anticipating there
would be some discussion on this question, from what he
had heard out of doors, he was very desirous that the report
of the committee appointed previously to the last sitting of
commissioners should be read, in order to clear up this mat-
ter. Mr. Mallaby, he believed, was quite correct in what
he had stated ; there was great jealousy among the parties
who paid the rates—not those who owned property—of the
influence of the landowners; and as the greatest expenditure
of the township was through that Road Committee, it had
been deemed desirable that there should be a sprinkling of
new blood in it every year. He was of that opinion himself,
without meaning to cast any reflection whatever upon the
services of the old committee, because he could himself hear
testimony to their exertions, and to the benefit which had
arisen to the township from those exertions. He was happy
to state that, though the whole expenditure of the township
had been great, the documents before him shewed that there
had been no more expended than they had received, with the
exception of one year's expenditure when those who sat there
previous to them made no rate to meet the expenses of the
township.
Mr. J. S. JACKSON understood Mr. Wm. Jackson to re-
mark, that the party who represented the Road Committee
previous to the one which was now charged, did not exact a
certain rate. It was not the Road Committee, but the great
body of commissioners, who omitted to levy a rate ; and the
consequence was the debt.
Mr. W. JACKSON said they absolutely returned the rate to
the commissioners, and what was the consequence ? Why
that the roads were worn threadbare. This was penny wise
and pound foolish, for it had caused the township to run in
debt.