The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-30 00:00:00

TOWN-CLERE'S STATEMENT

This set out by giving extracts from the report of the Paid
Officers' Committee, presented to the council of the 27th
February, 1836, setting forth the future functions of the
Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk. The resolution of the
council of the 4th March, 1836, appointing Mr. Radcliffe
Town-clerk, Registrar of the Borough Court, and Clerk of
the Peace, during good behaviour, with £2,000 a year as his
sole emoluments, the fees of his offices, deducting clerks'
salaries and office expenses, to go to the borough fund, was
also set forth, followed by some details as to the mode in
which the arrangement was subsequently effected. The state-
ment next alluded to the appointment of Mr. Shuttleworth
as Deputy Town-clerk, on the sth of May, 1841, when a
division of duties between the Town-clerk and Deputy
Town-clerk was declared by the council. " On this division,"
it was observed in the statement, " and certain important
improvements on it, recommended by the present committee,
the Town-clerk founds his suggestions for the scheme of
establishment intended to be submitted by this statement to
the council."
The Town-clerk recurring to the report submitted first
some explanation touching that portion of it which refers to
the Recorder, observing that the assistance of a special clerk
to the Recorder had been discontinued, the clerk at the desk
being able to render him the requisite assistance, and that
the refreshments at the sessions had been on the most
moderate scale.
The statement next referred to the Town-clerk's depart-
ment. In allusion to the observations in the report on the
various offices in this department, it was set forth in the
statement that the Town-clerk is not responsible for all the
officers comprised in the report, as for instance the clerk of
committees (except as to the repository), or his clerk ; or for
the sub-bailiffs beyond a vigilant supervision of them.
Touching the want of system and arrangement, the state-
ment refers to the subsequent declaration in the report that
the establishment of clerks is and has been insufficient for
the great weight of business continually pressing. The state-
ment set forth the great changes and increase of business
since the passing of the Municipal Act, principals being now
daily compelled to discharge duties that ought to he dele-
gated, while sudden exigences requiring immediate attention
prevented satisfactory system or arrangement. It was the
opinion of the Town-clerk, given merely to show the extent
of business that the whole duties of the offices held by him
and the Deputy Town-clerk would, if paid by fees, so far as
fees are now payable, and by the usual professional charges
for the rest, amount to not less than £9OOO per annum, after
all deductions for clerks or otherwise.
As regarded the portion of the report on the increase of
salaries, the statement showed from the return of the Trea-
surer, that the increase in the cost of Town-clerk, Clerk of
the Peace, Deputy Town-clerk, and Prosecuting Solicitor
and their clerks in seven years was, including an addition of
£lOO a-year to Mr. Shuttleworth's salary, £75 145., the
lowest annual amount being that of 1836, £3,588 Bs., and the

highest that of 1842, (which -includes Mr. Shuttleworth's
additional £lOO per annum,') £3,633 12s.
The amount of fees from the Borough Court for the year
ending 31st July, 1842, was £960 16s. Sd. The system of
receiving was continued from the times of former Town-
clerks. The receipt of the fees was confined to the Deputy
Registrar and Mr. Tyson. Sin,e, the 11th July last the
names of the parties have been entered w.ta the fees, but this
ha:: required the assistance of a❑ extra- eierk, who, tiniii,4ll
generally one of the apprentices, could be ill afforded. Tile
system to some extent retards the business of the court, but
the proposed increase of the establishment would enable the
Town-clerk, he expects, to do away with this objection and
to improve the check.
The fees were entered in the Town-clerk's cash book un-
der a resolution of the council, and were posted into an
official book kept exclusively for the fees account, and both
the summary and the several particulars duly indorsed, were
delivered to the Treasurer without being called for. In the
Public Office and that of the Clerk of the Peace, there could
not, in many cases, front the nature of the business, be any
check beyond original entries.
Refreshments have been allowed to clerks only when they
were detained till a late hour. .

The Town-clerk confirmed the opinion expressed in the
report on the illegality of the present arrangement for the
custody of the charters, deeds, muniments and records of the
corporation, he (the Town-clerk) being the legal custodier.
Opinions were given as to the inexpediency of allowing per-
sons to inspect deeds without the express order of the Town-
clerk, and of the convenience which would ensue from the
legal arrangement in consequence of the privileges of the
custodier and the Deputy Town-clerk, as attorneys, of with-
holding evidence or disclosures touching the contents of such
deeds. The Clerk of Committees and Surveyor would have
every possible facility in obtaining every necessary informa-
tion. _

As regards the registering of leases, the statement simply
set forth that " this undoubtedly belongs to the Town-clerk's
department."
In reference to a doubt expressed in the report as to the
legal compatibility of the offices of Town-clerk and Clerk of
the Peace, the statement contained arguments to prove
that the junction of those offices is strictly in accordance with
the Municipal Act.
On the extra expenses on account of prosecutions and the
impediments to the general business of the Town-hall, the
Town-clerk looked forward to the proposed increase in the
establishment for the prevention of any future inconvenience
of the kind adverted to.
The Town-clerk concurs generally with the report on the
subject of paying salaries in lieu of fees, and the appropria-
tion of the latter.
The Town-clerk nest, in his statement, addressed him-
self to the scheme of the establishment. The Town-clerk
proposed various qualifications upon the scheme of division
of duties approved by the Council on the appointment of the
Deputy Town-clerk, most of which qualifications belonged
to the scheme of the committee. Preserving the principle
of Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk, and the relation of
senior and junior partner, but with separate establishments
and every practicable division of duty, he would cheerfully
accept the scheme of the committee.
'rile increasing business of the Borough Court requires an
v 'int to the Town-clerk as Registrar, who must have an
interior clerk, both of whom are to make the duties of the
above office paramount, but to hold the rest of their time at
the disposal of the Town-clerk for the Corporation. In lieu
of salaries of £2OO and 00, proposed by the committee, the
Town-clerk urged £250 and £lOO. For the engrossing
clerks small increases to the salaries proposed by the com-
mittee were recommended.

The Town-clerk submitted that the appointments, as
well as dismissals, in the several departments of himself
and the Deputy Town-clerk, should rest with themselves
respectively, subject to the approval of the Council as to
salaries.
The statement concluded with some observations on the
salaries and fees of the Crier at the Sessions, Sub-Bailiffs.
The Town-clerk suggested that the Watch Committee might
justly require the pay of their constables while employed as
summoning officers to he made a charge upon the courts.
The statement of the Town-clerk on the Sergeant-at-Mace
and his Bailiffs, the Crier of the Borough Court, and the
Mace Bearer, stand over, as the committee have directed
cases for the opinion of counsel on these offices.