The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-02 00:00:00

INTERVIEWS WITH DEPUTATIONS

The Commissioners next advert to interviews which they
had with the deputations from the commercial bodies of this
port, proceeding seriatim through their principal proposi-
tions.

PAYMENT OF LANDING-WAITERS' AND WEIGHERS' FEES

The Commissioners set out by stating the practice hitherto.
The system of paying landing-waiters, partly by fees on
work done, was introduced in 1818, and continued till 1829.
In 1829 the landing-waiters were divided into classes,
receiving salaries of £3OO, £250, £2OO, and £l5O per annum.
The total number in the establishment is 110. The Com-
missioners repeat the arguments urged by the merchants in
favour of the fee system, and those brought fprward against
it. They then state their own views, with their conclusion
that it would be advisable to adopt it.

INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF LANDING SURVEYORS

AND LANDING WAITERS

With the demand for an augmentation of Landing Sur-
veyors, the Commissioners do not recommend compliance.
The merchants required facilities equal to those enjoyed in
London for taking tares, &c., under the direction of the
Surveyors, but the Commissioners urge the differentcircum-
stances of the two ports, and express their opinion, that the
revenue should not be subjected to the cost of supplying de-
ficiencies in the arrangements of the docks and warehouses
at this port. " When," say they, "the new docks which
are in contemplation, shall be perfected, and in full use, it
is not unlikely that an increase of this class of officers, on
whose vigilence and activity so much depends, may be re-
quisite; but, at present, we cannot give our sanction to the
proposed augmentation of the present numbers. Nor are
we prepared to encourage the request made for an additional
number of Landing Waiters. We have little doubt that our
suggestion respecting the future mode of their conducting
the landing business will fully obviate the necessity of such
increase, and at the same time afford the merchants that
increased facility and despatch which they so anxiously and
so naturally desire."

HOURS OF WORK IN THE OUT-DOOR DEPARTMENT

The Commissioners recommend a longer time of real work
by the officers in the out-door department, though not to
the extent demanded. They advise that the officers should
reach the dock where their attendance is necessary, so as to
enter their names in a book at the Landing Surveyor's office
at such dock, at eight o'clock in summer, and half-past eight
in winter, the book to be closed at a given time and regularly
submitted to the Inspector-General. The Commissioners
approve of the custom of allowing officers to work at extra
hours on special application setting forth sufficient reasons.
THE EXPEDIENCY OF EMPLOYING ONE SET OF PORTERS
ON THE QUAYS AND WAREHOUSES.

The Commissioners are alive to the advantages which
would result from a system of this description; assimilating
the practice to that of the port of London, " but," say they,
" it must not be forgotten, that there is this important dis.
tinction between the circumstances of the two ports; for, in
London, the several docks and the warehouses, for the most
part, are within the same walls, belong to the same proprie-
tors, and are under their management ; whereas, at Liverpool,
the docks are distinct from the warehouses, and the ware-
houses are distinct from each other, and belong to an infinite
number of proprietors. It would be highly inexpedient to
interfere, by parliamentary enactment, with the freedom Of
all parties to carry on their trade in such manner as they
themselves choose. We would leave the adoption of the
change to the slow and gradual, but, we trust, the growing
cow, icLiuu 14 (.14c LLlCl44laiooa of +h.+
alteration is not merely desirable, but that it can he best and
nrstjustly effected by their own efforts and by their indi-
vidual and private arrangements."

BONDING COTTON WOOL.
The proposition originally submitted on this subject was,
" that the duty on cotton wool should be paid invariably on
its import, and that the law permitting the importer to enter
it in bond should be repealed ; and in Liverpool, in cases of
export of cotton, debentures for the amount of the duty
originally paid should be granted, available only for payment
of the duties." The principal points of this proposition the
Commissioners declined to entertain, for a variety of reasons
given in the report. The alteration which they suggest, and
which they recommend should be submitted to parliament
for legislative sanction, is restricted to the permission that
duty may be paid on cotton wool on its import, and that a
drawback of the duty so paid should he allowed on its ex-
portatian in the original packages. They submit the objec-
tions offered against this proposition by the Commissioners
of Customs, with their own replies thereunto, and their
reasons for making the recommendation.

AVERAGE WEIGHTS

The next relief from unnecessary delay is proposed to be
effected by extending to goods of a certain character, and
which are contained in somewhat similar packages, of like
weight and dimensions, the privilege of taking an account of
such packages, weighing an indefinite number of them, and,
by striking an average of such weight, calculating the gross
quantity, and the duty to which they shall be liable, but
leaving to the officer or the merchant the option of weighing
every package as at present. Either on account of the in-
equality of the size and weight of the packages in which the
goods are imported, or on account of the amount of duty,
they feel obliged to restrict the proposed privilege to the fol-
lowing articles at present, subject, however, to any extension
which experience may point out as desirable for the importer
without risk to the revenue. The following articles which
they suggest for this experiment are :—Quicksilver, duty Id.
per lb. ; beef, (salted,) 12s. per cwt. ; pork, (salted,) ditto ;
sheep's wool, ld. per lb. if of Is. value, if less l&d. ; saf-
flower, Is. per cwt. ; turpentine, 4s. 4d., and upwards ;
flour, in barrels ; cotton, from East Indies, 4d. per cwt. ;
rough rice, varies from 2s. 6d. to ld. ; pot and pearl ashes,
6s. the cwt. ; jute, Id. per cwt. The Baltic and other sorts
of hemp are brought in two unequal packages to justify the
attempt to estimate them by an average.