The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-06-03 00:00:00

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The DEPUTY TOWN-CLERK having read the proceedings
of this committee,
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE, in moving their confirmation, said
he had a few observations to make on the subject of several
local bills they were applying for in parliament. Though he
might incur the imputation of telling a twice-told tale, and
involve unnecessary discussion, yet there were so many im-
portant and costly considerations involved, that he thought
it right to put the council in possession of the actual position
in which the bills stood, and how they were to be carried into
effect. (Hear, hear.) The first subject was the health of
the Town Bill. This bill had passed the committee of the
House of Commons, and there was every probability—nay
certainty—that it would pass into a law. Having been un-
opposed, it was not subject to what was called the Lanca-
shire List Committee, and their surveyor was enabled to sup-
port the several clauses, and to give the views of the town
generally on the measure, as well as on the Buildings-Regu-
lation Bill. He was bound to say that the Liverpool Bill
had been exceedingly well approved of in London, while, on

the other hand, difficulty had been felt in adjusting Lord
Normanby's bills to the circumstances of large populations
such as existed in Liverpool. It was very possible that there
was no chance of any general measure on the subject being
passed through Parliament in the present session • so that it
remained for the council to carry out their bill ; and he hoped

the magistrates would lend their assistance and thus enable
them to show that the health of the poor and their comforts
would be materially increased and improved by the proposed
measure. If the general bill should happen to pass, he hoped

the council would be able to adduce theirs, and claim that
exemption from the other to which they would be fairly en-
titled. He was aware of the difficulty of procuring exemp-

........... __ _
tion, but in the present case he hoped they would be able to
get such exemption as they required. (Hear, hear.) He
passed on to the Improvement Bill. This was a consolida-
tion of the various local acts relating to the well-govern-
ment of the town and its police, and included several of the
provisions of the Metropolitan Act ; but it had not had the
same success as attended the Health of the Town Bill, in-
asmuch as it had not passed the House of Commons without
opposition. Its main enactments would, however, be carried
out. One or two of its clauses had been altered, and a new
one had been introduced. The clause which enabled the
council to take property by compulsory purchase which
had been burned or was being pulled down or rebuilt,
had been abandoned, and clauses for the improvement of
George's-pier and the slips had been retained in the
Act of Parliament; but as they could be embodied in the
new act, it was thought right so to do, particularly as there
could be no great objection to the adoption of such a course.
He begged distinctly to remark, that in doing so the Finance
Committee had no intention to interfere with the privileges
or rights of the dock trustees, or to lessen that liability which
both bodies were under to maintain the slips and stages.
The principal opposition which the committeh had to en-
counter was that of the publicans, who objected to that
clause which was introduced from the Metropolitan Police
Act, which would compel them to close their houses
from twelve o'clock on Saturday night until one on Sunday
afternoon. To this clause the publicans objected. They
urged the same objections in London which they had pre-
viously urged before the council. They occupied the at-
tention of the committee of the House of Commons for two
days, but they did not adduce any evidence, while the Fi-
nance Committee had the evidence of Mr. Rushton to show
the degree of rioting and drunkenness on the Sabbath-day,
and the evidence of Mr. Dowling, who was well acquainted
with the state of things in Liverpool and London ; and the
effect of their evidence was irresistible. The committee
unanimously determined that Liverpool had a right to such
a clause. They felt it would be better if the provision were
embodied in a general act, and if the limit of the operations
of the local measure were more extensive, but they did not
consider those objections sufficient to prevent the council
from having the advantages which would be secured by the
clause. He (Mr. Lawrence) was sorry the publicans op-
posed the council as they had done, seeing the feeling of the
House of Commons on the subject, but he trusted that when
they came to consider they would be of opinion they would
not incur the serious loss which they supposed. He hoped
they would consider the advantages of having the Sabbath-
day revered ; and, notwithstanding all they had suffered from
the progress of teetotalism and other circumstances, that the
clause would have a beneficial tendency. They talked of
carrying their opposition to the House of Lords, but that
would not avail. They said that though they objected to the
operation of the clause in a local act they were in favour of
a general measure. This was creditable to them, and there
was an act at present passing through the legislature which
would have the effect they considered so desirable.
The TowN-CLERK.—They have presented a petition to
the House of Lords.
Mr. BIRKETT.—They are talking that the Duke of Rich-
mond is going to stand up for them.
Mr. EARLE.—It's all talk. (A laugh.)
Mr. LAWRENCE proceeded to say that the Borough
Courts' bill had also passed through the House of Commons.
This, he said, would be a most desirable bill. They had at
present a most excellent lawyer to preside over their Borough
Court ; they had, moreover, intelligent juries, and a very
able bar to advocate the claims of the several suitors. It
was, therefore, a great pity to see it so comparativelys ineffi-
cient as it was, and it must be their desire to see its utility
extended. Though there had been some opposition to the
bill from the gentlemen in the north of the county, that op-
position would be unavailing, and it had already gone to the
lords. The next was the conservancy bill, of which he had
nothing so favourable to report. The difficulties of it in-
creased as they proceeded, and prevented it from making
that progress to which it ought to have attained ; but its
importance was considered by the government to be so great
that they had suggested the propriety of sending it to a select
committee. To such a course the Finance Committee would
not object, because they had nothing whatever to apprehend
from a fair and impartial committee of the house ; but one
of the government officers had suggested various alterations
which were ill-considered, and would be prejudicial if passed
in their present shape. He would not enter into the details
of them. But the council would have to be consulted on the
subject before the Finance Committee would take it on them-
selves to agree to them ; because, though it was not right to
shrink from inquiry, yet they should ever recollect that they
must never jeopardise by any act the interests of the town.
(Hear, hear.) The next subject of which he conceived it
necessary to put the council in possession was, that the Fi-
nance Committee had agreed to petition parliament on the
subject of making Liverpool the packet station. It was the
feeling of the committee that they should do so, and it was
conceived desirable that so important a subject should not be
lost sight of. At the same time he had very little hope him-
self of its success. The contractors seemed to be bound to
the channel ports ; and, though the people of Liverpool had
a very good case, yet if the council went out of Liverpool
they would find very few who would say that Liverpool
was better than Falmouth or Southampton for the packet
station. (Hear.) The inhabitants of other places were wil-
ling to say that Liverpool was
_the proper port for vessels
plying to and from the United States and elsewhere, but
they were not of the same opinion with reference to the
West India packets. (Hear, hear.) One other subject claimed
attention. There was at present a committee of the House
of Commons sitting on the subject of the communication be-
tween Ireland and England. They were taking evidence and
were contemplating the removal of the Irish packets which
now plied to and from the Birkenhead side of the water, to
some remote and inaccessible port in Wales. It would be-
hove the Finance Committee to keep their eye on such a
He (Mr. Lawrence) perceived by a newspaper
proceeding.
in the interest of the parties, a copy of which he held in his
hand, that the committee had been sitting for many weeks,
and that Captain Denham, a gentleman, it was said, "of