The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-12-04 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

SKETCH. Three new faces and two new voices were heard at the meeting of the Town Council on Wednesday. The new faces were those of Messrs. Ravenscroft, Ald.  ridge, and Benedict Jones, while the new voices belonged to Messrs. W. Male and Benedict Jones. Mr. W. Male  asked a pertinent question regarding the testing of the soil pipes at the Town Hall, bat Mr. Jones apparently spoke merely for the purpose of giving his lungs some exercise, as he contributed nothing of value to the discussion in which he took part, viz., that on the proposal to flag a portion of New Chester-road. Nevertheless, Mr. Male  displayed a very remarkable amount of nervousness, while Mr. Jones was really surprisingly self•assured, and indicated that, burly of form and resolute of purpose, be is determined to shoulder his way to a prominent position in the Council. Still, it must be ad.  _ mitted that bashfcl Mr. Male made, on the whole, the more satisfactory start  of the two.  Perhaps, we should have been more correct had we stated that eight new _ .  faces were visible at the meeiing, for while the debate on the flagging question was proceeding five gentlemen stumbled into the gallery, which they found in such a state as to suggest that it is seldom trodden by the foot of mortal man. The aldermen and councillors wondered what this strange irruption meant, and they would, probably, have gone on wondering up to the present time if it had not been for Mr. Little, who suggested that the strangers ought to be provided with seats. The Town Clerk declared that they had been so _ _ . .  accommodated, but this statement was _  promptly denied by one of the gentle. men with great emphasis, and a glance at the uncomfortable positions in which they were in vain trying to find ease corroborated his words. Upon this five chairs were graciously ordered to be despatched to the gallery, and the Mayor explained that the five gentlemen were ratepayers, whom he had thought could be admitted to the chamber without any harm resulting. Some of those below feared that the intruders bad discovered a new—alas! not painless—way of committing suicide, but the daring ones survived, and it is hoped that they were edified by what they saw and heard. The South-enders, having drummed up their forces, under the able generalship of Mr. Rawcliffe, and being supported by such powerful men as Messrs. F. Thornely and John Laird, defeated the Road and Improvement Committee and enabled certain Rock Ferry property owners to escape from the obligation of being called upon to flag a portion of the footway beyond Rock-lane in New Chester-road, though public convenience requires that the work should be done. There was nothing remarkable in this, for rich property owners invariably have friends at court, But a startling and significant revelation was made, viz., that when the property owners in question supposed that the flagging would be paid for by the public they were as anxious for it to be done as the occupiers are inow,indeed, soanxious that they piteously memorialised the Council to that effect. Mr. Alderman Thomas Williams is one of the most serious-minded of gentlemen, but he delicately administered some delicious " chaff " to Mr. Thomas Shaw. Putting a question as to why that gentleman was retiring from the Market Committee, with mocking humour he hazarded the observation that he was afraid Mr. Shaw had not been kindly treated by the committee, a serio-comic sally which caused a loud and general burst of laughter, amidst which the quaint cachinnation of Mr. Joseph Hope was plainly discernible. However, the Mayor, who is invariably the friend of those in distress, considerately went to the assistance of Mr. Shaw, who was leaving the committee, he said, through certain business engagements which would render it impossible for him to attend its meetings. This observation may have been intended to be what Artemus Ward called a " goak." But it was received in solemn and respectful silence, and the painful subject dropped, no doubt much to the relief of Mr. Shaw, who considerately refrained from having a parting fling at his colleagues and from saying anything on his own behalf. Mr. Alderman Evans put on his you. can't-make - me-tell-you-any-more-thanI-please air when he was tackled by Mr. Little, who wanted to know if the Watch Committee had held a threehours' enquiry into the conduct of policeconstable Farlaru, who recently summoned some very young boys for "obstructing" the thoroughfare at Higher Traumere, and if so why the fact had not been minuted. It appeared that the enquiry had been held; further, that the policeman had been exonerated; but the committee had not deemed it necessary to " trouble " the Council with the matter. This explanation did not satisfy Mr. Little, who declared that the public would attach more importance to the decision of the Stipendiary than to that of the Committee, and also expressed his conviction that the committee had no right to keep the Council in the dark on such a matter. Here again, however, the Mayor threw the mantle of his protection over the attacked party, and the action of Mr. Alderman Evans' highhanded committee was not further  challenged. Of course, there was a tremendous debate about the ferry and its affairs, and it is not surprising that Mr. James Taylor drifted on to the luggage boats' rock, and was promptly called to order by the Mayor. Mr. Alderman Willmer received more latitude at the hands of His Worship, and expressed himself on the general question of ferry management in a way that seemed to command much approval, though some of his remarks were rather wide of the subjects immediately before the Council. He failed, however, to defeat the recommendations of the Ferry Committee regarding the prices of the contracts, his amendment that there should be a uniform contract of five shillings per quarter being out-voted. Mr. Bloor was equally unfortunate with his welltimed proposition that the price of a monthly contract should be 2s. 6d., not 35., and so was Mr. Thomas Shaw, who protested with cogency against the discontinuance of the halfpenny ticket book system, which he contended had been a great success, but which it was argued on behalf of the Committee, by Mr. Ciostenhofer, Mr. Stott,