The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-08-30 00:00:00

NORTH DEVON.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on
;
Wednesday at the office. 4:realism-house, Old Itrocci.
street Mr. W. Fite,•
in the chair.
Tito following is an aladract of the report :
The directors in their report express their satisfaction
at the improving state a the traitio during the past Lilt-

year, and remark that the earnings were £12,624 for the
put half-year, as compared with £10,468 for the same
period last year, showing an increase of £3,156. They
state that about one-half of this increase arose from the
extra traffic consequent upon the Agricultural Asaocia-
ti ~,, havinglield limit meeting at Barnstaple in Jane last.
The net re‘enue, after payment of interest mu debenture
and temporary loans, is £2,602; the dividend on Use
preference stock will ebeorb.l:l,llss of this sum, and a
dividend on the ordinary stock at the nit, of
Ills. bd. per cent, per annum will amount to £1,375,
I leaving • balance of 1:72. The directors congratulate
the shareholder* that time couipany'm effairs are steadily
progressing. The capital account to the 30th of June
showed that £497,342 had been received, and £498,1593
tape: Idea, leering • balance of £749. The revenue account
for the half-year cnded the 30th of June showed that
£6.011 bad been received, including £l,OOO for ix
months' rent from Mr. Bnuoiey, and £342 expended,
leaving the IA revenue £3,6:12. To this is added £llB,
the halmice from the preceding account, making the
aveilehle sum £5,750.
I The Climirinan, in moving the adoption of the report.
I said the traffic had gone on steadily increasing. In the
course of the past half-year the receipts bad been
increased to some extent by the agricultural show at
Barnstaple, to accommodate which they bad made some
permanent improvements in the stations, while the
luwees had also dune their part in providing temporary
accommodation at Barnstaple for the increased traffic
caused by the meeting of the West of England Agricul-
tural Association. He believed that a large deputation
front the South-Western and Exeter and Cre,lition
directors would shortly visit Exeter and North Devon
to see what improvement could be wade in the traffic
on the Exeter and Crcdit ion and North Devon lines.
Ile had no doubt that 0.1110 proposal would be made
either by the Great Western, rionth-Western, or '
White! and Exeter Companies for working the traffic
more efficiently on the Credition and North Devon
lines. The Bri4ol and Exeter Company, lie believed,
did not facilitate the traffic over the Credition line to
the extent required. letter hail appeared in the
Thou complaining of His interruption of telegraphic,
communication over the North Devon line. The fact
was that the interruption occurred on the Exeter and
Ururlition IMe, which was about six miles in length,
and was worked by the lirietol and Exeter Company.
It appeared that tho latter company bail made an
arrangement for the use of the wires on the Crcrlition
line, and in the course uf their operations had removed
the instrument by which 1111 l unications were received,
mid hence the gap on the Exeter and Credition line.
Mr. Buller, the chairman of the Bristol and Exeter
Company, bad taken the matter in hand. and had
determined to put up wires for the use of the company,
and restore the telegraphic communication between
Exeter and North Devon as before, lie believed that
defect wits now rectified. With regard to the state of
their line Mr. W. IL Neale, their engineer, had
reportsd that it was in good working order. He had
been informed by the chairman of the Agricultural
Association, that the arrangements on the railway had
given general satisfaction, and that everything was as
successful and useful as could be desired.
Mr. bharland seconded the motion for the adoption
of the report.
After a few observations from Mr. Hartridge and
another proprietor the report was unanimously adopted,
and mm, dividend at the rate of 18s. fid, per cent, per
annum was declared on the ordinary stook fur the past
half-year.
On the 'notion of Mr. Hartridge, a vote of thanks
was passed to the chairman and directors, and the pro-
ceedings terminated.

BRISTOL AND SOUTH WALES UNION.
The report of the directors states that since the last ,
half-yearly meeting they had been proceeding with the
undertaking as rapidly u circumstances would permit.
Orders had been given to set out the whole line,
which was being done. Communications had taken
place with the South Wales Board with reference to
the powers in this company's Act enabling the South
Walei Company to contribute in ;bares or to undertake
works on the Monmouthshire site of the Severn to con-
nect that part of the line with the South Wales Railway
at Portskewitt. The deputation was favourably received
by the South Wales Board, who appeared quite dis-
posed to assist in • work the importance of which, in
promoting the interests of their company, the South
Wales Board had always admitted. The correspondence
on this subject was still being carried on. The report
of Mr. Brunel, the engineer, stated that during the last
half-year the work of the Almondsbury tunnel and
adjoining cuttings had been proceeded with. All the
tunnel shafts had been sunk to the required depth, and
upwards of 200 lineal yards of tunnel had been com-
pleted. The earthwork at the heavy cutting west of
the tunnel was proceeding satisfactorily. about 90,000
cubic yards having been carried to embankment. Seve-
ral bridges and culverts had been built and were in
course of construction. At the eastern, or Bristol end
of the tunnel, about five miles of the hue had been set
out, and plans for the greater part were in the hands of
the land agents. The capital account to the 30th of
Jime last showed a total receipt of 010,468, of which
£29,756 had been expended, leaving a balance of
Z 10,712.

TRAFFIC Rgctirra.—The tragic returns of railways
in the United Kingdom for the week ending August 2.0
amounted to C 545,380, and for the corresponding week
of 18atl to £502,880, showing an increase of £42,500. The
gross receipts of the eight railways having their termini
in the metropolis amounted to £231,614 and for the cor-
responding period of last year to £214,028, showing an
increase of 1:17,586. The increase on the Eastern
Counties Railway amounted to £1,D46; on the Great
Northern to £3,360 ; on the Great Western to £3,283;
on the London and North-Western to £5,493; on the
London and Blackwell to £178; on the London, Brigh-
ton, and South Coast to 11,823 ; on the London, and
:south-Western to £1,370; and on the South-Eloiteni
to £1,031 ; total, £17,586. The receipts on the other
lint-a in thu United Kingdom amounted to £313,766
and for the correeponding week of last year to £113,852,
showing an incresse of L'24,914, which, added to the in-
crease on the metropolitan lines, makes the total in-
cre,o 142,500 as compared with the corresponding
wed( of 1858.