The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-07 00:00:00

LONDON OBBBRAL: OMNIBUS COMPANY

lumina*

The report to be presented at the half-yearly
meeting on the 22nd instant states :-The debts and liabi-
lities of the compaay on 30th June amounted to 83,8151.
13a. tid.: at the corresponding pperiod of 1863 they were
57,590/. 12s. 3c1.; there is therefore a decree". of liabilities
amounting to 3,7741. 18a. 9d. The liabilities on 30th June
last consisted of, lat, loam 5,0001.; 2nd, ordinary liebilities,
48,8151. 13.. 63. The directors propose to liquidate the
debt during the current half-year, and to retire the seen-
rity, so that at the next meeting they may be able to ga-
soline* that the undertaking is entirely free from liabilities
on account of loans, or any other than the ordinary
trade debts for which payment is not due.
The ordinary liabilities ceramist of 34,7331. 94. 11d. for pro-
vender, stores, 3:e., 8301.145. 2d. for law costa, 3,783/. 4s. 10d.
for unclaimed dividends, and 9,4681. 4s. 7d. for government
mileage duties and taxes, for which the day of payment had
not yet arrived. Oa 31st December, 1863, the amount of the
general townie fund account was 10,4071. Is. Bd.; it is pro-
posed to add from the profits of the pest half year the sum
of 7,1001., making • total of the gamin) reserve fund of
17,4071. st. &L • which sum added to the leases renewal
reserve fund 13,7501. 2s. Irl., gives a total of 31,1:41. 7. 9d.,
am standing to the credit of the reserve foods of the com-
pany, represented oa 30th June by cash at the bankers,
uearine interest. The amount has since been invested in
35,2801. 16e. 93. Compels. During the half-year • large
sum was expended in the erection of workthops, =whi-
ney, he , in order to facilitate the operations of this de.
pertinent ; the entire oast of the bioldnip has been charged
against the revenue account. !mottling to the articles of
association, dividends not claimed within five years of the
date of their declaration may be forfeited for the benefit of
the company ; the director' propose, therefore
to forfeit all dividends for the years 1857 and
1858 not claimed prior to the 31st of December next.
The gross receipts of the company from all sources in the
, half-year ending 30th June, 186 amounted to 3034E4.
9s. 9d.; during the same period of 1863 they were 296,4291.
Ma. Bd. ; showing an Mamas of 4,9641.10 e. Id. The grins
expenditure of the compsny during the half-year eliding
30th June, 1864, was 267,117221. 84. 11d. ; during the name
period of 1863 it was 273,1261. 2s. 9d. ; showing • decrease
of 5,9424 12a. 10d. The net profit of the halter ending
30th June, 1864, wee 36,2101. 19s. 10d. • and of the
half-year ending 30th June, 1863, 25,3031. its. 11d. ;
showing an increase in 1864 of 10,9071. 2s. 11d.
The number of passengers carried during the half-year was
20,644,674 ; the number of miles run wee, 5,947,001 ; the
&visage number of omnibuses working daily, 582 ; the ave-
rage number of bones mocking daily, b,208 ; the avenge re-
ceipts per mile run, le. ; the average tare per passenger,
34d..; the average gross earnings per omnibus per day,
21. la s. sd. It is worthy of remark that in the half-year
ending 30th June, 1863, the company gained an extra sum
of 5,0001. in the month of March, on the occasion of the
eutry into the city of the Prince and Prisms' of Wales
and the illuminatioax on the night of the royal marriage,
against which sum there was no corresponding extraordi-
nary receipt in the past half-year ; it is especially gratifying,
therefore, to had that the gross traffics receipt. were
3,948/. os. 6d. in excess of the half-year of 1863.
Chietly in consequence of the favourable prime at which the
compani's supple. were purchased, advantage having been
taken of the low state of the market in the autumn of 1863,
the coat of provender was 7.6471. 18s. 6d. less than is the
corresponding period of 1863. The directors anticipate an
mamas in the price of hay and clover, but they believe
the prices of grain and other descriptions of provender will
be favourable during the coming winter. The number of
the company's horses on 30th June was 6,719 or 136 more
than that at the corresponding period of 1863 The number
of the minitmees at work at the close of the half-year was
11 to stc‘as of the number at work on 30th Jane. 1863 ;
hentbe increased number of horses. The number of
omnibuses at work was not, however, in 'ICON of 1863
until the month of June, when additional business was
undertaken, end the Simone of traffic tendered the addi-
tional horse stock requisite. The cost of maintenance of
horse stock during the half-year was 14,615/. 15s. 7d., being
3,3461. 17,. 3d. Win than the out is the corresponding
period of 1863. This economy is DO doubt attributable in
a great measure to the improvements made is the stable
accommodation ; drainage and ventilation having been
very defective in many of the stables originally
taken by the company. During the half-year, among
other works of this description, new stables
of a very exoellest diameter have been constructed under
new railway arches in Pearson-street, Kiagsland-road; the
cost of which has been charged against the revenue account
under the head of maintenance of stables, The mikese
ditties tax levied upon omnibus and stage-carriage proprie-
tors te of a most oppressive character. Daring the half-
year, no lees a sum than 25,725/. 41. 9d. was paid by the
company to the government for Imams and mileage duty,
equivalent to nearly 9 per cant on the gross traffic receipt..
This tax, levied upon the milts run by the
omnibuses, acte as • first charge on gross receipt
without reference to any of the working expeoses
of the company, and without any regard to the
question of profit or loss, traffic or no traffic. The tax paid
by railway companies (with whom the omnibuses are brought
into close competition by recent legislation) on their gees
passenger traffic and on actual receipts only amounts to about
3 per cent., and upon their goods traffic no tax whatever is
levied. Om the traffic on steamboats, which also compete
on the Thames w:thomnibmesrunning along the Strand, and
to Westminster, Chelsea, Putney. and Hammersmith, no
tax whatever is levied. The directors continue to press
upon the government the consideration of this matter, sad
they trust that before long parliament will be in-
duced to grant some relief from the very lamas'
taxation to which omnibus proprietors are subjected.
As every shareholder in the United Kingdom pommies
more or less influence in parliament through the members
representing the county or borough in which be resides,
this matter is especially recommended to his attention and
co-operation. The balance of the revenue account for the
half-year ending the 30th Jane, was 35,4741. fis. 3d. ; to
which has to be added the balance of interest account,
7361.145. 7d. ; making • total of 36,210/. 19s. 10d. There
was paid off the bank loan during the half year, and has
now been written off the first establishment charges, the
mom of 5,0801. ; it is proposed to add to the reserve
fund • further sum of 7,0001. ; making • total
of 12,000/. ; leaving a balance of 24,210/. 19s. 10d.,
out of which the directors propose to declare • dividend
after the rate of spm cent. per annum, eddies thereto a
booms of 'impetus per share, making altogether two shilliags
and 'imams per share. or si per cent., free of interne tax,
which will take 19,1701. 18s. ; leaving to be carried to the
next half-yeses account, 5,0401. Is. 10d. The directors
baring in view the possibility of the profits at some future
time not admitting of a larger divided than 5 per cent.
t have thought it expedient to divide the surplus amount at
their dimosal in the form of borate, so that is the meet of
unfevoorahle circumstances the divided proper may he
maintained

DAMAGE TO SHIPPIO43.—Tae STORM AT LIVCR-
POOL AND IN THE CHANNEL.—Daring the whole of Sunday
night, Monday, and up to a late hour yesterday (Tuesday) a
very metro storm of wind and rain swept over Liverpool,
and, frau accounts which are constantly miming to hand, it
must have extended far away down the Irish Channel, and
several Welsh and Irish coasters have been very roughly
handled, whilst one or two large foreign going vismils bare
been compelled to put back to the Mersey for shelter.
Fortunately, up to the dispatch of our palest yesterday
eveniog no serious disaster had been reported at Liverpoo/.
The splendid now screw steamer City of Dublin, belonging
to Messrs. Imam' Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia
Steamship Company, which left Liverpool on Seturday for
New York, has been obliged to return to the Mersey in a
crippled condition. Tho City of Dublin encountered the
full force of the gate on Sunday, and the tremendous seas
caused the ship to pitch very much, so that at times her
screw would be completely oat of the water. Os one of
the occasions, in the &bream of any resisting power, the
main driving wheel went round at such &rate as it knock all
the cogs out of the whmL

PA;INT MUSIUN, SOUTH KENtIINOTON.—Num-
bet of stilton for the week ending dept. 3. 2,242. Total
number sines the epaning of tbe Museum free daily (12th
Yap 1858), 848,718.
BRAUN AND 13TRZNOTII RINTORND without meth-
dae, inconvenience or expense by Ina Barry's delicious health-
restoring firveWnis Arabic& Food, which MVOS City times tie
cost in °ales remedies, sod cures the stomach, nerves, longs,
liver. and intestines of all thiamin or recent disorders. (0.000
muss annunlly of dyspepsia (Indigestion), constipation, Manistee,
cough, consamption, wasting, debiliti In old or young. Du
Berry ate Co., No. 77, Restentatrest, Lennon, W. In tins, Lb.,
In ; 2.—Ad