The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-27 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY Ey,laiNG, OCTOBER 27, 1

The first use the people .
erect schools and chapels.
either= and the grants r
meets for educational
doe proposed when 'de
It is nearly four years .
in St. Kitts was withdrawn.
there is no such hierarchy
countries of Europe, educe
class intervening between f
the labourer is to be 0
igatorant alienation '
society will be in a
duties will retrieve.
mos sense and feeling
question which is sees
and on which ear maws
of declaration of aphelia.
If we are asked, this -- - -
violate the Principles of Vase;e,
testa in rte,ord to
sugar, let distinct answers he required to Vireos three
questions. We must ask how ww..11 of the lasso.
brance of the planters existed beim, the
Lion of the negroes? Evert mews. ee =2:l
existing before 1834 met iso rig eel of the gre=bes
entirely. We most liras eat how kw the wimeneeee
et ballot have how new% in the adeptina et ma.
abliwayosi other meths& of seders seeawnyP
Ws awl meet the...plaint adornment of Mow by
liguiry into the man taken to deed" the
waist mows et main Male If dl these
mom gepossallii al N pesiestion have
hew IdaM Wad Mk" asd haw% tk.
recur rise of Ow Al Sager Duties asset bobby
prosperity on ea agent, a eoneern. If all these
means have not bees used, we seam* surrender war
Free Trade principles till they have bees fully triad.
The question of the Sugar Duties mast stand over till
the planters can show us that, paying wages ea we
do, they cannot, like as, obtain a due warn.

NQTWITIISTANDIXG the strong expressions of pub-
lic opinion against such combinations, proposal• for
great railway amalgamations go on, as if there were
no interests is the matter worth consideration but
those of the particular companies concerned. On the
2nd of November three important northern com-
panies—the York and North Midland, the York,
Newcastle, and Berwick, and the Leeds and Northern
—meet to consider the terms on which their direc-
tories propose to unite; and next day the London
and North Western sad the Midland proprietaries
assemble to resolve (if they follow the advice given
them by their Boards) on effecting—what the motion
to be proposed modestly calls—" a permanent union
of interests." In the one case, the amalgamation
of capital and loan stock will involve some twenty-
four millions, and 644 miles of locomotion ; and in the
other, no less a sum than nearly 60 millions sterling,
and more than 1,000 miles. It is not a light matter,
therefore, that is in hand, but one affecting the
public interest and convenience and economy quite
as much, though not quite as immediately, as it dots
these of shareholders ; and though on former occa-
sions the public and its concerns have been a good
deal overlooked in legislation on these subjects, it
will be the public's own fault if they are similarly
treated now that a new opportunity serves.
The general welfare in this question of railways
is not, however, concerned in low rates of profits and
poor dividends. Oa the contrary, setting amide the
public in its capacity of railway proprietaries,
and regarding it only in the light of railway
travellers and customers, the public will, the
chances are, be much better provided for when rail-
way profits shall increase, and dividends be more sub-
istantial, than they now are. The public has, conse-
quently, far more real and permanent interest in the
prosperity than in the adversity of railway com-
panies; and to legitimate and reasonable plans for
restoring prospenty it ought to give every 'neon-
'Neatest. No doubt these proposed amalgamations
aim at the restoration of such prosperity; bat the
objections to them are two : first, that the amalgama-
tions are an alternative resorted to because of the
unreasonable and absurd competition into which it
has pleased railway boards and officials to fall--and
which it must be far better to correct ; and second,
that their tendency is to deprive the public of such
competition as the legislature intended should exist
for the public benefit.
Take the case of this Northern Amalgamation.
The Leeds and Northern Railway is clearly and ob-
[ timely& line which Parliament intended should—and
1 which in point of fact did—compete with the York,
Newcastle, and Berwick. Had the oiliest people
of these two linos cooducted their rivalry on sound
principisa,the country through which they ran would
have tees permanently benefited, and the two
companies would, in all probability, have been
fairly reaunneratir. But, instead of reasonable
;m4Tor ;:igtitiostnoc4n
puomormatyation
of
it face::
eismsEsers ef earetrgoe, civility Of alkalises,
led misty of Isemeasdes—inatesi tad
eS
toppal& la this paw demeiptisa ef rivalry.
eisi la Mena their raise Ott }slab width
hardly &hay grease Is the wbssis of their smile,
and 'Muse& And, hems wither peaty wadi
first give off, pal one to terms as to he.. and
rates, they NM islennins that this sort et tubs=
rivalry le masaddebie except by
pressed to "oast a permanent unaarals'intmanta."
Now, this met of rivalry is a maws abase of
power by the mash& who west railwege; en
naresemahle, am& discreditable, imedgestee in
titeeei=s sad pepaliese ; carried ea. Mt at the
expose, ant sow to be roma& at the
patine seat. A test el geed suaegessat of way
railway la these lathes the amity ef ler relations
with competlag lime Where all wriegling aid
disputes, esaisilme ad mehemini sad
platuder 11/1111 Issels, there orty le a pest
seal (pacing fir Imo mad* d Simms, la the it
nage» eeasemeed bat there is yory little good Gaud-
aistratioe. And the past preeNe4 truth oar railway
adadaietrators hare sat yet vadised is the worth sad
value of Nimpikkos emir etternal relations, sad of
good faith mad leamar le their own bargains. It may
be that the present generation of railway olllcials are
too fir gone is the present system of management
to be eared, but if so, then the time hes coos for
proprietaries to consider whether the very bast thi!ig
to be dm is not to make a clean sweep of the prin-
cipal offenders.
It is obvious, on the very sorfsco of things, that
railway amalgamations, as at present proposed, are
mere devices by railway managers to enable them
creditably to retreat from positions, dangerous to
their constituencies, into which they have rushed ;
to cover their past bad policy, and to save them-
selves the trouble of amending and reforming it on
sound principles.
And at whose cart is this to be done? Why, at
that of the public, to be sure. The Leeds and
Northern, and the York, Newcastle, and Berwick
t,r there is, of Doses., an end of all corn-
in faros, rates, speed, punctuality,
shwellseee, civility, or safety—ia that district. And
when these two united lines mirth of York are
joined to the York and North Midland, then there
will be a great and powerful northern confederscy,
prepared to operate.adversoly to dm public interests
on the lines competing he the southern trail.
As* Noroustea, this mordent eaudgesetima—re-
premeathigli adliimmealselhis—mill meet theseathera
amielparatisa of the Nardi Widen sod Ifillead,
—representing 80 reolleas—why B
endthank their
tura est unite, and se everpewer deshey all
for the trails Ileums Imam wed
cittorrtiltiey will perrimusliFbave tithe between
Leeds and Newcastle-ow e T. If th proposed
unalgasratioa be seastioned the there
is se possible reuse, why szlianiest not
next sessisa go further sad assign the whole tragic
from Lead's to Liverpool, Mandiesdir, Leeds, the
Yorkshire and Lancashire towns, Teak, Newcastle,
tad Edinburgh, to one huge, cambrees, lambersome
corporation :—all to avoid irrational rivalry and to
save railway. managers the treads of finding out
a system of civilised competition. Nay more; when
oar Parliament has sanctioned this principle of
railway amalgamation the difficulty will be to show
cause why it should not be folly carried out, and all
the railways of the kingdoms pissed under one con-
trol. And if the whole Isedesey of these schemes
is obviously. to place the Mire railway property of
the empire in the headset theixecative government;
when either the sherehelders would have to bo con-
tent with smaller dividsellethaa they rasa sow get, or
the public would hereto comsat to web up better
dividends out of the general taxation of the country.
In the proposed Amalgamation Bills there is •
great public principle involved, and it must be de-

expense general
nity: Is tip ling run, the interests d railway com-
panies sod the public must be identical; and the
leading vise of the propositions now made is, that
t=simmliversity and variety of interests. This,
May rely upon it,—is not the way to
right regrow pagartEand the sooner they teach
their Dhestrea that must find out some other
plan of men past mismanagement,
the mom dividends be realised.
Balmy must take the matter in
their own basis, and sec that their officials do not
ruin their prinity. We want railway competition—
we must have no close monopoly of the iron high-
ways—but the sompetition we want is one of safety,
punctuality, comfort, cleanliness of carriages and
moderate fares. It is no wholesome competition that
brings danger and often death to the railway pas-
senger, and ruin to the railway shareholder.

vie made of theizt in meld and be mottled by the k tare on public
lapel& They 'oss ispetrableta
rehd, • r
ntii =do by the • P s
Dal wpm, wt.,* ibt, . 11.4' ty "eat. bills. , The quistis.soi
..
adversity came ulna the tie,. . . . .. • S.
. be maid ,by s Wag
ears aineejegpSt let %tee of the moat embisal sea et
ithdrawn.`74 ilaseastadee • : _ With railways, and waritlete '
'enmity of Mai in id the rid of ' mast be prepared to net vlierenely
r, ethmstiss is sad (se oa ark fashion far the salvation of their property
mos the labourer) and threellanintisast their Alias. on
be &pruned lute a @iodides et Whips* ealles easii btemehatied of the pest quo thi
ken hle easerisee, Weis bee tics Weaved, milk* eheseheidens
m aermtbsegilliseen in
wades wlllik ae Idols( imps be la fi b. ltareltbline : brews is to the
. There is a oak to ewes sew aaelamation they eue advieml MA !spina Orme w
agia the WM& Yet this le the very...leeis whine Mum lesenmailethese hen • may Di
ass be ease bane the leghletare, led 'diode isestuelate aim their esiarigeeisiodosi,
Wore ate irides reedy eons kind •kuldemes Iheteses. The public : became in drowsy Yi
inks. boat time esimesetusieneit I:W.11601U an* of
the "r Illifentatir." It° those atie4.4ft. at the "Prra et th! Wm!' 631.1". ql