The Press.
London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

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A PARLIAMENTARY RETURN, just pnbliahed, gives some
particulars regarding the injury to life and iimb sustained
on the railways of the United Kingdom during the first half
of the year 1858. It appears that 143 persons were killed
and 175 injured. Of these 106 were killed and 153 injured
in England and Wales ; 27 were killed and 9 injured in
Scotland; and 10 were killed and 13 inj.ired iu Ireland.
Of the total 10 deaths and 97 injuries occurred to passen•
gers from causes beyond their control, while 10 deaths end
12 injuries were the consequence of their own misconduct
or want of caution. A i.ong railway employee 8 were
killed and 33 injured in a manner which left them free
from blame, while for no leas than 65 deaths and 24 injuries
the victims were themselves responsible. The person
killed at level-crossings numbered 12 and the wounded
2, and trespassers to the number of 34 were killed and 7
wounded. Of the former 3 were cases of suicide. The
miscellaneous deaths not coming under any of the pre-
ceding categories were 4. lo the period to which the
return relates 9,268 miles of railway were open for traffic;
in the corresponding half of 18.57, when 8,942 fillies were
open, 108 deaths and 353 injuries occurred on railways.
CAPTAIN Htttait, Secretary to the London and North.
Western Railway Company, is about to retire from the
position which he has so long occupied, and the board of
directors, on receiving his resignation, have unanimously
passed a resolution recording "their sense of his great
ability, integrity, unwearied industry, and steady devotion
to the interests of this company during the lengthened
period of eighteen years, as well as the expression of their
personal regard and esteem." It is reported that Mr.
Stewart, the present secretary, will succeed to the vacant
office.

RAILWAY STATION EXPENDITURE iS very heavy. Very
few have a notion of the expenses necessaryfor the working
of a large terminal station— the porters, shunting engines,
wear and tear of rails, turn-tables, cranes, and machinery,
the night:work, and the various unsatisfactory heads of
miscellaneous outlay. For the Bristol station alone the
outlay for coke for the locomotives used for station work
cannot be less than 1,0001. a year, and engineering and
enginemeu's wages tell in great proportion, because the
engines are loitering about day and night. At Camden-
town, Paddington, Shoreditch, or Nine Elms, the outlay is
on a greater scale. The waste of labour is something
very considerable in such stations, because the stations
are built piecemeal, and there is a want of system on the
part of the engineers who lay them out, and those who
are concerned in the management. In due course of time
they come under the care of the resident engineer; and
we may safely assume that, in hardly any office, is there
such a thing as a plan of a bunion, with its sidings, tarn.
tables, switches, and details, while without such records,
and without they are well kept, there must necessarily be
e great waste of labour, because the arrangement of the
details requires constant attention, to obtain accurate im
formation of the small spaces over which engines and
trucks are run many times a day, backed and shoved, and
labour and time bestowed upon them, when a different
connection might effect a very large saving. One of the
best means to effect economy in station expenses (ss)v
the Building News) is to take each large station out of the
direct department of the resident engineer, to put a young
man as inspector or clerk of the works at a small salary,
and give him a premium out of all the sayings he can
effect. There are few large stations where the salary of
such an official would be a dead weight long.
THE DtaxcToes of the Birkenhead, Lancashire, and
Cheshire Junction Railway Company have, on the niottar.
of Mr. Titherington, the bite chairman, unanimously
elected Mr. E. G. Salisbury, M.P., chairman of the
company.
A DISPUTE of considerable interest to contractor+ an
railway men has this week been the subject of 'elocution
at Darlington, Mr. George Leeman, of York, deputy.
chairman of the North-Eastern Railway, being the arbi-
trator. Early in 1855 the Stockton and Darlington Cone
pany invited tenders for constructing a branch of nearly
three miles from their Shildon tunnel, and Messrs. Trump
dale end Jackson's offer (16,000/.) was accepted• In the
progress of the works, several departures from the spece
&cation were made at the company's instance,
and ter
all had been finished ( payments " on account" having
from time to time made), Messrs. 'irowsdale and
Jackson repudiated the contract, and claimed 18,S001 over
and above the 16,000/. The company maintained tilt,
the tender was binding, and that only the new work won
he matter of account. The contractors, on the other
utter
hand, were of opinion that the variations bad been&r many
and and so important as altogether to vitiate that instrument.
It was mutually agreed, however, that all 'natters in
pute should be submitted to Mr. Leeman. That gentle-
man accordingly heard arguments and evidence for Messrs:
Trowsdale and Jackson during three days,
nary question whether the contract remained in force'
Mr. Deviant appearing as counsel for those gentlemen'
and Mr. Maniaty, Q C., and Mr. Price for the eoullnloYi;
Without calling upon the latter for a reply, Mr. Lee
.msed
said he considered it clear that a binding contract existo_
between the parties, both with regard to earthwork 51.1 c
bridges. The importance of such instruments, when out.
on the. prelim;

soured into, could not be overrated.; and, speaking after
experrenee, he held it to be as much the
fourteen years'
Merest of contractors es of railway companies that they
should not be lightly set aside. From beginning to end
there was no rewanatrance, either by letter or verbally, as
to alterations in the earthwork or the bridges. The ion-
tractors had been paid monthly, and after a long silence
they could not now set up these alterations as vitiating
pubntrct. consideration of the accounts, fur the
the contract,_T consU'i'stbofl of the accounts, for the
purpose of ascertaining the extras, was adjourned for ha
month.
THE CHESTER AND LIOLYNF.AD RAILWAY COMPANY held
their half yearly general meeting yesterday, at the Euston
station. Mr. Jackson, M.P , presided, in the room of Sir
S. M. Peto, who was absent from indisposition. The
following are the principal portions of the report laid
before the meeting and adopted :—T he adjustment of all
claims chargeable to capital enables the directors to
render the statement of expenditure on that account in
a more complete shape this half-year than heretofore.
Asa necessary consequence, however, a large sum appears
added to the expenditure for the past miff year, which
in fact is comprised almost entirely of accounts hitherto
in dispute, and therefore not included in the printed
statements, and of amounts w:lich, being unpaid, could
not form part of the return of sums actually expended.
Of the amount under the head of partiamenthry charges
the sum of 1,47•!./. 18s. sil. has been experi.tql during the
past half-year, on the bill promoted in Parliament and
approved by the proprietors at a special meeting on 25th
of June let.; the remainder is the balance of an account
still unpaid, and which forms a portion of the liabilities of
the company. A statement of assets and liabilities is
appended to the capital account, and exhibits an estimated
balance of 15,2821. 11s. in favour of the company, after
liquidation of all claims, including replacement of the
revenue receipts applied to the payment of capital
charges. A balance of 56,1481. 18s. Id. is shown to the
credit of revenue account, which after providing for
debenture interest, and other first charges, leaves the sum
of 22,3511. 17s. 51. available for division. Your directors
recommend the declaration of a dividend, as for six
months, at the rate of five and a half per cent. per annum,
on the first preference stock of the company ; and as for
three months, to 31st December, 1857, at the rate of five
per cent. per annum, on the second preference stock,
leaving a balance of 1,663/. Bs. 7d. to be carried forward to
the current half-year.
Balance to credit of revenue .. £22,351 17 5
Dividend on first preference
stock at 5i per et. per an. .. 17,325 0 0
Dividend on second preference
stock at 5 pet et. per au... 3,363 810
--20,088 8 10

Balance .. £1,003 8 7
The dividend warrants were ordered to be made payable
on the 15th of December. The meeting was then made
special, and resolutions were agreed to, to authorize the
creation of " Debenture shares," bearing a preferential
dividend at the rate of four per cent. per annum, to be sub•
gituted for the existing mortgage debt of the company, with
&view to &permanent reduction in the rate of interest.

FROM THE LONDON GA.ZE CTE.
Tuesday, Sept. 14.
BANKRUPTS.—CANDIDO DEL NEGRO and JOSEPH KRAUSS
Caunon.atreet West, bead merchants ROBERT STIIIPSON'
PLATTEN, Burnham•market, Norfolk, taiIor—SAMUEL HILL
Mecklenburgh.sguare, surgeon—Gronos Josurn Asia roN and,
JOHN PROCTER, Mark-lane, merchants—JOHN ARDENT,
Fheet-
Street, licensed victudler—Ttrowas Moo RE SMITH and
CHARLES LANFORD, Peterborough, engineers SAMUEL NI-
CHOLSON, Southwark-bridge•rOad, hat manufacturer
LIAR SALMON, Rattleeden, Suffolk, coal mercliant—THOMAS
LEAMAN HuNr LEAMAN, Paington, Devon, attorney—lons
CHILD and JOHN PICKLES, Wakefield, contractors—WaLts
ROOD, York. wine merchant—Aux COOPER, Haslingden, do-
meumenufacturer.
SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.—CHARLES M' DONALD and
THUIRB RUSSELL, Glasgow, builders—DAVlD ItAXTEII BROWN,
Dundee, auctbneer. _ _ _