The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-03 00:00:00

LONDON DOCL COMPANY.

ite I.lf-roily paireal 4441ng Of tbs proprintag
at /mos Desk Otaipsay was held at their house
y, at ems o'clock, for the
Ned
lay aE= ea the itempany's steel Ise
the 31* Dumber, sad other affairs.
Do Age woomminglial by Mr. JOAN Carnes, and thus
wee • fall atteedasse.
litsmissMe Grebe Met half-yearly meetiag hub). besa
flesifirMede the diresters' report of their pro-
hourrhemdieg the. 310ttbsuNowoveedmilleartlasht
iggAtraflesiel eMpe hem !Mehra ports which entered the
Dub judger the ea =Mks preceding that date
aZasteentiegl97,44lllnah The number of such ships
ilimetnesepondlog hairiest of 1863 was 646, meaeuriag
et resms; being • Memo of 9,802 tone. The amount
eenemays earn's., for the last =swim, was
invisuabsi.; eh. IMlNlelet of the like earnings during
the oemespeladiall IMAM of 1833 was 250,6091. is 251.,
dissbrlng Sew= thereso et 26,3711. 16e. Id. The expos-
/00d op last six manatee animated to 177,5701. 65.9 d.,
ilk jagneoliture of the oars period of last year
Wig 151,8751. 17s. Od., sidecrease of expel.
mare to the amount ofBa. IOJ. It was
so ba observed that this eapeaditure Included payment
et Ile Usurer tel on the dividends. From the
00111110 eat of the accounts for the half-year, now laid
bay IM meeting, it appeared that the balance standing
sebeteas of profit and loss wee 261,1401. 14,. 6d , out of
whoa. ditiscton now proposed the payment of • diet-
ina of 9R 10s. per cent. upon the stock for the half-year,
famispag to 92,6311. ; which. being paid clear of the im-
ams ass, was equal to 51.55. 104. per cent. per annum on
sierohl It would leave • balance in favour of the
twejLige of 168,5091.45. 6d., oat of which the director.
to appropriate 5,0001. to the credit of the account
Per=astier the head of New Work*, 1846," which
widi woe tbs run now standing to the debit of that
monst ts 71,7111. Of the balance standing to
us credit of the profit and loss account, the
an of 1133001. consisted of outstanding charges due
tbe eempany upon goods in their warehouses. Toe stock
,ee Rosh Is the warehouses on the 30th November last was
Mal teas; at the same time last year it was 107,631
tees. The &rosters announced in their last report that
dig bad bees aspired in acquiring possession of the several
peapselites required for forming the new entrance, and in
&baiting the claims of the respective owners and tenants
aspasf, Bull farther progress ban now been snide in the
Somewhat arduous duty of adjusting thou claims; and the
pups:story works ware now as far advanced as could be
expected is the interval which had elapsed, the two coffer-
dams being nearly completed.
As abstract of the half yearly account, and of the capital
meant, having been also read,
The CHAtaitsr4 proposed the first resolution, that the
report sad accounts be received and entered on the minutes,
sad remain is the office for the inspection of the proprietors.
This was unanimously agreed tr.
me Csanutas secondly proposed that a dividend of
e UHL pee mod. be made on the company's stock for the half-
pee maw the 31st Dee. lest, and that the income tax be
pod W the company.
• Rieshred usarimously, the Chairman observing that the
femme tax was now no Joke, amounting to nearly 14,0001. a
goer, paid on the profits of this company ; and be was glad
bias the present, at all events, the company was able to
griblestioning the next business, the CiIkiRMAN said the
Met weeks bad been proceeded with during the last belf-
ries@ tepidly as there had been any reason to hope, and
Ite....itetaLitoian z,leweinthgriinueterainnlyr edwannumebzeloncl:ehaiettstriaso.
aina.72.7—bdos for premises taken by such a company:as
fa MGM always, however, be • very difficult matter; and
abe illsmemie male upon the company were often very on-
Teendeble. Tbe directors had got on as well as they could,
sad bid nob paling, and although the cost of their pre-
miss wall *need the estime.e, they had no reason to be
dboaddied. The largest claim of all was originally 49,0001.,
mad as the directors thought such a sum as that en-
tirely out of the cpeatils, they were obliged to go to
he about it; and he was happy to say that
a jury only gave the claimants 9,3001. The nub of that
carnet, be thought, did the compasy much good la many
asbooquat settlements with other parties, some of whom
Mem& their pretensions more Ws ose-half in cossequence
4 it. and the compaay bad not yet had any occasion to go
teafury apes another ease ; the directors bad gone before
tee two er three times, Out in many cases they had
se for ese-half, or one-third, of what the parties bad
attempted to claim. Still, the cost of the whets would be
kip *sough. The directors were now taking possession
lithe peepedee required, the great majority rat which they
W get epos terms already settled. The company
weald be obliged, after this recess, to go to parliament for
permission to raise a further sum. They had taken per
already to raise 600,0001., and the director, thought
ft would be safer—although be hoped it would not be rt.
itTal—to get permusioa to raise 200,000/. more, for they
not apply to parliament more frequently than woe
aegis cry. The proprietors were now eked, therefore, to
siseties the directors' application for such an act of puha-
meat, la whisk they would include, moreover, the granting
of powers to levy • small rata upon lighters, and also to
*asp a small sum for overboard wharfage on goods.
TM west of power to enforce this last claim had long
tam hit as a grievance both by this end other
isepoder, which were all, by separate bills, now
plus he the sense object. 8-,me opposition would
paddy be esconnteren, and the directors must appeal
up tie psepistere personally to use their influence with
these of parliament with whom each gentleman
*wed lir be acquainted. That the company had justice
rinffinffillide is riskier sash a claim, he felt quite sure.
die disks were built, it was 'busys customary to pay
hallerharfage on goods waterborne to vessels loading at par-
Gisler wharfs, while lying in the river ; and if that were
Esse is a free river, up to this time, should not this com-
ma, mach more receive wharfage on goods borne to their
ewe wharfs, which had cost the coaspeay upwards of three
millions to construct ? . . .

Mr. CLARIS observed, that the trade always thought it
a peat hardship to pay wharfage on the goods alluded to
by the chairman, because such goods were not landed, but
everybody did pay it.
Th. CHAIUMAN then proposed the following resolution :
" That this meeting do approve of the proposed application
to parliament fur authority to raise a further sum of
200,0001. for the completion of new works, and for other
'avows; and that the directors be authorised to sign the
Ilibteription contract required by the House of Commons."
Ia reply to a question from Mr. C
The CH eiamAs said that nothing more was included in
the phrase, " for other purposes." than the objects he had
uplained.
The resolution was passed unanimously.
It was announced that the dividend would be payable on
Wednesday, the 10th.
A vote of thanks to the chairman and court of directors
ended the proceedings.