The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-07 00:00:00

THE EXPRFAS, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER

GLASGOW AND lOVTM•WZS?ZRN RAILWAY.

The usual half sly meeting of this company
vs. hidden Weftse, In the Merchant.'-hall, Hutcheson-
street, Glasgow ; AMOR= Oaa, chairman of the board
of directors, proddieg. The report having been read,
The CHAIRMAN then said—The directors We glad to say
that the whole business of the company has gone on during
the by-gone half-year in • very satisfactory manner. There
has been • considerable increase in the various departments
of our traffic, and but for the large additional expenditure
in the maintenance of way, and some other items, our
balance would have bees more favourable. Our engineer,
however, reports that this outlay was necessary for the re-
pair of some portions of the road—new sleepers in the
Dramlanrig tunnel and other parte ; and fencing to prevent
injury to cattle, which the directors thought wise to have
executed. Still, with all this extraordinary expenditure,
we are enabled to divide at the rate of 5} per cent. for the
half-year. I have pleasure in adding that our prospects are
encoureging, and in the &bermes of say great disturbing
cause, we may look forward to • greatly iocreased trade all
over our now extended system. We are very careful in our
attention to the proper maintenance of all our roadway,
our works, betimes, and rolling stock, which the directors
are happy to say an in the best possible condition. The
Castle-Douglas and (limn branches have been at work
for • short time, but their value to the main line has
not yet been at all developed, although they are begin-
ning to give favourable indication of future result.. The
Port Patrick, the only remaining one of the schemes not yet
completed to which we are subscribers, will be opened,
we hope, towards the end of the year, when we may expect
additional traffic on our lines in connexion with that rail-
way. Kr. Smith takes care to report favourably of our
finance and borrowing account, • fact which you will be
happy to observe, caused as it is by the good favour in
which the general und and efficient management of the
line keeps us with leoders. I believe our ordinary stock
was selected a.. security for thenniversity bursaries, founded
the other day by Mr. Patrick, • circumstance which I look
upon as a gratifying mark of confidence put in the manage-
ment of our company. Our recent arrangement of setting
aside a fund to meet losses by fire has been very severely
tested during the peat half-year,there having been • much
Fester lose during that time an in any similar period ;
in fact, there has been no such occurrences since the line
was opened. As the amount has, however, been exag-
Mt:mil may my the loss at Dumfries station will be about
nd at Paisley, where the shed, goods, and waggoos
won orimplet7 burnt, our proportion may be 1,500'. We
propose a slieht increase to the fund for a short time to
inset this, mad, if possible, enable us to set aside a fund to
insure against such contingencies ; and at the same time we
have given strict orders all over the line that groat watch-
fulness be exercised for the prevention of fire. We have no
miegivinp as to the plan of being our own insurers. We
have at last been able to satisfy the public and the
Post-office by offering and securing to them a permanent
good arrangement for this mails all over our district.
Mr. Anderson, who has for the last twelve Teen acted as
our home lawyer, very much to the satisfaction of the di-
rectors, and with much benefit to the comps, has been
induced to accept • partnership in the hi ly respect-
able firm of Messrs. Morrison and Sons, and, though very
unwilling to lose his valuable services, the director• could
not stand in the way of what appeared to them a beneficial
arrangement for Mr. Anderson. They do not intend, how-
ever, to make any change in the office, as they feel satisfied
of the great advantage to the company of having a law
clerk to look after the property and business of the com-
pany, and have, therefore, filled his place by the appoint-
ment of Mr. Jeffrey. • gentleman very much accustomed to
the same sort of duties that fall to be performed with us in
that department. The only other matter I think it neces-
sary to allude to is the recent Railway Amalgamation Bill.
Although this company had little or no interest in the
amalgamation of our three neighbours—the bill for the pro-
motion of which was lost in last session of parliament—
. except in so far as such consolidation might have benefited
the public, and secured improvement in the working
increased the prosperity of railway property, and evinced
in every way the edvantageo of further consolidation, we
cannot help regretting the decision of the committee. It is
plain that railway companies, if wise, must, as they do at
present, work at equal rates under agreement, a very need.
lessly expensive plan, and under which the public for that
reason can expect little further concession as to rates or ac-
commodation, or they must continue to insist on being
permitted to amalgamate under !violations by which the
companies would be enabled to give greatly increased feel-
!Pies at more moderate rates to the public. In proof
of this, we have only to look to our continental neighbours.
In France, with not much more than half the popula-
tion to the square mile, with little or no coal, so such
engineering facilities as we have, and other disadvantages,
they carry passengers and goods cheaper, and with
greater comfort to the public, than we du, and with
much better remuneration to the company. And all this is
evidently owing to a better sys:em of railway legislation.
(Hear.) lie °preluded by moving the adoption of the report.
J. Warm Eaq. seconded the adoption of the report.
Mr. Mel. Laid that in connexion with the recent
fires he might remark that he had observed far too much
smoking going on about the co npany% stations and pre-
mises, both by servants and pamengen. He found people
smoking at every place, so that there was great risk of hre
from this cause ; and, iodate!, he wondered that there were
not more fires in consequence. They placed up prohibitions
to smoking, but these were generrlly neglected, and as long
as that was the case they might expect tires. With regard
to the Amalgamation Bill, lie might just repeat what be
bad said in another place yesterday—thai they would not
RD the risk of another defeat until they could convince
their customers that they would be able to them • benefit
as well as the shareholders,

The CH AIRMAN--We are not parties to the bill. It is a
mere opinion I expressed.
Mr. MxiaLaid- if the amalgamation were successful, he
had no doubt but the South Western would join it also.
(Laughter.) He would like to draw their attention to
another matter. This company had always received from
due merit for being one of the best Sabbath-keeping
lines in the kingdom ; but he had been told that they did
break the Sabbath now by running their luggage trains.
He thought, especially seeing that they were in so prce-
porous a condition, that this should be avoided. Six days
were quite enough to labour, and he was of opinion that
they ought to give the whole of the seventh to the servauta
of the company. (Applause.)
The CUAIRIIAN felt very much obliged to Mr. Meiklam for
bringing the practice of smoking before the meeting. He
had no doubt that was one of the oases of a great many
fires, not only with railway companies, bat also with other
companies—careless smoking. They had hissed stringent
regulations to all their station masters to look to this and
other matters connected with the railway, whisk he hoped
would be fully carried out. Al respected Sm&y travelling,
he thought they could scarcely be blamed. He thought the
occasions referredto were bet two. One of their trains had
broken down on the way from Carlisle, and he believed it
passed through Paisley at half-mat 12 ou the way to Glas-
gow. The other was na the occasion of a gems many
people having been landed at Anlroman in a distressed con-
dition, when they applied to the station miter, who very
properly brought them up. and landed them in Glasgow.
(APplause.) He thought, therefore, the South Western were
nut blameable in this matter, and that they paid a careful
attention to the Sunday. (Hear.)

The report was then agreed
A formal resolution, declaring •dividend of fif per cent.
was then adopted inetnimouely, on the motional the CHAIR-
MAL secooded by J. Rim/AAA/Am, Esq.
This concluded the business, • vote of thinks being
pulsed to the chairman.

THZ GALWAY PACKET SWITCH—On Wedneadny
the Munster, a very fine vessel, neat in the to the Greet
Eastern, was successfully launched hem the ship-
building yard of Messrs. Samuelson end Co., at Hull. She
is intended for the Atlantic Royal Mail Company, for the
conveyance of the mails between Galway and America
Several thousand persons were assembled to witness the
event. After the launch g grand braided took place, to
which about 200 persons sat down ; Mr. M. Samuelson oc-
cupied the chair, and during the proceedings he took occa-
sion to make some remarks respecting the prospects of the
company. He said it would be pretty well known that the
Galway Company had had many difficulties to encounter,
but he warn glad to my that those difficulties bad now been
entirely surmounted. The whole of the old board bad re-
signed, and a new board had been chosen, and
would be confirmed at a meeting which was to
he held that day. The new chairman was to be Mr.
Malcolmmo, a gentleman well-known in the mercantile
world as being conaected with the steamers running from
London and Dublin to the North of Europe. The deputy
chairman wan to be Mr. Russell Gurney, and he thought
these two names would boa audlcient guarantee to the
public of the good faith of the company. The establish-
ment of a IMO like the thlway one involved a_great deal el
anxiety and an immense amount of outlay. The company
bad had to Goateed with the opposition of the Liverpool
Cunard Company, and every parable means hail been used
to defeat the peosiel of the subsidy. The prevent govern-
ment had, however, kept faith with the public, arid adhered
to the promises made by their predeauseors in office, and Ire
had no doubt the tine would now week well. The gentle-
man who bad been most condemned by the committee of
the House of Commons was Mr. Lever, but he had now left
the board. He (Mr. Samuels:a), however, felt it doe to
Mr. Lever to my that his conduct had been much belied.
He was a most enterprising individual, although scarcely the
person best calculated to curry out efficiently such a large
company as the Galway one. After a few further observa-
tions the pmooedinp terminated.
ANOTHER RAILWAY COLLISION.—A collision
oc-
cnrredonTueadaymornin, at the Raiford station, on the
Manchester, `Sheffield, and Lineobehire Hallway. As the
passenger train from (Mouthy was proceeding slowly out et
the station, on its way to Slieffieldot mad train upon acmes-
lag ran against the hindmost of the passenger carriages.
Two carnage., a lugrage van, and &guard's van were severed
nom the fore part of the trans, and knocked off the hoe,
the two vans rolling over. The two carriages contained a
number of passengers, who were much shaken and bruised,
but nut, as is believed, seriously injured. The guard was
thrown some distance by the falling of his van, but wise not
mach hurt. The passengers of the third-class carriage next
the engine were somewhat shaken—one of them so seriously
that doubts were entertainod as to his recovery. The ac-
cident is summed to have :mien from some mistake on the
part of the pointaman. The slow pace at which the trains
were moving alone prevented the most serious maw
gleam. —Nanckreter Gan edicts.