Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-11 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL AND THE RAILWAYS.

THERE can be no question, after now nearly
thirty years' experience of Railways, that they
have, upon the whole, done much for the interest
of the port and town of Liverpool. But it is
equally unquestionable that they have, at the same
time, done so much for certain other places, which
may be regarded as competitors with Liverpool in
the race of maritime and commercial progress, that
it is evident there must be no sacrificing of local
advantages, for either personal or national objects,
if we are to maintain that pre-eminence which
the mercantile enterprise of many years has
gained for the place. London, Glasgow, Hull,
Fleetwood, Southampton, Milford, and other and
minor places, have been brought by the Railway
system into competition, more or less direct, with
Liverpool ; and if we do not, therefore, look
closely to our own local interests, we shall
assuredly, in no long time, be most injuriously
interfered with. Before that system came into
general operation, Liverpool, from its superior
facilities of access from the great seats of the
cotton and woollen manufactures of Lancashire
and Yorkshire, the potteries of Staffordshire, and
the iron and coal of the inland counties and of
Wales, secured probably not less than three-
fourths of their various and extensive products for
exportation. But now, the other places we have
named, having, through similar means of locomo-
tion, gained advantages which enable them to
compete with us as ports of shipment for the
staple products of these important districts, we
are placed in a very different, and much more
critical position.

Most undoubtedly; then, as was ably argued in
our columns, by a corrc:spondent, a day or two
since, one must come to this very grave conclusion,
—"that if Liverpool is to retain, much more if she

is to extend her trade, whilst she has so many
rivals, she must be made as cheap a port for the
transit in and out of produce as possible." The
revenue and the expenditure are already about
balanced, and the Mersey Board is committed to
a large outlay for new works, to meet the prospect
of an expanding trade, and to such new works
must involve a large annual addition to her expen-
diture on interest.

But there is another consideration which it is
impossible to resist. Not only must Liverpool be
made as cheap a port, but as accessible,
and in all respects as convenient, as possible,
" for the transit in and out of produce;" and also
for passenger and general traffic. This is the great
end that ought, first and above all, to be looked
to, in every thing that is done by Liverpool men,
with regard to the Railways coming in the direc-
tion of the town, with which they may happen to
be connected. Large dividends upon their shares
are no doubt very desirable, provided they can be
legitimately obtained. But it is infinitely more
desirable that they should ever be ready to make
even that a secondary consideration, when the
immediate interests of their town have to be pro-
moted. We would fain hope that it is this motive
which has actuated our Chamber of Commerce to
petition Parliament against the amalgamation of
the Lancashire and Yorkshire and East Lancashire
Railways,—that their opposition to it arises from a
consideration that, by creating a monopoly, it
would operate unfavourably to our local interests.
And upon similar ground it is, that, as was
pointed out in our columns by another corres-
pondent, the Liverpool Stations Junction Bill,
also before Parliament, should be carefully
attended to, especially in connection with the sub-
ject of the extension of the line from Garston to
Liverpool, so as to secure an additional outlet in
that direction, and more particularly in further-
ance of the Great Northern's efforts to give us
another complete line to London. Under a deep
sense of the importance of such an advantage as this,
we cordially concur in the remark, that although,
" the Great Northern Company may be satisfied to
coalesce with the London. and North 'Western, yet
any arrangement that may have the effect of
again confining our business with London, by act
of Parliament, to the one line, should be closely
watched by the Chamber of Commerce, and by
the traders generally."
Looking to the security
advantage in another direction, one cannot
but regret that the Chester and Birken-
head. line is not in a better plight. One

of a similar

may even participate in the regret, on its account,
that the dock works at Birkenhead are not being
prosecuted with even more energy to secure
their completion within the time prescribed by
the Act of Parliament, notwithstanding that
the several questions between the Directors
and the Birkenhead Commissioners have been
amicably arranged. But it surely cannot be that
the Great Western and Chester and Holyhead
Companies are treating this important branch
fairly, or they would not be parties to imposing
upon it so exorbitant a sum as £16,000 a-y ear for
its accommodation at the Chester station,—
an amount, as was shown, equal to 16s 8d per
cent. on the entire capital. These companies
obtain direct access to Liverpool by the line to
Birkenhead ; and it is thereby a most important
feeder to their respective railways, that certainly
ought, in common justice, to be taken into account,
which it would scarcely appear to have been done,
on assessing the charge at the Chester station.

All such matters as these, we; say, bear closely
upon the interests of Liverpool ; and the Chamber
of Commerce, and even the Town Council, may
give their attention to them, we are persuaded,
often with great advantage to the town. It
is most important to gain all that is attain-
able in the way of means of intercourse by
railway with every quarter of the kingdom, if
Liverpool is to maintain its maritime and mercan-
cantile pre-eminence. Other and rival places are
making astonishing advances through such means ;
and we must secure them for ourselves also, as
fully and effectually as it is possible to do, or we
shall assuredly be left behind in the great and
keenly-contested race of commercial progress.