The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-17 00:00:00

LONDON AND BLACKWALL.

The half yearly meeting of this companytlihenTwytheahhearapaaeyssraydh,t:eld yester-
day at the London Tavern, Mr. J. N. Daniell in the chair.
The report was taken as read.
said
The
th
sC
traffic
Aa f
fin Le:\ t
farA N
the
past moving
h a
lfthehalf-year
adoptionear
compared
hrbtwtoaheashffiheldesavnei
clbirnetfseinohleptfyd:ohobtteebrheuaaetyser:,t
hluacwvwlt aiblronnaihss.
eeutddetaahor,testhaerrfyeai
adawmccenoffil
oattfofpnroi
traffic, had
improved
assvdrepahtgoeeeeehdepaordfnesaswbddtbettheeoiiyhl
oetdeelnuevnf
ttyncraiheltaaenirreht.
trnihitrar:
fianluieedeatcoaecignrerrsoxeedionlptsasaesaheeo,slnaeft
expenditure
Exhibitionirtaftahnu:er2te doh 08. as
cos In the
du.
rceeatydhnmed somehntesh
dsenx‘oevpfwae was being
repairsedt
ioi
gsna condundor
done
aheenue o in-
crease
gra-
duallyd
to improve their stock and render it more suitable and
cmvenient for the traffic. They had expended for this pur-
pose £l3B more than in the corresponding period of 1862.
Scarcely any other item of expense showed a considerable
increase. They had expended £667 more in working than
for the same half of 1862, and had carried 100,000 more
passengers, and also additional goods traffic. They had
been in hopes that before the present time they would have
had traffic from the London Docks, but ho was sorry to say
that was not the case at present. Not that it arose from
any unwillingness on the part of the Dock Clonaopany,
fsrhooUld their
beingaccommodate oulsd be
to satisfy the revenue and others. The rant way w
ready before the Dock Company, if they y knew where
pu t tt oh
the railway
ialtwdaiyffitcrualf
tit ye iniu settling i
docksnt, how they
cays
the beforedocks
u v
ely
goods It
wouldrailway
be
at bridgeleast
two into
months
direct from the railway into the docks. He was glad
t
to say that the company's proposed line for the Isle of Dogs
had passed standing orders, and met with no opposition.
The parties mostly interested in that locality and in send-
inge
goods to and from the north had met the company in a
very friendly spirit, and they all hoped the bill would pass

through both houses of Parliament without opposition.
With regard to the proposed new lines for the metropolis,
they could hardly find that any of them would be beneficial
to the Blackwall line, Some of these projects that would
have been injurious to them had failed on standing orders.
Their goods traffic had increased to a certain extent, and
they had made agreements with the Great Eastern Com-
pany for the use of sidings and arches, which would bring
them a considerable addition to their coal traffic. They
were on good terms with the Great Eastern, and were
likely to be so in all respects.
Mr. MACNAUGIETEN, deputy-chairman, seconded the
motion for the adoption of the report.
Mr. JEGGINS thought the report on the whole was very
satisfactory. The lowering of the fares had been an advan-
tage to the company, and a success. He had estimated that
the cost of working traffic belonging to other companies
over their line was 20 per cent., or for the past half-year
£5,520, and for working their own traffic 50 per cent.,
or £11,995, making together X 17,517. He found that their
actual expense of working was £17,431, and ha thought the
expenditure could be reduced. There was nothing down
for compensation, and as they had nearly 400 trains a day
over their lines for so many years without accident ho
thought they were greatly indebted somewhere for that re-
sult, and suggested that they should give their best thanks
to Mr. Wightman, their general manager, NI the successful
manner in which he had worked the line for so many
years. (Hear.)
A SHAREHOLDER complained of the dirty state of some
of the carriages, and that they were too narrow between
the seats to accommodate the passengers properly.
The CHAIRMAN said they were obliged to work the old
carriages as long as lossible, but all the new carriages has
been enlarged.
Mr. WIGHTMAN, the general manager, explained that
the old stock of carriages had been on the line since 1840,
and they had great difficulty in accommodating the fashion
of the present day. The stock on the North London was
newer than theirs, and other companies' carriages were
newer still, but as the company gradually renewed their
carriages they adopted all the improvements up to the time
of renewal. They had great difficulties at times, as some of
the passengers complained that they were not allowed to
smoke in the carriages, and others complained of the smok-
ing. 'With regard to the expenses, every economy had been
exercised. They were obliged to employ a great number of
men to work the traffic, which was from 7 in the morning
till 11 at night. All the signal and switch men were changed
at 2 o'clock in the day. They had therefore not a tired man
at work. No doubt the expenditure was increased by this,
but he believed it enabled them to avoid accidents. There
was not a greater interval than 2/ minutes without trains
running. The cost of working averaged about 33 per cent.
of the receipts, and he did not think anything could be
saved upon it. (Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN thought they might carry cheap fares
too far. They had increased the receipts by £240, and had
carried but 117,000 more passengers. They had no plea-
sure traffic on their line.

Resolutions were passed adopting the report, declaring a
dividend at the rate of 4} per cent, per annum on the pre-

Ferenc() stock and at the rate of 4 per cent, per annum on

the consolidated ordinary stock of the company, payable on
the 17th inst. ; re•electing Mr. Wetham and Mr. Mangles,
the retiring directors, and also Mr, Ratcliffe, the retiring