The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

sorption of a large portion of the omnibus and cab
traffic, the cempletion of the ir u2r circuit of rail-.

ways is desirable.
"It was estimated by the eviclenc3 efore the
committee that great additional accox.mcdation,
especially for the labouring classes, is daily becoming
more necessary, while there is no prospect of the
present ordinary means of conveyance being at all
adequate to future wants, and they are of opinion
that the following schemes which contribute
towards the formation of such a circuit may pro.
perly be proceeded with.

" Metropolitan District Railways (the portion
forming the inner circuit 32, 33, 34, and junction!
7,8, and 9).
"Metropolitan Railway (Trinity-Equare, Exten-
sion).

Nretropolitan Railway (Notting-hill and

Brompton Extension).
" Metropolitan Grand Union (portion north of
the Thames).
" The committee are also of opinion that the
following schemes—viz., the East London, Great

Eastern (Metropolitan stations and railways),
Great Eastern (junction No. 8), North London
(Kingsland and Tottenham line), Walthamstow,

Clapton, and City may be properly proceeded with

and as these schemes more or less enter into com-
munication, or compete or conflict in levels with
the schemes above referred to, as designed to form
the inner circuit, and with each other, the committee
are of opinion that all the above schemes may with
advantage be grouped together, and be referred to
the same select committee.

"In making these recommendations the committee
are of opinion that the greatest accommodation to
the public will not be secured by treating the two
schemes which pursue almost the same line from
Kensington to Brompton to the City merely as com-
peting schemes, one of which is to be preferred to
the exclusion of the other. The committee are of

opinion that the promoters of these schemes should
be recommended to communicate together and with
the surveyors of the City and Metropolitan Board
of Works, and devise the most perfect line which
their several plans will admit of. By a relaxation
of the standing orders such revised plan may be
embodied in one Bill. The Metropolitan Railway
(Trinity-square Extension) and the Western
branches of the East London Railway should also
be part of the proposed consultation. By such a
course much useless expenditure would be saved,
and the interests of the Metropolis far better secured
than by taking the chance of selection of one among
the competing lines.

" The committee observe with regret that two of
the schemes which they have recommended should
be allowed to proceed pass through Finsbury-circus
in open cutting. They are, however, informed that
the promoters of both are willing to substitute a
covered way for the open cutting. In the event of
the select committee finding it desirable to adopt
either of those lines in preference to those which do
not interfere with the Circus, the committee recom-
mend that effectual provision shall be made by which
the time to elapse between th breaking up of any
part of the garden and the completion of the works
there and the proper restoration of the enclosure
shall be as short as possible.
" Although the committee have recommended
that those portions of the metropolitan district rail-
ways scheme which are designed to form the outer
circuit shall not be proceeded with, they concur
with the House of Lords Committee of last Session
in thinking an outer circuit desirable, and they are
of opinion that this object might be accomplished
by uniting the existing railways on the eastern side

of the metropolis with one another, and connecting

those of them which are situate on the north side of
e Thames with the railways on the south side,
making use for this purpose of the Thames Tunnel.
For this purpose it would be necessary for the East
London to be in connection with the North London,
the Great Eastern, and London and Blackwall
Railways. This combination, taken in connection
with the existing lines on the west and south of the
metropolis, as suggested by the secretary of the
London and North-Western Railway Company in

his evidence before the committee, would complete
the outer circuit, but it would be further necessary
that mutual facilities to be secured by legislative
enactment should be afforded by the several com-
panies for interchange of traffic!.
" In order to give the public the full extent of the
system of intercommunication such as that which
has been suggested, it would be desirable that the
select committee to whom the metropolitan schemes
in question may be referred should require that such
modifications may be made in the schemes that may
be sanctioned as may be necessary for effecting the
proposed combination, and also that a clause should
be inserted in the bills of all railway companies
having termini within the metropolitan district,
for securing a mutual interchange or facilities
for working the traffic upon railways in that
districts on equitable terms among themselves,
and without any undue preference, the terms
to be settled in case of difference by the Board
of Trade, or an arbitrator to be appoin'ed by that
department. A clause should also, they think, be
insertel in each of the bills providing that railways
having their termini within the metropolis shall be
subject to the provisions of any Act to be passed in
the present or any future session fur the regulation
of railways within the metropolis.
"The committee are of opinion that some of the
prooisions of the Railway Clauses Consolidation
Act, 1845, require provisions in relation to the
metropolitan arrangements, and they recommend
the introduction of a bill for that purpose. They
desire also to direct attention to a suggestion of
Colonel Yolland's report to the Board of Trade as to
the expediency of requiring all places for railways
within the Metropolitan Railway district being
drawn to the same datum line.
"The committee are of opinion that in the pre-
sent session such of the bills proposing to sanction
railway communication within the limits of the
metropolis as
re to be proceeded with should com-
mence in the liou:a of Commons." ons"
The report conclude:stating that a map,
showing the existing and pro
t
—Nied railways in the
a metropolis, accompanies the
report,
committee have directed the minute and that s
of issues
taken before them, together with the appendix,
be reported.