The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-28 00:00:00

MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLN

held in Manchester yester
The half yearly meeting was SHIRE
day, Mr Watkin, M. wthaes
chair.
The report was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report. He
congratulated the shareholders
was general, was
still
goino.o that the increase of traffic
rated rate of increase of 1, on, and, owing to an accele-
merchaaassdenger traffic, coupled with
fuller train loads for
receipts had been attended with butise,
the greatly improved
slight augmentation of
expenses. (Cheers.) While the prospects of the under-
taking were so generally Encouraging, he must warn the
proprietors nit to expect too soon
new lines and extensions whic those returns from the
them would ultimately produce. the outlay of capital upon
The most productive lines
had been originally attended with
temporary loss. In notic-
ing the Parliamentary business
of the company, he said
that ono of the most important bills that they had opposed
was the Great Eastern Northern Junction, for an indepen-
dent railway from Peterborough to
al-
ways regarded an exchange mDoncaster. He had
of tra
as of very great importance, but thatewith the Great Eastern
from the promotion of a new trunk line. From the begin-
ning he thought it an unwise proceeding on the part of the
Great Eastern Company to propose to make nearly 100
miles of railway at an enormous outlay, parallel to some
extent with the Sheffield line, and
to a great extent parallel
had thrown out this
with the Great Northern. Parliament
bill. The Sheffield Companywould
have afforded facilities
for exchanging traffics at Lincoln, but they opposed this
scheme as alike wasteful and dangerous.
and North-Western, alone or ih If the London
company, considered that
it was possible to have a monopoly of the district between
Liverpool and Manchester, they
were
railway accommodation of this much mistaken. The
Manchester and
district was exceptional ;
there was nothing like it in the kingdom.
Salford possess a population of 50(),0, who were within 31
miles of 500,060 more, in Liverpool, the
Well,
these
trade of which place
doubled every 16 years. two vast cities and
centres of trade had, in his opinion, and considering their
importance, the vary worst communication by railway that
existed in any part of the country. There was nothing like
it anywhere. Why a man could not
go
to Liverpool and
same dine with a friend and get back the
night. And with
regard to the nature of the communication, especially on
Sundays, those who travelled between Liverpool and Man-
chester knew what it was. The reason
was
railways between Manchester andLiverpoonelts that the three
adbeenmanaged
upon such principles that the public had
never
the accommodation as they ought to havemaximised
done. (Hear.)
The Liverpool Central Bailin,' Station Bill had received
the Royal assent, and it extended the!, Q. argon, line right
into the heart of Liverpool ; in fact) for the developmee of
the passenger traffic, which bad never been thoroughly de-
veloped between the two towns, their line
went through the
very best part for math/tieing the tratge anci
accommodating
the public in the most efficient manner. (Cheers,) With
the continued support and confidence of
theshareholders
hold
they hoped to preserve and complete theirof that por-
tion of Liverpool to which legislation had given them access.
They were now in close alliance with the Great
they had agreements of an important character
Northern;
oter with the
Midland ; they were ready to exchange traffic
at Lincoln,
if necessary, with the Great Eastern' and the
sitter that the most important outlets of
traffic
west were at the ports of Liverpool and Birkenhead.(upon the
Hear.)
He must say a word about their steamboats Bill.
which had
passed the House of Lords. The shareholders knew that
they had laid out a million of money at Grimsby,af and some
millions east of Retford, and it had never anything.
Their dividends had been earned between Retfordpi and Man-
chester, the other part of the system having merely paid its
working expenses and a portion of the debenture interest.
They had been trying for years to make Grimsby
Pay. They
tried in 1855 to get power to do that which was
necessary to
make it pay—namely, to bridge over the narrow seas with
their own steamboats. On the Continent
there were many
thousands • of miles of railways connecting every important
town. Their customers were upon those railways, the owners
of which had recently done a very s •
sensible thing,
having
formed a railway union, similar to their customs' .
and tele-
graph union, for through rates with every place How was
it they could not gat to their customers ? Because they
had had the persistent and constant opposition
theyof the old
standing shipping interests, which, wheneverput on
a steamer, "ran it off," as opposition omnibuses
in London. After fighting for existence andgiving did
illegal
drawbacks and bounties and advanced capital they had now
only four steamboats running to Grimsby. The steamboat
bill would enable them to bridge these
narrow seas and