The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-09 00:00:00

•••
tire
tion, but a largo question of social economy, and involved I num, less income-tax, p;:yable---entCo7l9l.ll
reoo le to
important interests of a large mass of the population, that a balance of £3,000 for the reserve fund, an,
carters of
would not have an opportunity of being thoroughly con- credit of the next account. A mile and three-rtlelaid with
sidered in this committee. He adverted to the vast number the line between Lurgan and Moira have
becn tensi„ re-
of railway stations projected in the city, which, he said, had tisli-jointed rails and creosoted skepers, sr°, „,,et the
a prospect of all the railway accommodation that could be newals of timber and ballast have been cffeeti,e.
required. He dwelt upon the enormous amount of property growing requirements of the traffic, and
destroyed in furtherance of railway schemes, and upon the the opening of the Banbridge line, four Posv!rt? but call
niggardly compensations, as well as upon the personal in- were ordered for delivery in July and
kegust
ironing
convenience sustained by individuals, especially the poorer two of them were delivered in December last• and
classes of persons. Vester''
of the communication with the Irish North-1
wagon to be
Lord IS rANLEY said he did not rise to express any Midland lines at Clones caused the company s accounts
opinion upon the question of metropolitan railway come less available than formerly for local traffic. All aid ena
munication, nor did ho wish to object to the present pro- in respect of the Clones Extension line ha
been
nfpital ac-
position of a joint committee of both houses ;
aura he settled witb the contractor and engineer. The 0ce,577 bad
hoped it would not be inferred that it was to be pce- counts of the old and new lines show that £l,3'
dent for future occasions. This plan of a joint committee been expended. in an truipl actniognivoe
was practically a novelty. There had been, itervas true, joint
committees in very remote times, hut the object of such joint
committees was not to make a report. They were appointed
for the purpose of collecting information and preparing iden-
tical evidence to be laid before the two Houses; so that
practically the present proposition was a novelty. The re-
commendation of the committee appointed last year was
against the appointment of joint committees and in favour
of having the number of members serving on committees
reduced from five to three ; and further, that either house
would take the report of the other as sufficient for the pur-
poses of examination. He believed that if the private bill
business was to be retained before Parliament, that was
the only way to deal practically with it ; and that it was
a better plan than joint committees of both houses.
He thought in this case it would have been better
if the initiative had not been left to private enter-
prise ; for, although he believed that Sir Robert Peel was
right in not giving the initiative of the railways to the Go-
vernment, yet in the case of London it would have been
better if somebody whose opinion would be listened to with
respect had been appointed by Government, and that, put-
ting aside all the plans proposed by the railway companies,
the Government had brought forward the scheme devised
by such a functionary, and offered it for completion to any
party who would give the necessary guarantee. By adopt-
ing such a course the Government would have obtained a
more complete and homogeneous system than at present.
But the time was now too late for it. (Cries of No, no.)
Well, if it were possible still to adopt such a system, he
could only say it was so much the better.
Mr. MASSEY was of opinion that a very little exten-
sion of the existing railway s would amply meet all the wants
of the capital, without cutting up and destroying the town
n all directions, as was contemplated by the various projects
now before the house, lie disapproved of the proposal to
inquire by a joint committee of both houses.
Lord J. MANNERS concurred in the opinion expressed
by his noble friend, and thought the proposal of a joint
committee of the two houses was both too late and insuffi-
cient for any useful purposes.
Sir J. SHELLEY also described the proposal as crude
and unsatisfactory, and having urged the advantage of
delay, moved the adjournment of the debate.
The amendment was seconded by Lord ENFIELD, who
advocated the appointment of a Royal Commission, with a
rigid exclusion of civil engineers.
Mr. Crawford, Mr. Scourfield, Sir M. Peto, Mr. Selwyn,
Lord Fermoy, and Mr. Locke participated in the discussion
which ensued, and Sir J. Shelley having consented to
withdraw his amendment, the motion for a committee was
agreed to.
The other business on the paper was also disposed of, and
he house adjourned at 20 minutes past 12 o'clock.

RAILWAY AND CANAL BILL. :n ti
t It appears from a return of the Board of Trade j tigt '65-g•
tahlatti the number of bills relating to railways in Great jrl.:
Of' and Ireland deposited for this session amounts 0 3.4,,
this number 294 authorise new works, incladin,F2,
bills promoted by new companies, and 113 bills proutotee;
existing companies. Of the 152 bills promotod by. 11, 'or
railway
companies, 131 are for the construction off 114
°lll' ;0
ay in England, 7 for the construction of 114 mile' '
Scotland, and 14 for the construction of 174 miles of rail
in Ireland. With respect to the 143 bills promoted bY.e-10(
irnag companies, 123 are for the construction of 711 olless of
lway in England, 15 for the construction of 63 miles
railwayofrail in Scotland, and 5 for the construction of 61180ew
. way in Iceland, The total length of proposedilio,
lines is, therefore, 3,099 miles; and there are in ad°
166 miles of deviations from lines already authoriiech

RAILWAY BILLS. OrdebP
Yesterday, before the examiners,the Standing
were declared to have been compd with in respet ~11i;
following railway bills:—Waterford and Weaford, 'Ito?
Piing-Norton and Banbury, Wallingford and 'Otlilest
Litiverpool Central Station, Alford and Mablethorpelritop
ding and Grimsby, Maidstone and AshforJ, /8
Stamford, and Essendine (Sibson Extension) Granor
s 0
Western Canal and Bristol and Exeter ItailwaY'c-toD g'
and South Wales Union, West Drayton and ch' ibtigia
Holywell, Rickmansworth, Amersham and, YeGrir
(Level Crossing), Weald of Kent, Ha ling `and`
J•
stead, Cuckfield and Hayward's Hath,YLond'on nil 13,1:0),
wall (Extension), Blyth and Tyne (additional P°
North Durham, Blyth and Tyne (new worksawes,). „8
Nv
. ,asilil6
The only case of non-compliance tau
and Wiltshire.
_____............

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE,

THE GREAT EASTERN.

The directors of this company have declared-a dividend
at the rate of two and a half per cent. per annum on the
ordinary stock of the company for the half-year ending the
31st of December last.