The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-04 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE

WEST FLANDERS.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yes-
terday at the offices, Moorgate-street—Mr. R. Till in the
chair.

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appeared in Yhe Sun, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said this was only the second occasion upon which he had
to state that their onward progress had been interfered with,
but he considered it an exceptional case. Belgium suffered
as well as England from the want of cotton. Ghent being a
manufacturing place for cotton goods, the depression there,
in a very considerable degree pervaded over a large district
and affected the traffic of the country to some extent. As far
as they were concerned it did not affect them in the same
degree. They were enabled to declare the same dividend as
at the corresponding period of last year, without taking
anything from the balance. The old grievance connected
with the guarantee had been further delayed in the law
courts by a long vacation, but he hoped in the course of a few
weeks their case would be heard and brought to a decision.
There was some allusion in the report respecting new
schemes for railways in Belgium, but it did not state whether
they should be of service or not to their lines. He believed if
they took away traffic, they would bring traffic in return,
for it usually happened that connecting lines increased
traffic. The proposed extension from Fumes to Dunkirk
would open a direct communication with an important ship-
ping port in France, which he thought would benefit their
lines. The proposed line from their branch at Poperinghe
to Hazebrouck would also give them communication with
France. Those undertakings might do them some mischief
but he thought, on the whole, they would be compensated
in other respects. The passenger traffic had shown a de-
crease in the receipts, although the number carried had in-
creased. This arose from having a falling off in the number
of the first and second class passengers, and more than a
corresponding increase in the third class, which indicated
a want of means, but they had nothing to apprehend from
that portion of their traffic.
Mr. IVILLIAmsON seconded the motion for the adoption
of the report.
Mr. HERAPATII said the question for them was whether
the new lines were competing ones. He believed the best
thing would be to keep on good terms with them if they
could. Ho thought that the report was short and satisfac-
tory.

Some discussion ensued respecting the lawsuit with the
Government. Mr. Goez suggested that the matter in dis-
pute should be submitted to arbitration, and not continued
for years in the law courts of Belgium.
Mr. RICHARDS, a director, said ho did not think the
Belgium Minister was to blame in the matter. There were
two clauses in the concession respecting the mode of ascer-
taining the working expenses of the new lines, about which
there was a dispute ; the Government authorities read the
clause one way and the company the other. It was not
competent, therefore, for the Minister to pay the demand
until the Courts decided the question. The expenses in the
Belgian law courts were very much less than in the English
law courts, and ho believed they could not ask for arbitra-
tion. He considered that their claim was perfectly just.
The CHAIRMAN said they had the best legal advice they
could get, and the Government would not submit the matter
to arbitration.

Resolutions Wore passed adopting the report, agreeing to
the dividend of 4s. per share for the past half-year, and re-
electing Mr. Till and Cat, Greig, the retiring directors.
A vote of thanks to the chairman, directors, and secretary
concluded the proceedings.