The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-21 00:00:00

LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER.

The report of the directors states that the receipts for the
half-year ending the 31st of December amounted on 721
miles, to £182,249, against £136,551 for the corresponding
half of 1863 and £102,957 for the same half of 1862 on the
same mileage, showing an increase of £45,697, or 33.46 per
cent., over 1863, and:.£72,292 over 1862. On the Metropoli-
tan Extension line the receipts amounted for the past half-
year, on 111 miles, to £47,924, against £30,928 on 101 miles
for the corresponding half of 1863, and £3,290 on 51 miles
for same half of 1862. The increase in the receipts over
those of the corresponding half of 1863 was £16,997, or
54.95 per cent. The average receipts per mile in the half-
year had been £2,514, as against 1,883 in the correspond-
ing half of 1863. The average receipts per mile on the
Metropolitan Extension in the half-year had been £4,167
as against £2,946 in 1863. The large increase :in the re'
ceipts of this extension consequent on opening a single
mile of railway from the Elephant and Castle to Blackfriars
was some indication of the great advantages the proprie-
tors :might anticipate from the completion of the line
across the river and up to the junction with the Metropo-
liton and Great Northern railways. The gross working ex-
penses of all the lines owned and worked by the company
during the half-year amounted to £124,124, or 52.32 per
cent., and the gross receipts upon those lines to £237,225.
This was the most satisfactory result that had yet been
attained. The receipts on the
general undertaking had been
£182,249, and working expenses chargeable to it £114,991,
or 63 per cent. The directors had every confidence that as
the traffic of thebranchlines increased the ratio of expenses
to receipts in future half-years would be more favouratle.
The receipts derived from the steamboat traffic during the
half-year amounted to £32,352, and the expenses to £19,156
including £3,500 carried to the reserve fund. The balance
of the revenue account of the general undertaking amounted
to £80,544, as against £55,825 for the corresponding half
of 1863, and £30,370 for the half-year ending June last.
That sum was sufficient to cover all debenture interest,
rent-charges, and other preferential charges, including the
first preference, leaving a balance of £4,317. The opening
of the line between Blackfriars and the temporary station
on' the south side of Ludgate-hill took place on the 21st of
December last, and its effect upon the short and suburban
traffic had fully answered the expectations of the directors.
The permanent station was expected to be ready for open-
ing in March next, when the main line trains would have
the advantage of a city station. Since the last meeting the
directors had completed the works connecting the station
at Dover with the Admiralty Pier. A short connecting line
between Stewart's-lane and Clapham Junction station was
to be completed by the Ist May next. The South-Western
Company would then be enabled to avail themselves of
some of the benefits of a city station at Ludgate-hill. The
capital account of the main line from Bickley to Dover
showed .£4,443,602 had been expended, and of the
Metropolitan
Extensions £5,451,886 expended.
that