The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-14 00:00:00

Railway and other Companies.

LONDON AND SOUTII-WESTERN.

The report of the directors of this company states the
balance of revenue for the half-year ending the 30th of
June last, including £2,976 surplus from tho precedinghalf
year, and, after deducting interest on loans and all other
preferential charges, amounted to £184,752. The directors
had deemed it expedient to debit the.revenue with a further
sum of £lO,OOO on account of compensation. The balance
available for dividend would then amount to £174,752, out
of which it was proposed to declare a dividend payable on
the Ist of Sept. next, at the rate of 4} per cent. per annum,
leaving a balance of £746. The gross earnings of the rail-
way for the past half-year were in excess of the corre-
sponding half of 1864 by £30,360. The mileage worked by
the company had, however, been increased by the opening
of the Andover and Redbridgeßailway on the 6th of March
last. This, together with the mileage of the Midhurst and
Thames Valley lines, formed an increase of 394 miles over
the mileage of 1864. The average rate of interest on the
company's mortgage debt was now 4.26 per cent., against
4.21 per cent in the preceding half-year. The total receipts
for the past year on 4931 miles amounted to £694,200,
against £663,840 for the corresponding half of 1864, show-
ing anincrease of £30,360; the working expensesamounted
to £326,973, against £311,658, showing an increase of
£15,315 ; the taxation • amounted to £30,934, against
£32,043, showing a decrease of £1,109; and the net re-
venue of the half-year amounted to £336,293, against
£320,139--showing an increase of £16,154. The second
line of rails between Whimple and Broad Clyst had been
opened, and the doubling of the remaining portion of the
Yeovil and ;Exeter line between Sutton Bingham and
Crewkerne was now in progress, which, when finished,
would complete the double line of railway to the west
of Yeovil. Tho Salisbury and Yeovil Company had
opened during the past six months the second line be-
tween Tilbury and Simley, and the doubling of the
remaining portion of their line between Salisbury and
Yeovil was now progressing. The Kensington and Rich-
mond line had been staked out, and considerable progress
had been made in obtaining possession of the land. Fa-
vourable progress had been made in perfecting the arrange-
ments with the Chatham and Dover and other metropolitan
companies, for the development of the metropolitan traffic,
not only between this company's suburban system and the
densely populated area south of the Thames, but also with
the lines to the north of the river. The works of the Chat-
ham and Dover Railway Company atßattersea were nearly
completed, and the extension of that line into the Clapham
Junction station was also in a forward state. The works on
the lletropolitan Extension lines of the Chatham and Dover
Company for widening the lines between Knight's-hill and
Blackfriars were making good progress. In the early part
of the past month a series of trains between Euston and
London-bridge, via Kensington and Waterloo, was com-
menced, together with an arrangement of local trains be-
tween Waterloo and London-bridge. The connexion of this
company's lines with those of the South Eastern Company
had thus at length to some extent been effected. The bill
for authorising the short railway necessary to connect the
Kingston station with Wimbledon, and to bring the
Windsor and Richmond lines into direct communication with
south London and with Ludgate, had been authorised by
Parliament. The capital account showed that £14,218,974
had been expended, including £580,035 during the past
half-year, leaving a balance of £364,791.