The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVEN!. ia

RAILWAY IN7ELLIGENCE,

ST. ANDREWS.

The half-yearly meeting was held at St. An-
drews on Monday—Mr. W. Smith in the chair,
The directors' report stated that the receipts
amounted to £1,837, as against £1,777 in the cor-
responding half-year. The directors recommended
a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum,
which would take a sum of £5O from the reserve
fund.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said he was glad the directors were able to
announce a slight increase on this occasion, having
had to report a decrease at the two previous half-
yearly meetings. The goods' traffic had suffered of
late from several accidental circumstances, but the
passenger traffic, which was the mainstay of the
line, continued steadily to increase, the number con-
veyed last year being 20,000 over the promoters'
original estimate.

The report was unanimously adopted, as was also
a report on the subject of telegraph communication
to St. Andrews.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the pro-
ceedings.

PARIS AND ORLEANS.

The annual meeting of this company was held
last week in Paris—M. Bartholony in the chair.
The report,which was of considerable length,st ated
that the expenditure on capital account for the old
lines, 1,475 kilometres in length (922 miles),amounted
to 362,422,501 f (Ll4,496,9oo),including 11,291,013 f
expended during the year 1861, and 325,966,837 f
(113,038,673) on the new lines, 682 kilometres
(426 miles in length), making together
£27,535,573. The gross traffic receipts for the year
1861 amounted to 78,929,314 f. (L 3,157,172), and
the expenses, interest, and other charges, to
43,050,320 f. (L 1,722,013), leaving a balance of
35,878,995 f. (L 1,435,159) ; out of this was deducted
1,076,370 f., the usual reserve, and 2,162,558 f., the
percentage on profits to which the servants of the
company are entitled, leaving a net sum of
32,373,221 f. (L 1,294,929) for distribution among
the shareholders. Of this sum 9,000,000 f. (L 360,000)
was distributed on the lst of October last, and on
and after the Ist inst. 21,000,000 f. (L 840.000) was
to be distributed, making the dividend for the year
100 f. per share or 20 per cent., and leaving a bal-
ance of 2,373,2211. (L 94,929).
Resolutions were passed adopting the report,
electing M. Soulacroup a director, authorising the
creation of 300,000 new shares of 500 f. (L2O) each,
the interest on the amount called up for the years
1862, 1863, and 1864 to be at the rate of 5 per cent.
per annum, declaring a dividend on the shares of
20 per cent, for the year 1861, of which 6 per cent.
had been paid in October last, and the remaining
14 per cent. was to be paid in the present month ;
appointing an audit committee of five shareholders,
and re-electing the retiring directors.

ITHE NEWSVENDERS' BENEVOLENT
AND PROTECTION SOCIETY.

The twenty-third annual meeting of the members
of this society was held last evening at the News
Exchange, Black Horse-court, Fleet-street, Mr.
Kennedy in the chair, for the purpose of consider-
ing and confirming the amended rules of the insti-
tution passed at the last annual meeting, and for
the transaction of the regular yearly business. Mr.
Hoskins (the secretary) read the rules as amended,
which were put to the meeting seriatim by the
Chairman, and declared to be carried, subject to
some verbal alterations. A new rule was then
added, declaring every donor of 10 guineas and
upwards a vice-president of the society. The Secre-
tary then read the annual report, which, having
regretted that so many members of the trade still
held aloof from the society, stated that the annual
subscriptions for the past year had amounted to
£46 25., and the donations to £76 193. 6d., show-
ing an increase of income over the previous year
of £ll 13s, 61. The amount thus received had
enabled the committee to add £5O to the in-
vested stock of the society, and left them a ba-
lance on the year of £53 12s. 3d. It might appear
at the first glance that the amount of income was
thus more than sufficient to meet the demands of
the society, but it should be recollected that the
amount to be given in relief to pensioners was
limited to the amount received as dividends on the
invested stock, and consequently the number of pen-
sioners can only be increased by the continual in-
vestment of capital. The committee have at present
many urgent applications for election, but cannot
afford them any relief until, by an increase in the
funded property or the decrease of some of the pre-
sent recipients of the fund, they can add to the list
of pensioners. They trust that during the coming
year they may be placed in a position to reduce the
list of applicants. The amount of stock invested
was now £1,875. The anniversary festival was
fixed to take place on the 2d of May, at which Mr.
Charles Dickens had consented to preside. The
report was adopted after a brief discussion.