The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-22 00:00:00

IGENCE

RAILW,

S M T H-EAS TERN.

The directors of this company have resolved to
recommend the proprietors at their half-yearly meet-
ing on the 31st inst., to declare a dividend of 7s. 6d.
on each £3O stock, being at the rate of £2 10s. per
cent. per annum.

LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER.
The report of the directors of this company shows
in a tabular statement that the receiptsof the gene-
ral undertaking, 74 miles open, amounted for the
half-year ending the 30th of June to £146,619, and
for the same half of last year to £125,207, sho wing
an increase of 17.10 per cent. The total
receipts on
the same mileage for the half-year ending in June
of 1863, amounted to £82,318. The receipts of the
Metropolitan Extension, lit miles in length,
amounted for the half-year to £51,503, and for the
same half of 1864 to £31,355 on 11f miles, showing
an increase of £20,148, or 64.25 per cent. The gross
receipts upon all the lines owned and worked by
the company during the half-year amounted to
£190,340, and the working expenses to £125,374,
0r,65.86 per cent, The receipts on the general
undertaking had been £146,619, and the working
expenses chargeable to it £111,962, or 76.36 per
cent. The receipts of the steamboats had been
£27,083 for the half-year, and the expenditure
£20,845. This included £2,000 carried to the re-
serve and insurance fund, which now amounted to
£13,062. The balance of revenue account of the
general undertaking amounted to £40,895, against
£30,370 for the corresponding half of 1864, showing
an increased profit of £10,525. The revenue balance
of the Metropolitan Extension amounted to £25,752,
against £15,678 for the corresponding half of 1864,
showing an increased profit realised in the past half-
year of £10,074. After some explanations as to the
receipts not being greater, and the expenses so much,
the report states that the aggregate number of pas-
sengers conveyed on the company'slines andbranches
during the past three half-years was 11,383,157, of
which 8,658,693 were third-class, 1,832,362 second-
class, and 892,102 first-class passengers ; and of the
total number of passengers mentioned, 8,873,550
were conveyed over the Metropolitan Extensions, of
which 6,706,962 were third-class, 1,428,586 second-
class, and 737,002 first-class. Those large numbers
of passengers had been carried without accident of
any consequence or the loss of a single life. The
rapid growth of this traffic, and of the suburban
traffic of the Brighton Company, to and from the
Victoria station had long since proved the utter
inadequacy of two lines of rails to accommodate
and develope it properly. Early in the coming
year the company would be in possession of an inde-
pendent access to Victoria station by three new
lines of railway, now in rapid course of construction,
and about the same time the two additional lines
from Herne-hill to Blackfriars would be available,
so that with four lines through the city they would
be enabled to separate the suburban from the
through traffic, and to increase the punctuality of
the trains to such an extent as would meet the re-
quirements and efficiently serve the district traversed,
and lead to a much larger use of the railway by the
public. The permanent station at Ludgate-hill
having been opened in June, and goods premises at
Blackfriars partially opened in May, all the efforts
of the contractors had been concentrated upon the
execution of the widenings of the line before adverted
to, and upon the completion of the link line between
Ludgate-hill and the Metropolitan Underground
Railway at West-street, Farringdon-road. This line
had been inspected by the officers of the Board of
Trade, and the works had been approved by them.
Unfortunately the works of the Metropolitan Rail-
way Company at West-street were so backward that
there would be no possibility of opening the link line
for traffic, and running trains to and from the Un-
derground station at West-street and the Great
Northern station at King's-cross for some weeks to
come. The directors could only greatly regret this
state of things, over which they had not the least
control. They had every reason to believe that the
Metropolitan Company would (as they were by Act
of Parliament required) have completed their works
simultaneously with those of this company. The
South London and Crystal Palace line, affording
this company's traffic access to an admirable station
on the high level of the Crystal Palace itself, and
immediately contiguous to the Central Transept,
opened for traffic on the 2d of August. Before the
traffic on this line could be properly developed, the
stations upon it at Lordship-lane, Honor Oak, Nun-
head, as well as stations at Peckham and Denmark-
hill, ou the part of the Brighton Company's South
London line over which the trains of this company
would run to and from the Palace, must be com-
pleted and opened. At present no means existed
for the direct through running of trains between
the city section of the Metropolitan Extension and
the Crystal Palace line. It had, therefore, become
a matter of the most urgent necessity thattheworks
of the eastern section between Walworth-road and
Peckham should be proceeded with, being the means
of direct communication for the City with both the
Crystal Palace line and the Greenwich line. The
directors would use every effort to secure the early
opening of this portion of railway. The Longhedge
Junction line was ready for opening. The works of
the Clapham Junction line were so far advanced
that the opening for traffic might be looked for in
October or November next. This line would en-
able the trains of the South Western Company to
pass to and from the Metropolitan Extension of this
company, and the trains of this company to run be-
tween any part of their system and the large ex-
change station at Clapham Junction. The expen-
diture on capital account of the general undertak-
ing amounted to £4,592,006, and on the Metropoli-
tan Extension to £6,057,445, together, £10,649,451.