The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-02 00:00:00

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES ON RAILWAY

BILLS.
CORK AND WATERFORD.
The Earl of MARCH reported from the sub-committee
that the bill does not authorise the construction of any
new works, but only extends and revives the powers al-
ready granted for that purpose. Four petitions were
referred to the committee against the bill. The com-
mittee had examined the allegations contained in the
preamble of the bill, and had amended the same by omit-
ting the recital as to the branch to Fermoy, concerning
winch no powers are taken in the bill, and by defining
the western terminus of the railway, and had found the
same as amended to be true.
BANGOR AND CARNARVON.
Mr. BOUVERIR repOrted from the committee that the
objects of the bill are to enable the company to raise $
further some of money for the purposes of their under-
taking, by the creation of new shares, and to enable the
company to transfer their undertaking to the Chester
and Holyhead Railway Company. The length of the
Bangor and Carnarvon railway is 7 miles, and that of
the Chester and Holyhead (with which it directly com-
municates), is 85 miles, and it was proved to the com-
mittee that the Bangor and Carnarvon line had been
worked by the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company
from the date of the opening of the former line. Under
these circumstances it appeared to the committee that
this was a special case, in which an amalgamation of the
two undertakings was desirable.

GREAT WESTERN, SHREWSBURY, AND BIRMINGHAM,
AND SHREWSBURY AND CHESTER RAILWAY COMPA.
NIES' AMALGAMATION.

Mr. LASCELLES reported, from the sub-committee, that
the objects of the bill were simply to authorise the con-
solidation into one undertaking of the Great Western,
the Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and the Shrewsbury
and Chester Railways ; and the union into one company
of the three several companies to whom the said rail-
ways respectively belong. Petitions against the bill
were presented from the London and North-Western,
Chester and Holyhead, Shropshire Union, Oxford, Wor-
cester, and Wolverhampton, Newport, Abergavenny,
and Hereford Railway Companies, and from seven other
parties. The new stock and annuities into which by the
bill power is sought to convert the mortgage or bond
debt of the amalgamated company will be in lieu of
mortgages and bonds or other securities in one or other
of the undertakings proposed to be amalgamated under the
bill, and the rate of dividend or interest to be payable in
respect of the new stock or annuities is limited to 4i
per cent. per annum, which is a lower rate than the
average rate of interest which has generally been paid
on the existing mortgages or bonds or other securities of
the respective companies parties to the amalgamation.
The committee have decided upon recommending the
amalgamation of the Shrewsbury and Chester and
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Companies with the Great
Western Railway Company,fas being of a special charac-
ter and of great importance to the public interest, inas-
much as without such amalgamation it appears to the
committee that the smaller companies could not effi-
ciently carry the traffic within their several districts,
and that the result of such amalgamation will be 4m-
proved economy of management, and greater facility of
communication to the public at large.