The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-11 00:00:00

"Although the board had not the opportunity of
seeing the report to be presented to that meeting, they
learn that the subject for the consideration of the share-
holders relates to the agreemeat for the lease of the rail-
way to this company, upon which question (under a
proviso in clause 13 of the Act) the Great We3tern
Company are specifically precluded from exercising the
right of voting. The board considers, therefore, that
the directors will not onlx comply with the spirit of that
restriction more effectually by declining to attend the
meeting, but that they will leave themselves more free
and unembarrassed hereafter to adopt any course which
they may deem right and necessary for the protection of
the interests of this company.
"I am desired to request that this communication
may be read to the proprietors of the Oxford, Wor-
cester, and Wolverhampton Company assembled at the
special meeting, and that they may be informed that
this board are quite prepared to establish that they have
never held out the idea of giving a guarantee for an
unlimited amount of expenditure, but, on the contrary,
have uniformly, upon every occasion, refused to do so;
that they specifically limited the sum not to exceed
2 500,0001. as a maximum, and have never, directly or
indirectly, permitted any one to entertain the idea of an
extension beyond that sum. The directors are con-
vinced that they can sitisfactorily prove before any dis-
interested tribunal that they have acted throughout with
the most rerupulous good faith in every negotiation and
engagement with your company.
" I remain, my dear sir,
" Yours very faithfully,
" CHARLES A. SAUNDERS, Secretary.
" To Thomas Noel Smith, Esq.,
Secretary of the Oxford, Wor-
cester, and Wolverhampton
Company."

THE RAILWAYS AND IRE CARRIERS.
On Saturday a deputation, umsisting of the most in-
fluential carriers, had en interview with the Railway
Commissioners, at the Board of Trade, on the subject of
the oppressive charges of the railway companies and
the conduct pursued by them towards traders and
carriers.

The commissioners present were the Right Hon. 11.
Labouchere (chairman), Earl Granville, the Right
Hon. Sir Edward Ryan, and the secretary, Captain
Harness.
The deputation were accompanied by Messrs. Lewis
and Nash, the Parliamentary agents.
Mr. NASH said he had the honour to appear on be
half of a large and influential body of traders and car-
riers. He had also to present to the board petitions
from Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Elinburgh, Shef-
field; Coventry, Newcastle, Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow,
,rl other places. The petitioners complained of the
oppressive conduct and charges of railway companies
towards traders and carriers, that the companies treated
them differently from the rest of the public, and resorted
to illegal and improper charges, in order to defeat fair
competition; that too railway companies had endea-
voured to pr.-vent traders from packing small parcels in
one, as always was dune under the old system, for the be
nefit of their customer,, in order that they mightget ever)
,molt parcel carried separately, whereby they got the full
charge on each. The companies w. re now charging as
much for a package of small parcels as it each small
parcel were sent separately. Tntse things were a Brea,
hardship upon tfe traders and carriers. But the com-
panies did not rest here; they hail, in order to injure
traders and competitors, cumin, need a system of de-
sienedly opening, delaying, and mis-sending packed
parcels, and not delivering the contents to the customers,
to destroy carriers who compete with them on their own
line, an:l c,rry fur less than the company. The existing
law, and the clauses introduced into the Railway Act,
did not afford sufficient protection, whilst the companies
have the administration of the statutes, and the public
had no other course but to resort to a court of law,
which was not only dilatory, but insufficient to meet the
abuses of which the deputation complained. A ewe oc-
curred a short time since, where a carrier brought an
action against the London and North- Western Railway
for overcharge, and although the plaintiff obtained a
verdict in his favour he lost upwards of 85Z; in fact, the
railway companies openly assert that they do not care
for such actions. The county courts had no jurisdiction
in the matter, and therefore the traders and carriers
must either allow themselves to be overcharged, cheated,
andperhaps ruined, or resort to expensive actions.

.
Mr. LA BOTTCHERE —What remedy would you suggest,
For no person can doubt that some remedy must be had?
Mr. NAstit—The g..ntlemen whom I represent think
that the best plan would be to have a Parliamentary
Committee to Inquire into the abuses, and point out the
remedy.
Mr. LenoucirEnE —lt is too late in the session, I am
afraid, to have a Parliamentary Committee.

Mr. NASH—TIE) traders and carriers are of opinion
that thy will never be properly treated until you (the
Board) appoint a traffic inspector on all the railways,
and also that they should be compelled to issue a printed
list of their tolls for carrying goods, and the Commis-
sioners would, therefore, be glad to learn the opinion of

the deputation on that point.
Mr. CROUCH said he could not see why there should
be any dlliculty. The several companies kept a list ci
cluzrges in a book, and if he took a box or basket—say
tor Birmingham or Manchester—and the clerk forgot
what to charge, he immediately turned to his book.
Mr. HELDER said the only difficulty he saw was that
the company did not charge two persons alike; they
fr. quently charged the carrier twice as much as they
charged the private customer.
Mr. Ness-1 cannot see why there should be a list of
charges fur luggage by passenger traits, and not by
goods trains: surely one is as practicable as the other.
Mr. LABOUCHERE—Then, gentlemen, what you want
is the publication of uniform rates of charges by the
companies. and some simple machinery by which defects
in the system may be remedied.

Mr. NOSY—Precisely so; give power to the county
courts to adjudicate.
Mr. LABOUCHERE—Of course, that would be an oh-
viously great convenience to the public if it could be
dime. Teat would leave the existing law as at present,
with the exception that an extra provision should be
introduced, giving power to the county courts; for at
present the companies, by their Acts, are bound to pub-
lish a scale, and charge all persons equally.
Mr. NASH—I am afraid we shall never be satisfied
until we have a Government goods superintendent at
each terminus. Sir Thomas IA ilde, at the recent trial
at Warwick, pointed out to the jury that the company
would drive all the carriers off the line, and then the
public would be left at the mercy of the company.
LABOUCHERE—Your case shall be taken into
consideration. It is a very important and not a vely
simple subject, therefore it ri quirts time.
The deputation then withdrew.

GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN.-In consequence
of the death of the late Mr. George Carr, Mr. Edw.
M'Donnell was elected chairman of the Irish Great
Southern and Western Railway Company, and Mr.
Boothby, of London, was elected to succeed Mr. M'Don-
nell, as deputy-chairman.