The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-10 00:00:00

rtdrb 13bittOn

SU.N OFFICE, Seven o'Clock.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP V.

The Committee met at twelve Lord H. Vane in the chair.
WINDSOR AND SOUTH-WESTERN
(STAINES TO WINDSOR).

The Committee were occupied all the day with the clauses
of this Bill.

GROUP VI.

EXETER, YEOVIL, AND DORCHESTER•
This Committee met this morning at the usual hour; Mr.
Deedes, Chairman.
The Marquis of Westminster was called and examined in
favour of the line.
Some other formal evidence was put in, also the table of
assents and dissents.
This closed the case on behalf of the promoters of the

line.
Mr. AusTnr then proceeded to open the case on behalf of
the Great Western Railway. The Learned Counsel pro-
ceeded at considerable length and with great minuteness to
enter into the early history of the Great Western and South-
Western Companies, and to found upon it an argument
in favour of the Great Western Railway on the ground of
equity—the Bills having been granted to the Great Western
Railway with a view of supplying the western districts of
England with railway communication, and the object of
Parliament in granting the London and Southampton Rail-
way, or the present South-Western Railway, was to give to
that line the south-western districts, and that alone.
The Learned Counsel had not concluded his address when
the Committee, at his request, adjourned till twelve o'clock
to-morrow.

Ght -P VII.

THE LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN (AN-
DOVER TO THE BISHOPSTOKE AND SA-
LISBURY BRANCH).

The Committee met to-day at two o'clock; Lord Claud
Hamilton in the chair; but at once adjourned until Monday
next, at the same hour. in order to give the promoters time
to get a necessary agreement completed.
The line, we understand, is unopposed.

GROUP XV.
The Committee on this group met this morning for the
first time is Room 12. The Select Committee consisted of
the following Members :—Mr. Bernal (Weymouth), chair-
man; Mr. Sharman Crawford (Rochdale); Captain Boldero
(Chippenham ; Marquis of Worcester (Gloucestershire);
Captain Pechell (Brighton).
The following tines are comprised in this group :
Eastern Counties (Cambridge to Bedford, &c.).
Eastern Counties (Cambridge, Royston, and Ware, &c.).
Royston and Hitchin Railway Act Amendment (Extension
from Royston to Cambridge, &c.)
Royston and Hitchin Railway Act Amendment (sale of lease

6f line).
Eastern Counties (Somersham to Ramsay).
EASTERN COUNTIES (cararillanazi TO

EEDPORD, &c.)
This was the first line taken. A lengthened discussion
took place as to whether the Royston and Hitchin Railway
Act Amendment Bill (Extension from Royston to Cambridge,
&c.), should be considered a competing line with the proposed
scheme from Cambridge to Bedford, &c.)
The room having bean cleared,

The CHAIRMAN announced (on our re-admission) that the
former line could not be considered as a competing line with
the latter.

HILL, on behalf the promoters, then opened the case
of the Cambridge to Bedford, &c., line.
Mr. Headley, of Cambridge, Mr. Upton, of Bedford, and
other witnesses were examined as to the great traffic which
might be anticipated along the line, and the present want of
accommodation for it.

The Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow. '

GROUP XVI.
IMPORTAN T DECISION.
At the meeting of the Committee this morning,
Mr. K EMB I,E, the chairman, intimated that the Com-
mittee were of opinion that the preamble of the
GREAT NORTHERN (HERTFORD, HATFIELD, AND
ST. ALBAN'S BRANCH)
had been proved ; and that the preambles of the
EASTERN COUNTIES (HERTFORD TO HITCHEN, &c.),
and

ENFIELD AND EDMONTON EXTENSION
had not been proved.
The clauses of the first-mentioned Bill were then agreed
to with various amendments, and
The CHAIRMAN intimated that he should report the deci-
sion of the Committee to the House.
THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN (ST. ALBAN'S,

LUTON. AND DUNSTABLE)
cannot be proceeded with until the Railway Commissioners
have made their report on the capital of the company.
The CommiLtee then adjourned until to. morrow (Tuesday)
week, at half-past three o'clock.

GROUP XVII.
The following Bills are comprised in this group :
London and North-Western (Newport Pagnel, Olney, and
Wellingborough).
Midland (Extension from near Leicester to Hitchin, &c.)
Midland (Leicester and Swannington Railway Widening,
etc.)
'Midland (Syston and Peterborough Deviation).
Great Northern (Deviation between London and Grantham).
Ambergate, Nottingham, and Boston, and Eastern Junction.
The Committee to whom they have been referred consists
of the following Members :—Sir J. B. East (chairman), Lord
Frederick Hallyburton, the Hon. G. Rice Trevor, G. Dupre,
Esq , and R. H. Hurst, Esq., who assembled shortly before
one o'clock.

Me first, fourth, and sixth Bills, being unopposed, were re•
ferred to Mr. Greene.

The first Bill proceeded with-was the
MIDLAND (LEICESTER AND SWANNING
TON WIDENING).

The North Staffordshire Company had petitioned against
the Bill, but Mr. Kennedy intimated that that company did
not object to the proposed widening of the line, but simply to
acme of the clauses.

Mr. BURKE, who appears forlhe.promoters, stated that the
,object of the Bill was simply to widen the line between
Leicester and Swaniagton in order to accommodate it to the
Increased traffic of the extensive coal district which it inter-
sected. He objected to the locus standi of the North Staf-
fordshire on the ground that none of the property of that link
was interfered with, and because the petition did not specify
any definite objections to the line for which he appeared.
Mr. KENNEDY contended, in reply, that the North Staf-
fordshire must get access south by means of the proposed
branch, and that it was necessary that they should have
clauses inserted in the Bill to give them that right, and tc
regulate the tolls which they would have to pay. The line
represented by his Learned Friend was a most important
line. It was absolutely necessary that the North Staf-
fordshire should have the use-of it; and unless they hag
the reasonable use of it, it would be utterly useless.
The North Staffordshire consisted of several small
branches, which intersected the Pottery district, and the
Midland Company possessed a number of liner
in the same part of the country, and it was a matter of the
.utmost importance that the rate of tolls to be charged by th(
two companies should be regulated by Parliament. Unless
this was done the passengers of the North Stafford-
shire line would be put to much inconvenience, and
thecompany materially injured, as the Midland Company b)
charging enormous tolls, so as to preclude the carrying of
passengers at such a rate, might shut the North Stafford-
shire out from carrying passengers beyond their lines in their
own railway carriages. lie did not say that they -would do
so, but, unless proper clauses were inserted, they could do so
Mr. BURE said the North Staffordshire, or any
K
other line, might run carriages over his line at
the rates which Parliament had laid down. But
if the principle his Learned Friend sought to be
introduted was admitted by the Committee, he might inter-
fere in the same way with any of the other lines in other
parts of the country, and completely upset all the
regulations which Parliament had laid down with respect
:to tolls, which could not be altered without due notice.
Companies were empowered to enter into private arrange-
ments with respect to tolls, and if the arrangement sought to
be brought about by his Learned Friend was equitable, the
two companies would carry it out.
The Committee considered that the North Staffordshire
had no locus standi.,

The Bill thus became unopposed, and it was referred to Mr.
Greene, with the other Bills above mentioned.
The next Bill proceeded with was the
SOUTH MIDLAND (EXTENSION
NEAR LEICESTER TO HITCHIN).

Mr. TALBOT said tha line was promoted by the South Mid-
land Coinpany, and that the Leicester and Bedford, which
had passed into the hands of the Midland Company, forme('
a portion of it. It would afford the eastern part of the
county direct communication with the mineral and manu-
facturing districts of which Leicester formed the centre, and
would, besides, traverse a district now suffering from the want
of railway communication. It would be 108 miles in length,
And would cost 2,500,0001.

Mr. BAXTER, on behalf of the Great Northern, opposed that
part of the preamble of the Bill which set forth that it was
desirable that the line should be carried on from Hitchin to
Hertford by means of a line called the Hertford and Hitchin,
promoted by the Eastern Counties (thrown out this morning).
on the ground that such a proposal was entirely at variance
with an agreement which had been entered into between Mr.
Hudson. on the part of the South-Midland, and the directors
of the Great Northern, to the effect that the line should
terminate by a junction with the Great Northern at Hitchin.
After considerable discussion, the preamble was amended
as suggested by Mr. Baxter, and after some local evidence
had been • adduced in favour- of the line, the Committee ad-
3ourned until to-morrow.
we The Committee cannot pass the preamble of the Bill, (and
may state that there is no reason to believe that they
willnotpass it,) until the Commissioners have made their
repcirt, which will take place in the course of a few days.

•
GROUP XVIII.
The Committee on this group met this morning at twelve
o'clock ; the Earl of Lincoln in the chair, with Mr. C.
rnythe, Captain Jones, Mr. M. J. O'Connell, and Sir W.
.Lames.

LONDON AND elm,T
,Mr. Thomas Early, of ii,,, fn, ILASL
*Tn fale John Early, large
himself the London
mavufacturers at Witney, and who
partner of the concern, stated that their firm used to consume
110,060 tons of coal in a year, but,l 9in,
tien
thousand
consequence of theti tons
tie:line of the trade—it was in 83
it_was his impression that it would be better i
-unbroken railway communication with the places freoymhad an
i, was drawn. There would also be a great advantagehich
to
tie trade of Witney. If the Euston-square station were
o
a ?opted the Jocks in London would be much more useful.
T:i,re would also be a further benefit from the reducti-, f
Oa price of carriage, for by the North-Western line it is
thirty-per cent. less than by the Great Western line.
Mr. Marryatt, a blanket manufacturer also at Witney-,
srated the general advantages that would be derived from the
'establishment of an uniform gauge.
Mr. Clinch, who is a woolatapler, in partnership with his
fa they at Witney, testified to the benefit of the North-
Western line. The carriage of wool from the docks in Lon-
dol t was 3s. 6d. a pack, while to the country there was a
further charge of thirty shillings. Most of the short wool is
used at Witney, but the long wool is sent to Dewsbury,
Halifax, and Huddersfield, all of which would be transferred
by the -railway with then facility. Witness was a
director of the North- " :I.‘. and brother-in-law
119 the last witnes& ,?' s+, --
st.- 4
Mx. J. Irmakniyill9*,, . , - 4•Vrri. , , • ',bus of sheep
- . %----

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