The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-05 00:00:00

GROUP XLVI.

The Committee met this morning at twelve o'clock ; Mr.
Sotheron in the chair.

NORI'll BRITISH (No. x).

The CHAIRMAN declared the preamble of this Bill proved
for the Haddington and the Kelso branches and the Kelso
and Hawick deviations only.
CALEDONIAN (EDINBURGH STATION and
BRANCHES TO GHA.NTON AND TO THE
EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW).
Evidence in favour of this Bill was continued, and Mr.
M'Dougal, Mr. Dundas, and others were called and ex-
amined.
The Committee then adjourned till Monday.

Haymaking has commenced in this neighbourhood,
several fields of grass having been cut during the past week.
In some few instances the crop, which is good, has been se-
cured.—Welts Independent.

UNOPPOSED BILLS COMMITTEE.
HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.)
The following unopposed Bills were examined before Mr.
G- -4.9 e arid passed :
Lytnim Improvement.
Limerick Docks and Harbour.
Guildford Extension and Portsmouth and Fareham Railway
Leeds, Dewsbury, and Manchester Railway (Ossett Branch,
&c.)
Kilmarnock Police and Improvement.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
THE MANCHESTER AND LEEDS RAILWAY.
Yesterday a meeting of the company was held in Man-
cheater, Mr. Henry Houldsworth in the chair. He
opened the proceedings by some remarks on the effect
railway calls had on the monetary condition of the
country, and on Mr. Strutt's Railway Bill. The Man-
chester and Leeds Company, he stated, had no difficulty
in raising money in the present crisis. The sum of
130,0001. was due from the East Lancashire Company,
and 100,000/. would be received shortly in deposits from
the Accountant. General. The company also intended
to raise loans which, in the aggregate, would amount to
more than 800,0001.; and with these loans, the calls they
should make on the different classes of stock, which
would be light, they would be able to meet the expendi-
ture they deemed it right and prudent to incur. In
making these demands upon the proprietors and the
money market, the company intended only proceeding
with the works already in progress and those conve-
niences necessary for developing traffic. The lines
granted last session, amounting to 61 miles, could only be
proceeded with one-third their extent, comprising the
moreimportant part of the West Riding scheme; and they
had already such a large amount of funds from holders of
that stock in hand that no further call would be necessary
this year. Mr. Houldsworth added, that he did not
agree in the opinion that railway expenditure was in-
terfering with the capital of the country, so as to prevent
the manufacture of goods for export, and therefore de-
ranging the business of the country. He thought the
amount of money being absorbed in constructing rail-
ways much less than was generally supposed. If it
were supposed that 400,000 labourers were employed on
lines at present (an outside calculation, perhaps), and
they received 14 per week each, the amount would be
20,000,000 L a year ; but those labourers might fairly be
assumed to have been in a condition of life enabling
them, on an average, to earn 10s. per week, and thus the
extra expenditure was only 10s. per week, or 10,000,0001.
per year ; and this did not appear to him a large surplus
call on the capital of the country. Mr. Houldsworth
afterwards referred to Mr. Strutt's Bill, now before Par-
liament, and its principle of interference with the em-
ployment of railway capital, and denounced it as an
unjust and arbitrary interference, which, if allowed,
would take away the advantage which private capitalists
had over Government management, and which was the
only inducement to them to employ their money in such
enterprises. He concluded by moving a series of reso-
lutions authorising the company to raise loans under the
Liverpool and Bury Acts, to the amount of 404,0001. ;
under the Huddersfield Acts, to the amount of 177,000 L;
under the Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole Act, to the
amount of 219,0001. The resolutions were carried
unanimously.