The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-12 00:00:00

GROUP XXX'

This Comrcittee re-assembled to-day, at the usual hour, present
Lord Charles Wellesley (chairman), and the other Members.

AYLESBURY AND TBAME JUNCTION.

Mr, Coauv, on the part of the Duke of Buckingham, was heard
to-day. The Learned Counsel contended that the statements with
respect to the Cambridge and Oxford Railway, which were put for-
ward by the counsel for that 13111, were not sustained by the evi-
dence. The line was, to speak in general terms, defective in its geo-
graphical situation, and the advantages that would result to literature
and science, even according to the showing of the learned gentlemen
who had been examined in support of the Bill, were too
trifling to call for a railway. The other advantages that would result
from this railway were quite speculative. For instance, with re-
ference to coals, could aify one that had listened to the evidence
be satisfied that there would be such a traffic in that commodity
as was contended for by his Learned Friends ? It was
necessary for him to say a word as to the description of
evidence that had been adduced to prove the nega-
tive of what he advanced. His Learned Friend did not call coal-
merchants to give evidence on this subject, though one would have
supposed they would have been the most eligible witnesses, but
straw-plait [manufactures, though, when they had to make
good any statement respecting farms, they were sure to call
farmers. But, coming at another point, it was stated by
the promoters of the Oxford and Cambridge Railway, that
there would be a profit of 6% per cent. on the total capital. Now,
he felt satisfied that he could prove to the Committee from the evi-
dence, that instead of realising this profit of 6% per cent.
from this railway, there would be a deficiency of S
per cent. on the capital to be laid out on the
undertaking. The gross profit was stated by Mr. Pilch,
upon whose evidence such stress had been laid, as 83,673 d., while the
working of the line would be 33,4071. This calculation was made on
a sum somewhere about 800,0001. Now the fact was, that
the capital required for this (the Cambridge and Oxfbrd Rail-
way), was shown by the most unquestionable evidence
to be 1,200,0001. It was also proved from the evidence before the
Committee, that the income to be derived from this railway would
not exceed 36,5001. It was also shown that the working of this line
would be upwards of 30,0001. or 40,0001. The Learned Counsel here
read copious extracts from the evidence of Mr. Stephenson and the
other witnesses in support of the Aylesbury and Theme Junction
Railway, and having offered a few observations with reference to the
engineering features of the line, which he described as being ex-
tremely unfavourable, concluded by calling on the Committee, in
mercy to the promoters themselves, of the Oxford and Cambridge
Railway, to reject the Bill.
At the request of Counsel Mr. Bryce was called, and denied what
had been attributed to him by one of the witnesses (Mr. Chase)—
namely, that the Oxford and Cambridge would never pay a farthing,
and that he was opposed to the line.

Mr. liewmics said he appeared, on the part of the landowners, to
oppose the Aylesbury and Theme Junction line. He denied that
though a railway might be required in the district through which
this railway proposed to pass, the present line would meet adequately
these requirements, or in any way offer advantages to be
compared with the Oxford and Cambridge line. Only three
persons at Aylesbury and Thame had become shareholders in
this railway, so that it did not appear that the people there were
very favourable to this undertaking, for there were no meetings held
in support of it, but at a meeting held in favour of the other
line several people from Aylesbury and Thame attended, and
were unanimous in supporting it (the Oxford and Cambridge
Railway). There could not be a traffic on this line that
would justify an outlay of 100,0001., as proposed in this rail-
way, and the Committee would require considerably more evi-
dence before they could entertain such a Bill as the present.
There was not an advantage held out by this contemptible little line
that was not offered ten-fold by the Oxford and Cambridge line.
(The Learned Gentleman, after a few further observations, con-
cluded).

➢ir. CALCRAFT, on the part of the Aylesbury and Theme line,
having replied,

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

GROUP XXXV.

The Committee met to-day, at twelve o'clock, in Room No. 25;
present, Mr. G. Bankes, chairman ; Sir A. L. Hay, Sir R. R. W.
Bnlkeley, Sir T. Winnington, and Mr. W. Bruges.
The case of the East Coast Union was to have been brought on at
the sitting of the Committee, but it was deferred in consequence of
the absence of some of the witnesses.
The Committee then took the
AMBERGATE, NOTTINGHAM, AND
BOSTON.

The preamble of the Bill was proved on Thursday last.
The clauses were then gone through seriatim, and after various
amendments in detail, several were ordered to stand part of the Bill,
the further consideration of a few having been postponed, by consent
of the promoters and the other parties to a proposed amalgamation
with another Company. With these exceptions and a fbw amend
ments, the clauses were all agreed to. i

GROUP XXXVI.
GOOLE area DONCAIMEN.
This Committee, having bat this one Bill upon their Hat, met to-
day at half-past three o'clock• They sat only for a few minutes, and
adjourned till Friday next, when they will meet at twelve o'clock.

• GROUP XXXVII.
The Committee met at twe:ve, Lord Seymour in the chair.
MIDLAND, BARNSLEY, SHEFFIELD,
gliAiihraes
m(weriitths wohf o ntlh
iws
eLt e
said a Mit r .
was
r di snwt
eonr
dt he
d) ot
DEWSBURY, LEEDS, AND BRADFORD.
o
asp3;oljre.
connect Dewsbury with Wath-upon-Dearn
Dewsbury, C. It started from
ry, forming a junction with the line from
Leeds, which received the sanction of Parliament last year,
and was now in course of formation, so that communicationr
would be opened from Dewsbury by the Manchester and Leeds line
through Huddersfield onward to Manchester. From Dewsbury it
passed on through Cornhill, Netherton, and Dorton, to Barnsley.
The importance was enhanced by the connexion which it established
between the main trunk line of the country, the Midland, and the
Manchester and Leeds lines, and the branch had been so laid out
as to shorten the distance between Dewsbury and the localities of the
district, and also London. The Dewsbury district, which it sapplied,
was important for the woollen manufactures carried on in that part
of the West Riding. The raw material for that manufacture
was brought from the south and south-east ; from the coun-
ties of Lincoln, Derby, Leicester ; from London, and the
south of England generally ; and the manufactured article
went down to the south of England, the greater part for exportation,
even the waste from the manufactories being sent by thousands of
tons into Kent, for the cultivation of the hop. The opponents of this
branch were chiefly what had been called the Sheffield and Wake-
field line and the South Yorkshire ; the last formed no junction with
the Midland, offering a south conveyance, but depended for
this on the passing of the London and York Railway Bill. In
remarking on the former of these schemes, Mr. Baines said he
would show that there were twenty gross inaccuracies in the depo-
sited plans of that scheme, differences in height of 5, 12, 13, and even
17 feet, the last occurring at the mouth of the tunnel with a change
of gradient. The eurves on that line were quick and inconvenient,
five of them being of a radius under a quarter of a mile, one under a
furlong, one of 25 chains, on a gradient of 1 in 118, and that at the
end of a tunnel. There was tunnelling to the amount of 4,597 yards
long, being one-eighth of the whole line.
Mr. Banias then called the attention of the Committee to an
agreement which had been made privately between the Sheffield
and Wakefield, and the South Yorkshire Companies, in which they sti-
pulated, among other things, to give up the Dodworth branch to the
South Yorkshire in case their Bill passed, and to transfer to the same
company all the powers of their Act of Parliament in respect to the
portion of their line south of Barnsley station, including the Dod-
worth branch. Mr. Baines trusted the Committee would not hesi-
tate, on hearing the merits of his project in evidence, to pass the Bill.
Mr. Bates, a factory inspector, on being examined,
' stated that in
Dewsbury, and within two miles of it, there were 101 mills with
6,126 horse power, employing 6,278 persons; that 206,616 tons of
coals were consumed annually, and that the population was 50,061.
Mr.Ratner and Mr. Burnley gave evidence of the mineral traffic
and the accommodation which would be afforded to the wool
fac-
tories.
Mr. Waite, who surveyed the line, stated In the course of his evi-
dence that he had found twenty inaccuracies in the plans of the
Sheffield and Wakefield line as deposited at the Private Bill-office, in
consequence of which it would be impossible to ascertain the heights
and depths, and thereby the amount of the earthwork. He pointed
out an instance where a difference of vertical height on the plan
appeared which would render the construction of the line according
to these sections impossible.
The witnesses ware cross-examined on the part of the Sheffield
and Wakefield Railway, and Lord Scarborough, Mr. Beaumont, and
other opposing landowners on the route of the railway.
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow at twelve.