The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-27 00:00:00

GROUP XXVIIL

The Committee re-assembled to-day at twelve o'clock, in Room 33
of the New Houses of Parliament. There were present Lord Dal-
meny (chairman) and the other members..

LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM (ST. ALBANS

AND LUTON 138ANCH).

The evidence in support of this Bill was resumed

Mr. John Walton examined—Lived at Flamstead, on the
line. Their two nearest market towns were Luton and Hemel
Hemstead. The want of a railway comm.unication with St. Albans
was sensibly felt.
This witness was cros-examined at great length, but nothing ma-
terial was elicited.

Mr. William Elliot examined—Lived at Dunstable. There was
considerable traffic in straw plait manufacture from Dunstable to
London. By the railway proposed they would have accommoda-
tion two ways, while by the London and York line only one would
be afforded.

Cross-examined by Mr. WELLS, on the part of the petitioners
against the Bill—Redbourne had' suffered very severely by the
withdrawal of the traffic from that place. He would be as well
satisfied with a line that should be three miles longer to London,
for he considered it would be equally beneficial to Dunstable.
After hearing some further evidence,

The Committee adjourned at four o'clock till Thursday,

GROUP XXXI.
SOUTH WALES.—(No. XL)

The Committee assembled this morning at the usual hour, when,
The CHAIRMAN inquired what proposition the supporters of the
Bill had to make to the Committee, a portion of their preamble
having been struck out.

Mr. AUSTIN, for the promoters, said, that they proposed to carry
the line from Chepstow to Bumspill, on the river Severn, and to a
point of junction with the Forest of Dean Railway. This railway
would till up the lacuna caused by striking out part of the preamble,
and enable the trunk line of the South. Wales Company to be
carried on without break or interruption. Again, if the preamble
were so altered as to allow a junction of the South Wales Railway
with the Monmouth and Hereford, a continued communication might
be obtained with the city of Gloucester.

The clauses of the Bill were then proceeded with and arranged.
Several n.w clauses, having respect to the junction of the South
Wales Railway with existing lines, and for the regulation of the tolls
were introduced into the Bill, and the Committee adjourned.

GROUP XXXII.
The Committee met this morning at twelve, Mr. J. E. Denison in
the chair.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE (THING TO
BANBURY).

The preamble of the Bill for this project was declared proved yes-
terday, and the clauses were partly'read and agreed to; but the
matter was re-opened by _ _

Mr. COCKBUIti, who appeared for the Great Western, and stated
that it had come to his knowledge, and that of his clients, that what
mainly influenced the Commitee to pass the Bill—namely, the
forming of a junction with the Oxford and Rugby line—could not be
effected, owing to there being a difference of 25 feet in the levels of
the two railways.
Mr. STEPHENson said that it was quite an easy matter to form a
junction between the two railways by a siding on the slope of the
proposed line, and join the Oxford and Rugby line within the line of
deviation.

Mr. COCKBURN said he perfectly understood the question now. The
promoters intended to make a line which was not laid down in the
sections deposited, and therefore it could not be done.
The CHAIRMAN said the question had arisen at the winding up of
the Bill yesterday, and after the opposing parties had left the room
the Committee thought that the opponents of the Bill had neglected
the most important point ; but having done so, they had now no
locus stands before the Committee, and the Committee must investi-
gate the question for themselves.
Mr. Stephenson and Mr. Carter stated that it was not necessary to
lay down sidings on the plans deposited, or to apply to Parliament
for powers to make these sidings, as they did not ask for power to
compel the Great Western to allow the junction. The same means
had been used in forming a junction between the London and Bir-
mingham and the Grand Junction, and no application had been made
to Parliament for powers.
The Committee, after consideration, said that their decision of yes-
terday would not be affected by the point which had been raised, and
proceeded to read the rest of the clauses. _ _

Sir T. PHILLIPS applied to have five clauses admitted into the Bill
as a security to the Oxford and Rugby line, and wished to be heard
on them. He stated that two of them had been served on the solici-
tor for the Bill last night, and three this morning, but it had been re-
turned for answer that they would not read them.
The CHAIRMAN thought the answer was very proper, inasmuch as
they bad neglected the main 14rounds of opposition to the Bill when
ample opportunity was furnished for securing their own interests,
and now, after considerable delay had been caused, they made appli-
cation when the case was about being wound up.
The Committee refused to hear counsel upon the clauses, but or-
dered them to be given in.
Two of the clauses were admitted into the BM and this closed the
case.

OXFORD, WORCESTER, AND WOLVER-

HAMPTON.

Mr. Cockburn, Q.C., Mr. Talbot, Q.C., and Mr. Whitmore, appeared
for the promoters of the line, which is opposed by Mr. Selfe and Mr.
Spooner, on the part of the ironmasters and landowners in the dis-
trict opposing, and by the solicitor to the London and Birmingham
Railway.
Mr. TALBOT opened briefly the merits of the branches proposed
fiom the main line, which had been sanctioned by Parliament last
year. The objects of the Bill, he said, were fourfold—to form a
branch to Witney, which was four miles from the trunk
line ; and the branch to Strafford on Avon ; another to join
the Stoke branch of last year, giving a southward
communication to near the town of Droitwich ; and
to take powers to purcsase the Stratford-on-Avon Canal and the
Stourbridge Extension nal. The branch to the town of Witney
would confer great benefit on a town with a population of 6,000,
of which were considerable wool and glove manufactories, where as
many as 1,200 tons of coals were consamed annually, and 1,000 tons
more in domestic purposes, at a price of 30s to 338. a ton. That price
would certainly be greatiy reduced, and the price of timber
from Gloucester, which came by a very circuitous route,
would also be affected. The Stratford branch was nine miles long,
running through the parish of Weston,in Gloucester, through Mickle-
ton up to the borough of Old Stratford. There existed, he said, at
present a tramway from Stratford to Morton-in-the-Marsh, and in the
contest of last year much stress was laid upon this tramway, which
the Company, it was understood, would keep open and improve. But
that tramway was circuitous and inconvenient for locomotive purposes.
The present branch was therefore proposed, but yet the tramway
would be kept open. The communication to Stratford at present
was by the Avon and the canal to Birmingham. Coals were prin-
cipally brought from Staffordshire, between Kidderminster and
Dudley, and there was great traffic in corn. There was consider-
able traffic with Esham, with Chipping-Camden, where there
were silk mills, and with Chipping-Norton, where wool manufac-
tures were carried on. The Droitwich Branch was intended to open
communication with the Stoke works. The Stratford branch, he
said, was opposed by the London and Birmingham Company, who
had two lines in another Committee, one from Hampton-in-Arden
to Ashchurch, and one transecting that line from Weedon to Wor-
cester. But last year they had opposed the main line, and now
since that line had been passed he expected that Parliament would
decide against allowing their last year's opponents to take away the
traffic of the line which had been already sanctioned.

Several witnesses were called and examined on the traffic of the
different districts through which branches are proposed.
Mr. Brunel, engineer for the line, stated that the length of the
branch to Witney was 4% miles ; to Stratford, 8 miles, 6 furlongs ;
and is Stoke, about 1 mile. There was no engineering difficulties on
them, and the steepest gradient on them was one in 74, for a distance
of 20 chains. The estimate for the Witney branch was 68,0001., for
the Stratford, 114,0001.,. and for the Stoke branch, 12,0001., but the
gross estimate was 220,0001. He stated that on the main line they
were laying down the broad and narrow gauge from Abbotsford to
Worcester and Wolverhampton, by order of the Board of Trade. He
did not know what gauge would be adopted on the Oxford to Ban-
bury line. He did not see any difficulty of communication from the
broad to the narrow gauges.
The Committee then adjonEned to Thursday next, at twelve.

GROUP XLIV.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

The Committee proceeded to read the clauses of this Bill, but
Mr. ALEXANDER applied fcir leave to enter first upon the merits of
the Preston and Wyre Railway—a scheme which, through mistake
of the Committee of Classification, had not been referred to this group
till lately.
The CHAIRMAN refused to enter upon the consideration of this new
project, which, in conformity with the rules of the House, must be
postponed to the sth of June next.
Mr. ALEXANDER applied to have a clause introduced into the Bill
then before the Committee, giving powers to the Preston and NVyre
Company to construct a short line of nine miles' length between
theirs and the Fleetwood line.
The CHAIRMAN would not consent to consider anything which was
not properly before the Committee.
The clauses of the Fleetwood Bill were then read and agreed to.
The Conunittee then adjourned till twelve on Thursday next.