The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-20 00:00:00

RAILWAY BUSINESS,

A petition was presented against the Aylesbury and Thame
Junction Railway Bill.
The following Railway Bills were read a second time, and
were ordered to be committed,
London and Brighton Railway (Dorking Branch).
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and Midland Junction Railway.
Mold Junction Railway.
Nurth and South Junction Railway.

General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway.
Stifling and Dunfermline Railway.
Edinburgh and Leith Atmospheric Railway.
Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway and Ferry.
Windsor, Slough, and Staines Atmospheric Railway.
Aylesbury and Theme Junction Railway.
The O'CONOR DON moved that it be an instruction to
the Select Committee on Petitions, that in all cases of Irish
railway Bills, wherein the promoters shall have proved com-
pliance with the standing orders in the house of Lords, they
do give priority to the investigation of the compliance with
the standing orders of the House of Commons applicable to such
Bills over all other cases which may stand for inquiry
before them, provided due notice of the sitting of the Com-
mittee for such purpose has been given, and that the promoters
of such Bills propose to prove the compliance with the standing
orders, either wholly or in 1 art, by vied voce evidence." The
Hon. Gentleman proceeded to point out the difficulties at-
tendant on the present system, one instance of which he
would point out to the attention of the House ; it
was the case of the county surveyor of Westport.
who, having proved his case in the House of Lords, had been
obliged to go back to Ireland in order to attend the assizes, and
he would have to come back again, to prove the same
case in the House of Commons. Another case was
that of a friend of his, who having proved compliance
with the standing orders in the other H"ouse, found that there
were 184 cases on the list of the House of Commons to be
heard before his case would come on, thereby putting him to
great inconvenience by the delay he would experience.
Mr. GROGAN said his own motion on the paper was sub-
stantially the same as the one the Ilonourable Member had
just proposed. It would be in the recollection of the House
that at an early period of the present session both branches
of the Legislature adopted a resolution to establish the prac-
tice of commencing Irish Railway Bills in the House of Lords.
His own motion, and that of the Hon. Member opposite,
was simply to carry out that measure more practically and
effectually, and seeing that it would facilitate rather titan retard
the progress of private business in that House, there could be
hardly any objection to its adoption.
Mr. O'CONNELL could see no reason why thismotion shou'd
be confined to Irish railway Bills. It ought in his opinion to
be extended to all private Bills relating to Ireland, and he
should move as an amendment that the words " Irish rail-
way ills "be left out, and the words " Irish Bills" be sub-
stituted for them.
Lord G. SOMERSET said it was quite impossible that the
motion of the Hon.' Gentleman could be acceded to, and
although no one was more anxious than himself to facilitate the
passing of Irish railway Bills, yet it was his duty to ask the
House to resist the motion of the lion. Gentleman opposite.
Mr. STRUTT said that there were many parties in town
who were the rromotcrs of English railway Bills, and who had
to pay hundreds of pounds per week to the witnesses whom
they had brought with them from the country in support
of their lines. The House, in his opinion, should deli-
berate carefully before they ventured to give priutity to any
Bills of this kind, unless they received an intimation from the
parties who were put to expense by the delay that it was their
wish that the Irish railways should be proceeded with in pre-
ference.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for Roscommon
had proposed that all the Irish Bills should have priority over
all English Bills, the consequence of which would be that the
agents of English railway Bills would be kept in town together
with all their witnesses, for several days, doing nothing, and
at great expense. Such a course as that would most undoubt-
edly cause the greatest discontent. On the other hand, the
Hon. Member fur Dublin proposed that one Committee only
should be engaged exclusively in dealing with Irish railway
Bills. He (Mr. Strutt) should be disposed to give his sup..
port to the latter yroposal.—(Hear, hear.) lie certainly
wished, before the House came to any decision, and took upon
itself the heavy responsibility which this matter would involve,
Hon. Members would carefully weigh the question.,-( Hear.)
Dr. BO\VRING was proceeding to make some remarks
upon the motion, but was called to order.
Sir W. HE ATIIGO lE said that unless a preference were
given to the Irish Railway Bills, the arrangement which had
been entered into by the House of Lards which gave
such Bills the priority would be perfectly imperative.
The expense which would be entailed by the pro-
posed priority to the -Irish Bills would net be so great
as represented by Honourable Members. Under those circum-
stances, aerefore, be should give dis support to the motion for
giving preference to the Irish Railway Bdls.—( Hear, hear. )
Dr. BOWRING said he was of opinion that everything in
their power ought to be done to facilitate the passing
of Irish Bids through the House. lie considered
that it would be a very great advantage to
have the Irish Bills ce.ne down from the House
of Lords, after having received the sanction of their Lord-
ships, and he hoped there would be no delay offered to such
Bills, as there were a very great number of persons con-
nected with such lines now in town at vast expense. He
considered that such persons bad a claim to be
first hrard, as they were subject to great inconvenience
in consequence of the distance they lived being so much greater
than the witnesses attending on English lines ; and he hoped
the Irish lines would be dispatched in preference to English
ones, for the reasons be had stated.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM ( who spoke in' a very low tone)
said that he was of opinion the suggestion of the Honour-
able Gentleman was well worthy the consideration of
the House, as the state of Ireland at present unfortunately
required that some immediate steps should be taken. There
was also in Scotland distress in one district of a very serious
nature, and the proposed line passing through that district, he
(Sir J. Gaaham) was of opinion ought also to pass the House
with as little delay as possible.
Mr. B. HA V. ES perfectly agreed in the propriety of the
question just put to the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary for
the Horne Department respecting the measure which had just
been propeeed by the Hon. Member for Roscommon, He
thought it was necessary that some measure should be taken, in
order to save the disadvantage which might possibly arise from
'he Irish Hallways Bills being began in the House of Lords. It
should not be forgotten that great expenses would be incurred
by following such a course not long possibly before it could be
known that the Bills had received the sanction of the House of
Commons. He was aware that there were peculiar circum-
stances which would guard the Railway Bills for Ire-
laud, which might seem to justify the adoption of any ex-
iraordinary course, )et he thought it would Ibe better that
they should be submitted to the Standing Orders' Committee.
for he perfectly agreed in the opinion of the lion. Member
for Derby (Mr. Strutt), that the chairman of that Committee
would ha fully able to do justice to all the parties concerned.
Having passed the ordeal of that Committee and the sub-
Committees, which were all composed of gentlemen, he thought
the suggestion might bit adopted originating the railway busi-
ness for Ireland and Scotland too in the Hence of Lords.
He agreed, therefore, to this extent with the suggestion
but he thought it would be unwise to pass any formal resolution
upon the subject. The gentlemen composing those committees
would sufficiently perceive the feeling which had been expressed
on every aide of that House, and the matter might, therefore,
be safely left to the committe of standing orders.
Sir GEORGE CLERK perfectly agreed with the Hon.
Ilember that had just sat down, that it would be unwise for the
House to fetter by a resolution upon a matter which ape
peered to him to be al eady sufficiently provided for. Inc
feelings of tl.e House bail been sufficiently shown to the ma-
nagers of the several companiess, and he thought it better,
therefore, that the Bills should be sent up without fetter-
ing the Committee with any resolutions of the kirid.
Sir G. GREY considered that some measure should be
taken by which railway Bills might be disposed of without
waiting for the order in which they are at present arranged.
Mr. W. PATTEN stated that he had caused notices to be
given to the Parliamentary agents to be ready with their wit-
nesses on Monday next. The present number of railway Bills
had been formed into 33 groups; and in the meantime the
various Committees would consider which project it was ade
visable to proceed with.
Mr. FOX Al A ULE agreed with the Right Hon. Baronet
that a discretionary power should be given to the Committees.
In the case of the Glasgow Railway, referred to by the Right
Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
he considered that scheme should be proceeded with as early as
possible, in consequence of the distress which existed in the
parts through which the line was to pass.
Mr. AGLION BY did not think there would be any diffi-
culty upon the subject of the classification. He thought it
necessary that the Bills should be proceeded with in their
chronological order; but if the Government should arrive
at the conclusion that some particular Bill, on account of dis-
tress in the parts affected by the Bill, should be exempted from
the operation of this general rule, they should mention that
particular case to the House, and the House rhould then direct
and instruct the Committee to take this particular case out of
i Is order.
O'CONNOR DON then agreed to withdraw his motion.
e Mr. P. SCROPE said that the present system of in-
quiring into the merits of different lines was very inefficient,
and required some alteration. Last session one line of railway
was 84 days before a Committee, and spent from 300,000'. to
400,0001., and yet at the end of the session was very little far-
cher advanced than at the beginning. .The most important
works were, under the present system, postponed, and
the time of the Committees was occupied in the discussion
of trifling undertakings that were generally attended with
little or no opposition. The real fact was, that a Commission,
such as had been appointed by Lord Grey at the close of last
session, should be formed, to analyse all railway projects
placed before them, and they should at the meeting of Parlia-
ment make ther reports upon the undertakings. He would ask
the gentlemen of the House whether they supposed that the
average Committees of the House, consisting of five Members
eeach, were at all superior to a Commission composed
of five of the most eminent men in the kingdom.
Mr. GISBORNE wished to ask the Right Hon. the Vice-
President of the Board of Trade, whether the Government
intended to adept any measures founded on the Gauge Com-
mission ? In their report he found a resolution to the effect
that a gauge of 4 feet 84 inches was the most efficient. Did
the Government intend to bring the subject before the House?
Sir G. CLERK said that he was not prepared to say that
the Government was ready to make any proposition at present.
The Commission had presented a very voluminous mass of
evidence, which was then in the hands of the printer. That
evidence would have to be submitted to the Government in its