The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-08 00:00:00

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PRICE sr.

SE e.G :poR T FRON Tat SIN
.14fr..(,-5
LECT COMMITTEE ON RAILWAYS AND
CANALS AMALGAMATION.
The Select Committee appointed to consider the principle of Arne..
gamation as applied to the Railway and Canal Bills now under
the consideration of Parliament, Inive further examined the
matters to them referred, and agreed to the following re.
port :
Your Committee have stated, in their former report, that .there are
about thirty-two Bills betort Parliament in which pcwef is sought to
effect the amalgamation of catrds with railways. Th'ese may to
classed under the following heads
Ist Bills for the amalgamation, by lease, purchase, or .otherwise,
of entire lines of canal with competing lines of railway. 2tlly. Bills for the amalgamation of some canal forming g link In A
chain of water communication with a line of railway compel:tang Wi'
the whole chain.
3dly. Bills for converting canals into railways.
The present extent of inland navigation in Great Britain, isymeans
of canals, is estimated to be about 2,501 miles. Up to a very recent
period it afforded almost the exclusive means of conveyance of i)cavy
goods and merchandise from one part of the country to the of her,
and esixeially from the principal manufacturing districts to L'4o
outports.

veolo!plintioleiitin, tur.adheancwtioanntof.fraiel.wpeayrsie.
ia,ncedahnidththeeeaarbls3,e-ipiceerloodf
ionfrotniheiwridjoe,,-
as to the capabilities of the new system, rendered It impossible for
the Le,,rislature to impose proper restrictions and limitations on the
tolls and charges of the various companies, the competition which'
they had to sustain with the canal.; checked any great abuse 01 the
powers delegated to them. As •he railway system extended Ilse];
Improvements in its organization and economy placed in turn
check upon canals, and the consequent competition n..aterially re-
duced the expense of conveyance. instances have been &lanced be-
fore your Couni.ittee in which the charges for the conveyance of mer-
chandise have been lowered by these means to one-seventh o," their
former amount; and there are now few parts of the country w Vela
have not derived material advantage from the competition betwtiel
railways and canals.
It is obviously of importance that Parliament should not lightly
sanction any arrangements which mould tend to deprive the public
of this advantage; and it has been a subject of consideration with •
your Committee, whether, inasmuch as the future maintenance of com-
petition depends in some degree on the complete independence of the
canal system, and any interference with a link may greaily and preju-
dicially affect the whole chain, it might not be the duty of Parlia-
ment
to refuse its assent to all Bills uniting the interests of the now
rival parties.
Did your Committee believe that the two systems could be pre•
served in entire independence one of the other, they might be dis-
posed to recommend the House to adopt this course. But in the
progress of their inquiry, several reasons have suggested themselves.
showing the difficulty of securing toe canal interest altogether from
the interference and control of railway companies,
the former full opportunity of testing its capabilities as a rival
system. or of affording to

dis-
jointed state of tire canal int,rests and the varying
which they carry On their operations. Some of the exiAing cora-
This practice, while it obliges
n inbpr brought
igli i
ehe
st olut,h,ll,evrzrceottlihneeeprednnietsiiez
of
rt
patties, possessing lines of canal which form central Mike
elanargbelorteltieurnsevfoerratihceiriiipcaunpiieta,aser:bnodu3p.,ontoainstaniajiltlajaumaoluairnt
coofmtrpaeffitic
i n 0
gg
rr
eeaatt imp,
eh meattak ohasadb:ennt
advantage
do
of their
tehxeiisrt inpe
ethlesartpermesspeensuti:igoehr
and estabdsh a rate of charges so high as to secure 'o themselves a
ysoou r Cadvan-
tageously situated, to reduce their rates to such an extent that they
_ere unable to conduct their butiness with a ~reds, at the same limo
prevents such a reductioe in the general charges o'' t the line as would
private arrange-
tni,jolititt,esnetal
itiliietst,iielaruavielreaal'ialvy.sair.
pietas with the proprietors of a rortimi only of a line of canal, and
thereatter, by raising the tells of that portion to the utmost limit
:Wowed by law, haye rendered it impossible ter the companies in
n
truffle in competition with the railway.
possession of the remainder of the line of canal to maintain their
Another consideration which must not be overlooked is, that
although it has been stated that with proper management canals
might maintain a successful compettion with railways in the car-
riage of heavy goods, still such competition has hitherto been carried
on under a great disadvantage, o A in; to the large profits made by
railway companies on passen-er traffic, which enables them to submit
in same instances even
to a loss on the carriage of merehandise, 'with
it view to withdraw the traffic from canals.
Even, however, where effective competition has been fora time
maintained, it has been attended with such a large reduction of
profits, that it has become the interest of the rival companies to
combine fur their mutual advantage, and hence have arisen
private arrangements under which a higher scale of tolls and charges
has been re-ea; abl;she ..
It has indeed been shown that in certain cases increased advantages
alight be obtained tor the public by the union of a canal and rail-
way through the same line olcountry, under one management, sub-
ject of course to proper check and contml.
The general conclusion, therefore, to which your Committee have
come is, that it would not be politic altogether to refuse the sanction
of Parhameet to the amalgamation of ratLways with canals. They
would, however, strongly impress up n the attention of the Com-
mittees to whom Bills, whether for the amalgamation of canals with
railways, or tor the conversion of canals into railways, may be re-
le red, that a most searching inquiry should be instituted into the
merits of each case; and that their sanction should oe given only in •
those instances in which it shall have been clearly proved that the
amalgamation, can be effected without prejudice tq the public.
They venture to submit the following points as deserving of consi-
deration in the case of all such Bills :
lit. The imposition of a low scale of tolls and charges upon all par-
ties to the scheme. It should be borne In mind, that in the case of
canals the scale of tells is of much greater importance than' in that of
railways; for as, in most instances, the public are themselves the
carriers on canals, they are more interested in the tolls than in the
general charges. Subject to this observation, your Committee refer
to the suggestions with respect to tolls and charges contained in their
former report, and which they consider equally applicable to the
a .al. amation of railways and canals.
2dly. Strict regulations should be made for maintaining the canals
in an efficient state of repair, and for securing a proper supply of
water.

3Jly. Power should be expressly secured to the public of carrying
passengers and all kinds of goods and merchandise on canal.
4thly. The privilege of making bye-laws should be subjected to a
careful revision.

Many of the canal companies exercise much power in this respect.
They are authorised, tor instance, under these laws to suspend the
navigation of the canals for various purposes, and during uncertain
periods; and though this power may be innocuous so long as it is
exercised by a party directly interested with the public in the limited
exercise of it, it is obviously one which may be used with great and
detrimental effect to fair competition, by parties so disposed.
sthly. In cases of the conversion of a canal into a railway, care
should be taken that no district is deprived of efficient means of gene-
ral communication, and the company should be compelled to afford
due facilites of access to canal companies and other parties who may
be affected by the change.
Your Committee further feel it their duty to advert to the circum-
stance, that powers of amalgamation contained in that large class of
Bills which are not exclusively for amalgamation, have in some cases
escaped general observation, owing to no separate notice having been
given of the intended application for such.owers. They recommen,
that for the future, in all cases of amalgapmation, a separate notice
should be rentured, which should contain a table of the rates pro-
posed to be inserted in the new Bill.
Your Committee offer these suggestions to the House as affording
some, though by no meats a perfect security, to the public interests.
The system of railways and canals is now become so extensive,
and their relations amongst themselves are so complicated, that no
enactments passed by Parliament for their government and regula-
tion can provide for all coot agencies, or be prope ly carried Into
effect, unless by :he aid of some more efficient machinery than any
which exists at the present moment.

. .
After mature consideration, your Committee have come to the
conclusion that it is absolutely necessary that some department of
the Executive Government, so constituted as to command general
respect and confidence, should be charged with the supervision of
railways and canals, with full power to enforce such regulations as
may from time to time appear Indispensable for the accommodation
and general interests of the public.
Your Committee, in their former report, adverted to the case of
private arrangements between railway companies as requiring
serious consideration. The evidence they have since received has
shown that arrangements of this nature between railway and canal
companies may atlect the public interests to a still greater degree;
and thee are convinced that the only effectual mode of obviating the
cells winch might arise from an abuse of the powe- derived front
such private arrangements, will be found in the constitution of such
an autnority as they have now recommended.
Your Committee entertain no doubt that a department so consti-
tuted might, in addition to these duties, afford material assistance to
Patliament in railway legislation.
..- • • -

It might save, by preliminary investigation as regards facts, much
expense to parties applying for Bills, and much of the valuable time
of both Houses, withoat in any w.iy interfaring• with the paramount
powers of I!..rliament, and its sole adjudication as to the rights of
property.
Siay 6, 1846.