The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-30 00:00:00

GROUP XIII.

The Committee met to-day at twelve o'clock, Sir Wm. Clay in the
chair. The other members present were Earl Jermyn, Mr.r. Aills-
- and Mr. Curteis.

CALEDONIAN (L el 21TGII 0 LAT nizAnrcs).

On the assembling of the Committee,
Mr. HOPE, in the absence of Mr. Cockburn, who was
not present to sum up when called on, and whose
speech was therefore deferred, proceeded to address the
Committee against the North British Extens!on in respect to
the junction proposed at the Carlisle central station. If the Com-
mittee would sanction the junction in question, he hoped they
would place his clients, the Lancaster and Carlisle Company, in a
very awkward position. That company had already entered into an
understanding with three other eompanies for station accommo-
dation, and were the North British allowed to come in, in addition to
those, the public inconvenience would be very great. So many
lines crossing at the station, and the influx of passengers,
would be so great, as not only to endanger the safe
working of the station, but to damage to a great
extent the whole arrangements of the Lancaster and Carlisle Com-
pany. His clients thought such a junction unjustifiable, as the public
convenience did not require this Hawick line, the whole wants of the
district being fully supplied by the great trunk line of the Cale-
donian Company. Their opinion was that the Hawick line was not
at all required, and they prayed the Committee would not allow
the line in question to come into the station, occasionally an alteration
of the level, depriving the Company with which arrangements had been
already made in regard to station room, and deranging the whole
affairs of the Lancaster and Carlisle Company. On these grounds,
therefore, he prayed that, even did the Committee see lit to pass the
preamble of the Bill, they would allow the line to come no further
at present than the outside of the walls of Carlisle, leaving it to a
future session to legislate as to the mode in which it should enter
the city.

Mr. COCKBURN then proceeded to sum up the case on behalf
of the Caledonian Company. He submitted that no case-bad
been made out to justify the large amount of capital
named by the promoters of the Hawick Company. They
proposed to expend from 600,000/. to 700,0001., the principal
portion of which would have to be spent in that part of the
line between Laegholm and Hawick. Two-thirds of the capital
would be required for that part, against which he submitted that no
case of traffic had been made out. This extent of country was purely
an agricultural district; little traffic in respect to it had been made out,
and so the case had been made to depend on the manufacturing
character of Galashiels and Hawiek: Then, in regard to these, the
largest of which had only a population of 8,000, the necessity of the
line was urged in regard to the traffic going to the south. With
respect to Hawick, it • had been shown that the whole
value of the manufactures of Hawick, per annum, was
about 250,0001., or in weight, 520 tons, of which it had
been shown not more than eighty or ninety tons would find,
its way to the south. In the case of the Hawick and Edinburgh line
of last year the great point dwelt on was the intercourse to the
north—to Edinburgh and Glasgow—and not that to the south. But
even with regard to the small Southern traffic now shown it had
been proved that railway accommodation could be bad to the south
.by way of Berg ick and Newcastle; and with regard to heavy
commodities to London, they would still have the steam
and sailing vessels from Leith and Berwick. The same
principle in respect to the course of trade applied to the imports to
Hawick and Galashiels. The principal import was wool, for which
it was alleged a railway Communication was required in order to get
the article from Liverpool. Now, it had been shown that it could
be got from Hawick to London by steam and land conveyance for
225. a ton ; whereas, being a bulky article, it could not be brought
from Liveipool by railway, a distance of 168 miles, for less
than 3d. a ton • per mile, making 425., thus showing a
balance in favour of the other route of 20s. a ton.
Ile apprehended with this kind of bulky commodity the water con-
veyance would always be preferred to that of land. Ilawick and
Galashiels had already communication with Edinburgh and Berwick,
and they lord the full benefit of the water conveyance from these
parts to the various ports of the United Kingdom. Reviewing the
whole manufacturing evidence of traffic, there was no case made out
to warrant such an enormous amount of capital. The next point of
the promoters, and on which they had laid great
stress, was the local traffic along the line, especially
coals. On that article alone they had estimated 24,000 tons to be
carried to Hawick for annual consumption, though last year they
endeavoured,to prove that that place would be supplied in a great
measure from Mid-Lothian. The witnesses of his Clients, Mr. Wil-
liamson and Mr. Wood, bad proved that the extensive coal-fields
of Berwickshire, of which the produce was superior to that of
Canobie, would'suPply Hawiek in a great measure, and that supplied
would be had also from Northumberland and Mid-Lothian. On this
article of mineral, as well as on that of lime, it had been shown
that the North British promoters had greatly exaggerated their case.
The earns applied to. the alleged traffic in grain from Roxburghshire
to Dumfriesshire. The • reason for this expected traffic was, that
pricei were higher in the latter county than in the former ; but it
had been subsequently proved that prices between the two
districts were fast assimilating, and that no such traffic
as they took credit for could be had on the various
beads. The North British took credit for 60,5611., but certainly
no case had been made out warranting such an amount of traffic.
The Learned Gentleman then went through the items of passenger
traffic, contending that from the evidence of Mr. Piper and Mr.
Tither, coach proprietors, of Carlisle, and of Mr. Pare, the traffic
taker, no such traffic existed on the line of road as they had taken
credit for. Not only had they swept the road of every person seen
upon the road, but they had in addition assumed that the traffic
would be developed to the extent of 150 per cent. more. It was
most unprecedented to sweep the road, and then add 150 per
cent, for increase. The proper correction, therefore, was two-thirds
less than that they had taken credit for. Net only had the various
items of traffic he had referred to been monstrously exaggerated,
but the same applied to the items of stone, bricks, timber, and small
parcels, on all of which Mr. Pare had, from correct data, made large
deductions. Mr. l'ase's calculations were the result of observations
made at a fair average time of the year, and they had every ap-
pearance of being fair and reasonable. With regard to the
item of fish, which it was alleged would pass from Dun-
bar, he never heard a more monstrousas assumption. They were
Scotch
to bring the fish a long journey over the
Liverpool at
presentas i there
h hadere
was no sea on the west side of the island, and
no fresh fish. It was most absurd to suppose that 2,1001. would be pro-
duced by any such mums. Not onlyw 8.6 Liverpool to be supplied with
fish, but also with slaughtered meat;
no such traffic existed, nor did he thinkbut, at present, at all events,
there would. But, supposing
even this traffic to arise, it was the legitimate traffic of the Cale-
donian which was now constructing on the faith of an Act of Parlia-
ment obtained last year. . But, supposing a case of local traffic
was made out, what was the result in regard to the Caledonian line
already sanctioned? It was no longer disguised that they intended
to be a through competing line with the Caledonian, and to take
away the traffic that was expected to come upon that line. He sub-
mitted, whatever might be the view of the Committee in regard to
granting accommodation for local traffic to any place that could
make out anything like a case of traffic, that on the grounds
of equity and justice the claims of the Caledonian should be
considered. That company was in a position from which they
could not recede, as a million of money would not re-instate
thet Company in its former position, and therefore he did hope
the Committee would not grant a direct competing
line through
to Edinburgh. With regard to thetNithsdals the vase
Committeewasmite
to depend on local traffic, and he believed the Committee
decided
on that view of the question, but in the present e"-- -.
of the North
British there was no disguise ; the object was
through to Edinburgh, against which he hoped his clients would be
protected 17 the decision of the Committee. If the matter Of tOrough