The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-07 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

The following extract from the recently delivered minutes
of evidence before the Select Committee of the house of
Commons on Railways gives curious details respecting the
Parliamentary expenses attending the passing of Railway
Bills. Mr. Robert Stephenson is the witness examined :
" Can you give about the average of the Parliamentary ex-
penses per mile on some of the greatest undertakings with
which you have been concerned in this country?—l have
known them vary from 500/. to 1,000/ per mile for Parlia-
mentary expenses alone. That must depend entirely on
whether it is an opposed line or not ?--Yes ; that is where I
draw the limits. The London and Birmingham income we
will take as about 800,000/. a year; there is about 50 per
cent. of that spent in labour and in the materials, but a large
proportion in labour. Do you include in the term 'labour'
salaries to the clerks and the staff ?—From the secretary
down to the common porter ; the whole staff. There is out
of that 400,000/. probably 300,0001. positively paid in labour.
If we could get that at the same value as we could labour in
Belgium, the company ought to be able to give the public the
advantage of that, and lower their fares 150,000/. a year. Do
you say that the rate at which a company can carry depends
chiefly on the cost at which the railway is constructed?
—Yes, and the traffic upon it. You say, and the traffic which
is carried upon it?—Yes. Is it not true, that in general,
where there is a very large traffic, the railway is constructed,
from the circumstances of the country, at a very heavy ex-
pense ?—There are cases of that kind. Generally ?—Yes.
The London and Greenwich ; that was constructed at an
enormous expense?—Yes. And the Dublin and Kingstown
at an expense of 100,000/. per mile?—yes. In Belgium
there has been a total absence of Parliamentary expenses ?
I believe they are very small; they do not amount to more
than 2,000/. or 3,000/. for a Bill; and then they were all done
by Government. Railroads in more thinly-populated coun-
tries are constructed at a much smaller expense than that?
_Certainly. But they are obliged to charge higher rates of
fares because they have a smaller traffic ?—Clearly."

THE LORD MAYOR'S VISIT TO OXFORD.—OXFORD,
WEDNESDAY.—The Lord Mayor reached Oxford by special
train soon after eleven o'clock yesterday morning, and im-
mediately proceeded to the residence of the Mayor of that
city, Alderman John Thorp, and invited his Worship and the
Town-clerk to dine with him in the evening at the Star
Hotel. The Lord Mayor and his friends spent the day in
visiting the chief attractions of the city and neighbourhood ;
and as it appeared to be his Lordship's wish that his visit
should be as private and unostentatious as possible, there was
nothing beyond a little additional bustle to denote that they
were honoured with the company of the ruling powers of the
great metropolis. His Lordship and party purpose leaving
Oxford by eight o'clock this morning, and will proceed by
water in the state barge.
HEALTH IN THE METROPOLIS.—The returns of births
and deaths in the metropolis, during the week ending Satur-
day last, do not present any very remarkable results. The
number of births was 1,229, 635 being those of males, and
594 those of females. The number of deaths was 1,086,
being 259 more than in the corresponding week of last
year. The number of deaths of persons under 15 years of
age was 457 ; from 15 to GO, 316 ; and from 60 upwalCdrlhice.a9s,
The greatest number of deaths has occurred fireoint
being 186. The number of persons that d'
was 23, but it is right to mention that this was English,
of choleranot
Asiatic cholera.

CONVEYANCE OF GUNPOWDER BY RAILWAY.—During
the thunder-storm and while the electric fluid was flashing
in all directions, the passengers by the half-past six o'clock
train, A.m., Great Western Railway, for Bristol, on Saturday,
were terrified for their safety in consequence of the luggage
box being laden with barrels of gunpowder weighing 501bs.
IMPORTATION OF FLOUR.—On. Tuesday the New
York packet-ship, Hendrick Hudson, Captain G. Moore, ar-
rived in the St. Katherine's Dock, from New York, with
2,000 barrels of dour and a large quantity of Indian ccrii
iujd
pil Citlie% _