The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-17 00:00:00

Entre Sambre and Meuse, conceded to Parry,
Richards, and Co..

57 2 3

Louvain and Gentappe, conceded to Sherman -
and Co 34 1-3
Namur and Liege, conceded to Spittiswood and
Co 43 2 3
Mons and Manage, conceded to ditto
Dendre Valley, conceded to Sir Richard Jen-
kins, Sir John M'Taggart and Co 37
West Flanders, conceded to Parry, Richards,
and Co 37
Tournay and Jurbise, conceded to Mackenzie,
Barry, and Co

30

Landen-and Hassent, conceded to ditto
Charleroy to Erquelines, conceded to Neville
and Co l7
Manage to Erquelines, conceded to Oppenheim
and Co l4l
_ _

There are 118 new demands for concessions, upon none
of which the Belgian Chambers have yet decided.
TARIFF OF TOLLS FIXED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
PASSENGERS.

Pence per mile.
First Class—On the State railways 1.22
Conceded lines P29
The Entre Sambre and
Meuse alone, on account
of the small passenger
train
Second Class—On the State lines 0.933
Conceded lines
The Entre Sambre and
Meuse line
Third Class—On the State lines
Conceded lines 0.644
The Entre Sambre and
Meuse

o'Bos
LUGGAGE.

On the State lines - -
0,183 per cwt.
Conceded lines
The proportion of receipts in 18 44 has been—
For passengers and luggage
For light and heavy goods 37'66 per cent } 41'5
Carriages, horses, cattle ... 3'84

The mileage has been in 1844
Passengers trains
Goods trains
The receipts have been-
-1843. 1844.
From passengers Ist class 24 p'cent...lst class 26 p'cent.
2d class 37 " ...2d class 36 "
17
3d class 39 " ...3d class 38 "
The increase noticeable on the proportion of receipts
for Ist class in 11144 is due to the mean distance travelled
over baying increased.
The passengers' fares have not varied in 1844 from
what they were in 1843; they have been :

d.
First class... 39 centimes per 5 kilog 1.3 per mile.
Second class 29 "

Third class 119 "

.6 IP

The goods fares have not varied materially in 1843
and 1844.

In 1844 the nett revenue from the Belgian State rail-
ways has been 3.89, or nearly 4 par cent. on the capital
expended, besides giving to the public gratuitous accom-
modation, valued at about 10,0001. per annum, for the
gratuitous carriage of the mails, and the conveyance of
materials required for several lines of railway free of
charge. .. _

The State lines have further saved the Treasury con-
siderable sums in the conveyance of troops and prisoners
carried at lower rates than other passengers.
aalf these several items be taken into consideration, it
will be found that the nett annual profits on the State
railways in 1844 exceeded four per cent. per annum
on the capital.
In addition to the services above enumerated, the
State railway carries, free of charge, tho goods of all
emigrants proceeding to embark in a Belgian port, to
encourage the emigrants to use the Belgian ports.
And to encourage the export of native produce, a
drawback
.of 50 per cent. on the carrying charge fixed
by the tariff.' is remitted on the carriage of all Belgian
produce on its way to a Belgian port, and consigned to a
Belgian colony.
And when the number of emigrants amounts to 30
per train, 30 per cent. is deducted from the usual third-
class fares.

The goods traffic, which was scarcely thought of a
few years since, has increased more rapidly in compari•
son than that of passengers ; it is principally to the
carriage of heavy goods that the increase in the revenue
is due.

The revenue has exceeded the estimates in th 4 bud-
get by 25,200/.
The object to be attained in fixing the Belgio-Rhenish
tariff, is to attract to Belgium. and especially to Antwerp,
the transit of German produce, which can only happen
when the charges by railway from Antwerp to Cologne
shall have been reduced to a level with or even below the
charges on water carriage by the Rhine from Cologne
to Rotterdam. But to accomplish this it is also essential
that no Custom House regulations intervene, to prevent
this development of this trade by railway.
The railway charges are now in most cases below, or at
most, equal to the charges for water carriage.
It is to the extension, says the Ministry, of the goods
traffic, that the State must look for any new increase in
the nett profits of the railway system.
It having been found impossible to reduce considerably
the charges on goods unless the waggons were fully
loaded, it was necessary to subdivide the trade into that
of heavy and light goods. The heavy goods to be car-
ried in full loads by trains specially suited to the purpose;
the light goods (or parcels) to be carried in waggons
forming part of the usual passengers trains.
The Return of Numbers of Passengers, Expenditure, and -