The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-11 00:00:00

GROUP Miff .

The Committee met to-day at twelve o'clock, in room No. 24,
(Grand Corridor), present, Sir Robert Perk;loon, chairman, the Mar-
quis of Worcester, Mr. Snit,llett, Mr. Fellowes,iilni Viscount Norreys.

They resumed the inquiry respecting the
MTGE?, LEAMINGTON, AND WASQi.7tCK•
The whole of the morning was occupied in the examinatioi: of
witnesses as to the traffic.

After rewiring the traffic and engineering evidence, the Com-
mittee heard witnesses against the line under those two heads of
evidence, the speeches of counsel being postponed until after the evi-
dence shall have been concluded.

Adjourned, at four, till twelve o'clock to-MOITow,

GROUP XXXIX.
OLDHAM DXSTEXCT.

The Committee re-assembled this morning at twelve O'clock; Mitt
)ivett in the chair.
The proceedings commenced by the evidence of Mr. Joshua Milne,
a cotton spinner and coal-owner, at Schawe, the object of which was
to allow the difference of distance by the two lines of "ilway, and
to prove that the line of the promoters was better than those of their
Opponents, whether by the Manchester or Hudd9 sfielo, or the Man-
chester and Leeds Railways.
In reply to a question, the witness said he was not aware that a
Bill had passed the Commons for a line to Barnsley which would
give a direct coramunication with Manchester to Oldham.
Mr. Nightingale, a manufacturer of Lucifer matches and pill
boxes at Newton Heath, stated that he used 600 tons of
timber, and that he employed 300 persons on an average
throughout the year ; that he exported to all parts of Europe
and North America and Australia, besides sending large quantities
to every part of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The timber cost
him 3s. a ton for carriage to Manchester, and his goods the same for
return carriage to that place. This line would be of great con-
venience to him.
To Mr. WADDINOTON the witness replied that the station of the
Oldham districts line would be close to his works, and that at pre--
sent there was no railway accommodation whatever. The witness
also spoke to 'the feeling of the inhabitants in favour of this line.
Mr. Philip Lancashire, a land agent, at Newton, Mr. Harrop, of
Saddleworth, Mr. Halliwell, and Mr. Frank Andrews, of Mossley, a
cotton manufacturer, were respectively examined by Mr. RUSSELL in
favour of the Oldham Districts line, all giving evidence of the same
nature.
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Manchester and Huddersfield Railway.
On re-examination the witness replied that the bulk of the popu-
lation of Mossley resided on the brow to which the Manchester and
Huddersfield line would afford no accommodation whatever.
To Mr. TINDAL Arsirrsorr, the witness replied that the principal
public-house would be taken by the opposing line for a station.
To the CuatamAiv, a reply was made that the road from the
bottom of the hill to the top is on a gradient: of one In six, and the
ruling gradient is one in ten.
Mr. Joseph Kershawe, of the firm of Joseph Kershawe and Sons,
testified that the carriage of the articles of their business from Man-
chester was 10s. a ton, and that the proposed railway would save the

firm 3001. a year in that Item. Their concern was 400 feet above the
level of the canal, and the only line that could accommo-
date Mossley was that of the Oldham Districts Company.
Mossley is increasing rapidly in population—he should say that
the numbers were doubled within the ast ten years.
To Mr. ATKINSON, the witness replied that the inhabitants of
Mossley got their goods from Liverpool by railway and canal, the dis-
tance being about 46 miles, but he was arguing on the supposition
that the Huddersfield and Manchester line would never be made.
He conceived that because the Act had been long obtained, and
although they had broken ground, and had purchased ground, they
had never paid for it. Such, at least, was the case with him.
To the CHAIRMAN, the witness replied that the land had been
purchased from him, but It was not his, and he could say nothing
whatever of the title of the property.
To Mr.-RIJSSELL, the answer was, that if the Huddersfield line were
made it would not serve his purpose so well.
By permission of the CHAIRMAN, Mr. ATKINSON here called the
solicitor of the Huddersfield and Manchester Company, who
stated that the works had been let for the whole line,
and all the contracts entered into ; that works up to Staley-
bridge were already in progress, that the buildings bought in that
town had been destroyed for the purpose of the railway, that all
the land to the end of the line had been bought, and that the pur-
chases had not been completed, simply because there had not been

time to investigate the titles, of which there are some hundreds,
but the cash was now lodged in the bank, ready fel expenditure.
Captain Lawes, manager of the Manchester and Leeds RaZiwaY,
stated that between Rochdale and Oldham, before the openNg
of their railway, there was only one coach, which was kept up
rather for accommodation than with a view to profit, while during
last year the company had carried upwards of 50,000 passengers.
From Haywood there was no conveyance at all, while last year
they carried upwards of 28,000 passengers. From Middleton,
a place scarcely known beyond the district, they
had carried more than 17,000 persons. :Great convenience
would also ensue to the poor who were employed in Oldham, and
whose families live at a distance, and who obtained a ticket for their
journey here on Saturday and their return on Monday. As an in-
stance of the benefit of railway communication, he might state the
fact that tons of water cresses are carried from London, and for con-
sumption in Lancashire, as much indeed as thirteen tons annually.
A variety of other instances might be adduced to prove the same fact.
The other line, the Oldham and Manchester, was laid out with
difficulty, and there was one gradient as steep as lin 27. By the
formation,of the Oldham Districts line the company which the witness
represented would reap a small dividend.
To the CusinzseN, Captain Lawes replied that the Manchester and
Leeds Company now derived 6% per cent. dividend, and he might
put one fact to prove the utility of his own railway—that was, the
circumstance that the saving to the public since the line had been
formed was equal to the whole expense paid by the public for transit
before the line was formed, as shown before Lord Stanley. Last
week they had carried as many as 40,000 passengers; during last
year they had carried 469,000 third-class passengers and 41,000
first-class.

To Mr. WADDINGTON, the witness replied that the Manchester
and Leeds station at Oldham was as bad as possible, although the
difficulty of the rise was great, and had been well surmounted.
After cross-examination on the same point, the Committee rose at
dye o'clock, and adjourned till twelve o'clock on Monday.