The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-01 00:00:00

The Belgian Government would seem anxious to ob-
tain the goods traffic; for it is stated in this Compte
Rendu, that it is to the extension of it that the State
must look for any fresh increase in the net profits of its
railways. It has been observed, however, that the rail-
ways do not maintain a very successful competition with
the canals; for while in 1844 the goods carried by rail-
way amounted only to 52,000 tons, those carried by
canals amounted for that year to 400,000 tons. The
canal traffic of 1845 still showed an increase, and the
freights exceeded those of 1844 by 18,9451. It has been
inferred that the Belgian Government have not yet
suffic'ently lowered their charges for heavy goods.
In France, by the law of 1845, the fares and charges
are in pence and decimals :
d.

Eissengers, per head per mile.—First class
Second 1.25
f t
Third ditto
ff 51,
Cattle per head per mile.—Bullocks, &c.
Calves, &c. .. 066
/I
Sheep,
8.37 &c.
If
Fish, per tonft
per mile ll
ds, per ton per mile.—First class
• „ Second ditto
„ Third ditto 2.35
And
Carriages, per mile.—Single bodied 4.18
Double ditto
The French charges are about 20 per cent. higher
than the Belgian for passengers, and considerably more
so for cattle and goods.
The fares on the lines of Austria and Prussia, and the
States of the German Confederation, are in some cases
even lower than those of Belgium. On the lines of
Austria and Baden, which were executed by the
State, they are the lowest. On the Austrian
linos of Budweis and Linz the fares are only
three silver groichen per German mile, or 0•73 d.
per English mile, for second class passengers, and two
silver groschen per German mile, or 0.40 d. per English
mile, tor third-class passengers. In Prussia the fares
differ very little from those of Belgium. On the Berlin
and Potsdam line, for instance, the fares for first-class
passengers are 1.4 d. per English mile ; for second-class
passengers, 1.06 d. per English mile ' • for third-class pas-
senge7:s, 0.6 d. per mile. On the Berlin and Anhalt road
the fares for first-class passengers are 1•47 d. per English
mile; for second-class passengers, 0.98 d. per mile ; for
thirgl-class passengers, 0.61 d. per mile.
T no following comparison is instituted in the Rapport
on *the Projet de Loi:on the Northern line, to the Cham-
ber of Deputies in France, in 1845; between the passen-
ger fares in England, France, Germany, and Belgium,
in c. mtimes per kilometre, in 1844:--

!
First Class.'Second Class.l Third Class,

En; ;land..
France ..

Ger many
Belgium

5 7.10
9 1 61 4
7 54-5 _ _ _ _

3 7-10

These rates may still be near the truth with respect
to .IFrance, Germany, and Belgium ; but they are nu
len ger applicable to England, where considerable reduc-
tioi is have taken place on most of the lines. But though
the difference between English and Foreign fares and
chi urges is not so great as it formerly was, it is still suf-
ficient to constitute a strong reason for control and in-
ter ference ; the fares on nearly all the lines are still too
high, and evidence has been given that railway coin-
pa axes, when they have driven rivals out of the field,
ha fre not hesitated to raise their charges, especially for
the conveyance of goods, on principles not perhaps
strictly in accordance with their own true interests, but
stil 1 less in accordance with those of the public. Yonr
)mmittee conceive this is far too important a matter to
b, left to the arbitrary will of companies.
The greater cheapness of coal and coke in this coun-
try enables companies to convey heavy goods by railway
at a much lower rate than Continental railways can pos-
sibly do ; and the ability to lower fares increases in the
ratio of the amount of goods carried. A line with a
traffic of 750,000 tons per annum, could carry goods
with as much profit at Id. per ton per mile as the Paris
and Orleans line with a traffic of 150,000 tons at 3d. per
ton per mile.
The maximum rates fixed by Parliament in the dif-
ferent Acts are in all cases above, and in some greatly
above, what ought to be taken from the public ; and
thus, were no other check interposed, the community
would be entirely at the mercy of the companies. Be-
sides, as has been already observed, there is at present
the greatest diversity both in the scale and the mode of
charging on different lines. For these high fares no
justification can be found, either in the original outlay
on the lines or the expense of maintaining and working
them. Mr. Reed, intimately acquainted with the work-
ing of English and French lines, who is confirmed by
Mr. Brassey, extensively employed as a contractor in
the two countries, states that the cost of earthwork is
much the same in England and in France ; that the rails
and chairs, which on the Soutnampton line cost 2,7901.
per mile, cost 4,6351. per mile on the Paris and Rouen
line ; that the working of the former line costs about
ls. a mile, while it is about Is. 4d. on the Paris and
Rouen line ; that the locomotive power and the carriages
Lost about 141- per cent. on the former, and 16 1-3 on
the latter ; that- the general expenses, including officers,
police, Ssc., are about 12 per cent. on the South-Western,
and about 16 per cent. on the Paris and Rouen ; so that,
in all these respects, England, it would appear, has a
considerable advantage over France. On some of the
English lines the balance of advantage is still more in
favour of England.
The cost of construction of the Belgian State lines
appears to have been very unequal. According to the
report of the Minister of Public Works, the three
cheapest State lines were those from Ghent to Courtray,
from Ghent to Bruges, and from Landen to St. Troud.
The line from Ghent to Courtray cost per mile 6,6201.;
:from Ghent to Bruges, 7,675/. ; from Landen to St.
'Trend, 8,990/. The three dearest State lines were those
from Louvain to Tirlemont, from Liege to the Prussian
_frontiers. and from Ans to Liege. The line from Lou-
vela to Tirlemont cost per mile 19,9571. ; from Liege to
the Prussian frontiers, 40,797/. ' • from Ans to Liege,
02,325/. The average cost of the State line was 17,132/.
pei• mile. The items of this average cost are, per mile,
Jane and compensation, 2,9191. ; earthwork, bridges,
tunnols, &c., 7,1631. ; rails, &c., 3,1461.; stations and
buildings, 1,153/. ; working stock, 2,201/. ; miscella-
neous, 550/.
The following is the cost of some of the French lines
execateo: and in the course of construction :
Per mile.
The Paris and Orleans
The Paris and Rouen
The Strasbourg and Basle 18,485
The Amiens and Boulogne 20,000
Ti se Rouen and Havre 28,300
Tie Avignon and Marseilles 28,600
7.1 e Orleans and Bordeaux
T Centre
T 1 Le North, with Calais Branch
Ti ,e Paris and Lyons
Ti e Lyons and Avignon, with branch to Grenoble 25,800
Ile Austrian line from Olmiitz to Prague, 152
Ewlish miles. cost 11,6571. per mile ; that from Briinn
to B,'ilimisch-Tsiibau, 55 English miles, cost 16,360/. per
mile..
The cost of construction of the Prussian lines appears
to have been generally lower than that of the Belgian
fines. .s.\ccording to the elaborate work of Baron Von
Beden. the cost or the Berlin and Potsdam line was
P 2,3231. r of the Madgeburg and Leipsic isas 10,179/. ;
bi it the Rhenish line from Cologne to the Belgian fron-
t; ers was to cost 28,331/. per English mile. This last
lc le, though lower than most of the English lines, is
hi gher than that between Edinburgh and Glasgow by a
tr ifle, and considerably higher than most of the Scotch
lit .es. Mr. Legoyt, a respectable authority, estimates
tb e average cost of the German lines at 170,0001. per
ki lometre, or 10,940/. per English mile. The Prussian
su other*German lines pay less for land and law
cl iarges then the English lines.
The following is the cost per mile of some of the
Et incipal lines in this couutry

Average cost per mile.
..A.*broath and Forfar £ 9,214
Cb...‘ster and Birkenhead 34,198
Sub Tin and Drogheda 15,652
Mubl:n and Kingstown
:Dcrlee and Arbroath 8,570
put Gam and Sunderland 14,281
.Rdin;lurgh and Glasgow 35,024
aster!' Counties and North Eastern 46,355
'Glasgow-, Kilmarnock, and Ayr ... 20,607
4 Glasgow and Greenock
i Iravesend and Rochester
( 'Treat Wostern 43,585

i lartiepool
I Jondon and Birmingham
I ,onelon and Blackwall
I .ondon and Brighton 56,981
I ondon and Croydon
I .ondon and South-Western
/. [anchester, Bolton, and Bury
36 -anchester and Birmingham
3Sft anchester and Leeds
3ii Band 30,949
Nei Ncastle, Darlington, and Brandling
:Ne•N vcastle and Carlisle
No% castle and North Shields

N, ~rfilk 13,150
North Union and Bolton and Preston
Preston and Wyre
! Sheffield and Manchester
' South-Eastern 44,412
' Taff Vale 21,610
Ulster
York and North Midland, Bze

•
The extravagant expenditure in England in buying
off powerful landowners, from whom opposition was an-
- ticipated, and in the proceedings before obtaining Act;,
no doubt swelled very much th outlay on many of the
;IkEnglish lines. In the mere purchas' of land the outlay
.a AS often as great in France, if not greater than in
.En •;land. Mr. Legnyt averages the purchases and corn-
peri;,ation on the three lines of Orleans, Rouen, and
. Nimes. at 40,000 francs per kilometre, or 2,572 L per
mite. Mr. Reed states that on the Paris and Rouen
'Me, the land damage and law charges cost 3.1321. per
z tile (the law charges being very trifling), while on the
,nth-Western they cost 3,6231. per mile. But if the
of ulay has been unnecessarily great on some of the
E iglish lines, ard they run through districts of which
th traffic does not, as is alleged, yiell the usual returns
on capital, that can surely form no reason why an ex-
tra vagant scale of fares should be adhered to. The pro-
etors of a bridge would not be allowed to charge high
-tot Is because moderate tolls would not yield such a re-
tat, • as they might wish to obtain for the capital ex-
ed by them.
yI t.Peto says, he has several times stated to the
r
~,,,,chrs of lines in agricultural districts, that if the fares
be love they
will have a larger traffic, but not otherwise,
I.)ec ,ause• Gbe people in such districts cannot afford to pay
:far rely for their travellinv; that unless you bring it
-wit ,hin their laws they will not come to you; and that
31; low fare* Will not pay, high fares never can.