The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-10 00:00:00

GROUP XXIIII.

RUGBY, LEAMINGTON, LLND
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)

After receiving 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.
♦djourned, at four, till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP XXXIX.
OLDHAM 111ZSTRAECT.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mr. Nightingale, a manufacturer of lucifer matched and pill
boxes at Newton Heath, stated that ho used 600 tons of
timber, and that he employed 300 persons on au 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 39. 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. WADDINGTON 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

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 Oldh..m Districts line, all giving evidence of the same
nature.

To Mr. TINDAL ATKINSON the witness replied that the whole of the
horse-power is about 600, of which 150 will be accommodated by the
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 ATKINSON, the witness replied that the principal
public-house would be taken by the opposing line for a station.
To the Cuemicex, 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.
- .

Joseph Kershawe, of the firm of Joseph Kershawe and Song,
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 thet 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. Arfaxsofs, the witness replied that the inhabitants of
Mopley got their goods from Liverpool by railway and canal, the dis-
lance 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, but
had never paid for it. Such, at least, was the case with him.
To the Cns.fasfatt,--the witness replied that the land had been
purchased from him, but it was not his, and be could say nothing
whatever cf the title of the property.

To Mr. RUSSELL, 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 is now lodged in the bank, ready fox expenditure.
Captain Lawes, manager of the Manchester and Leeds: Railway,
stated that between Rochdale and Oldham, [before the opening
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 they company had carried upwards of 50,000 passengers.
From Haywood there was no conveyance at all, while last year
they carried upwards of 25,000 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 communieation, he might state the
fact that tons of water creases 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 Cusiamex,raptain Lawes replied that the Manchester aid
Leeds Company now derived 63,4 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
five o'clock, and adjourned till twelve o'clock on Monday,