The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-19 00:00:00

GROUP XIII.

This Committee met in day, at twelve o'clock, Sir William
Clay in the chair. Members present, Earl Jermyn, Mr. P.
Ainsworth, and Mr. Curteis. Absent, Lord Shelburne, from
illness

CALEDONIAN AND BRANCHES.

Mr. ANDREWS rose to address the Committee on behalf o
the Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway, and in reply to
the case of the Caledonian opposition ana branches. The
question really was, whether Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, with
a large and increasing population, should be denied
accommodation ? In going through the evidence he
would be as short as possible, on account of
the great attention that had been paid by the
Committee daring the progress of the case. He
would, in the course of his observations, direct attention to
the principal points of the case that were such as to influence
a decision for or against the line for which he appeared.
He would start with the strong and indisputable fact that the
whole country through which it traversed was in favour of
the railway. Landowners, traders, and the public generally,
were unanimously in in its favour. The fact was, the only
opponent they had was a rival line, who sought to serve
their own interests instead of that of the public. The ques-
tion was, therefore, narrowed into this—should the public
be sacrificed to the good of one single company? They were
told that the line should not be formed on account of the
money market. He would relieve his Learned Friend on
that point by telling him that the scripholders had met and
unanimously, agreed to carry. forward the scheme. They
were also told not to pass the Nithsdale line till the Cale-
donian was made, and the traffic dek'eloped, the real meaning
of which was, that they were to wait till the whole country
was occupied by them. That this was their object was
shown by the present extensions proposed, and by their
proceedings in relation to the Clydesdale Junction, the Pollee
and Govan, the Barrhead and Neilston, and the Scottish
Central line. The Caledonian only wanted to get to Dam-
fries, in order to land-lock the country, and make it subservient
to their interests. With such a system they would have the
power to force the residents of Kilmarnock to go round by
Glasgow to Dumfries and Carlisle at a great expense of time
and money. His clients, on the other hand, contended that
the district required a direct and independent railway. The
towns of Durnfries and Annan required a direct connexion
with the important mineral and manufacturing county of
Ayrshire, and the latter required the same thing, in order to
find a market for their cattle and agricultural produce. This,
in general terms, was what his clients sought to do, in support
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evidence adduced, starting
with the witnesses from Ayrshire,
and passing to those from the various points along the valley
of the Nitb, up to Dumfries and Annan. These witnesses
had given general evidence as to the feeling of the inhabit-
ants and the necessity for such a line, and also particular
evidence to show that the actual traffic in goods, minerals,
and passengers, would be more than sufficient to give a good
remunerating per tentage for the capital embarked. Against
the evidence there had been called witnesses of the highest
character and respectability. The case on the other side was
far from satisfactory. With regard to the coal trade of the
district, his clients had had the most valuable evidence of
Mr. Wright, the Duke of Buceleuch's agent, practically
acquainted with not only the Sanquhar, but the Canonbie
coal-fields, to rebut which, Mr. Woods had been called on
the ether aide—a gentleman who had only walked Over the
county, and had never been down a pit in the district. Even
were the coalfield at Sanquhar not what Mr. Wright had
represented it to be, and that Dumfries would be supplied
from Glenbuck, then by the line which the Ayr and Glasgow
Railway was laying down to Muirkirk, these coals could be
as easily brought by the Nithsdale as by the Caledonian, ad-
mitting even the Caledonian extension to be formed. The
Learned Gentleman having amplified on the mineraftraffic,
recapitulated the evidence on the traffic in lime-stone, drain-
tiles, and cattle and sheep, contending that he had called the
firstwitnesses in the country on these points. lie sub-
mitted, also, that the case in regard to passengers had been
fairly made out; for, though the opposite party had en-
deavoured, through Mr. Pare, to show that the Nithsdale
Company traffic tables were exaggerated, that, he considered,
had not been established, as they were clearly framed on the
data furnished by the witnesses that had been called. But,
even admitting that the traffic tables showed more than was
fairly to be expected, it ought to be borne in mind that they
did not stand alone, but that they were to be connected with
a flourishing and improving company, that guaranteed 4 per
Nithsdale
should and that when they divided 7 per cent. the
should be allowed five: In explanation of the difference
between the local traffic of last year and the tables produced
this year, they had this year the Crowick branch, sixteen
miles, and the Canonbie branch, eight miles, bo of
which would yield a large traffic. The geileral both ratio
of the district was also greatly improving. This
increase, and what had taken place in other Committees in
which similar cases were considered, fully justified his clients
in making the increase of 150 per cent. on the passengers,
reduction
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Cumnock and Kilmarnock. That po year
the portion of the scheme of last year now made between
was
estimated at 9,000/., from which 3,000 t. ought to 1.3 e deducted
for way-leave, leaving 6,0001. es the gross receipts. With
regard to the complaint of taking a portion of the through
traffic of the Caledonian, he could not see what difference
there was in the case and that of the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow, which the Caledonian threatened by the forks they had
thrown out to Glasgow and Edinburgh on that of the Avr
line, which was threatened with a direct competing line frola
the allies of the Caledonian, the Barrhead, and the Neilston.
To concede the request of the Caledonian would be to estab-
lish a complete monopoly. Having dwelt at some length on
the various points alluded to, and having reviewed the case
on behalf of the Caledonian branches, which he maintained
would not awe the accommodation required, the Leanied