The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-24 00:00:00

NORTH AND SOUTH-WESTERN JUNCTION.

The half-yearly meeting of the proprietors was held yes-
terday at the London Tavern ; Mr. Tootal was in the chair.
The advertisement by which the meeting had been convened
having been read, the report was submitted as follows :
" The statement of the revenue account for the past half-
year shows that there has been an increase of £225 in the
total receipts, as compared with the corresponding six
months of 1857. On general merchandise and minerals,
added together, the receipts are £l4 more during the
same period of? last year. On passengers the increase
is £2Ol, being au improvement of nearly 30 per cent.
The directors have the satisfaction of reporting that their
exertions to improve and extend the passenger traffic of the
line have been thus far successful. They have been enabled
to arrange with the South-Western Company to convey
forward as far as Richmond and Twickenham the trains
passing over this company's railway from Fenaturch-street
and the North London districts. This arrangement com-
menced on the 21st of May last, and the South-Western COM-
panyhave undertaken to facilitate the means ofcomm unication
byaltering th ejunctions at Kew and Barnes, the effect ofwhich
will be to make the route continuous and the distance shorter.
The above marked improvement in the company's passenger
receipts has taken place since the new traffic with the South-
Western line commenced. The route is still comparatively
unknown to the public, but when it is fully developed, and
the alterations referred to have been made, the directors
feel persuaded that the receipts arising from this traffic will
be very considerably increased. The charge of £lO4
against revenue for locomotive power on the Hammermith
branch, has been incurred in the endeavour to make
that branch remunerative, by working passenger trains
over it. This experiment, which the directors felt
it incumbent upon them to make, has satisfied
them that, if continued as a passenger line, some other
mode of traction must be employed, and they will at
once consider what means can be adopted for securing the
traffic in the district of the branch with profit to the com-
pany. The net balance remaining, after deducting the in-
terest on the debenture debt, amounts to £87317x. 6d.,
which will pay a dividend of 2s. per share for the half-year
on the company's entire share capital ; and the directors
recommend that a dividend of that amount be declared
accordingly. The balance to he carried forward to the
current half-year will be £78."
After considerable discussion, during which a desire was
expressed that a committee of consultation with the direc-
tors should be appointed, and to which the board did not
object, the report and accounts were adopted.
A committee of consultation of three of tlsbaanredhaolvdoetres
to confer with the directors was then appointed,
of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.

LONDON, TILBURY, AND SOUTHEND EXTEN-
SION.

The report of the directors of thiscc
trmpaanflive duringatatesthat,
notwithstanding the depression of railway the
past six months, the actual decrease in the receipts as com-
pared with the corresponding half of 18.57 is not more than
.£291. During the six weeks following the close of the half-
year the gross traffic teceipts are upwards of £1,700 more
than in the corresponding period last year. The proportions
of the receipts from the passenger traffic of this line for the
half-year ending 30th of June last, which are payable
to other companies, atr,ount to £4,184 for the Blackwell
railway, to £3,292 to the Eastern Counties Railway, and
£439 to the North London Railway. The branch lire from
Bow to Baking was opened on the 31st of March last, and
the traffic to and from the Blackwell Railway stations is now
worked by this route instead of by the Eastern Counties
Railway via Stratford. Under an arrangement entered
into by the lessees for the term of their lease, the proportion
of the earnings for through traffic passing over this
branch line is accounted for to the Eastern Counties
Railway Company, as though that traffic continued
the
ontinuedto
pass over the Eastern Counties line, so that
pecu-
niary advantages accruing from the Bow and Barking
branch era at present confined to the receipts from local
traffic, which it is expected will be considerable when the
goods station at the
traffic is fully developed, The new

Minories recently opened will afford additional facilities for
the accommodation of the goods traffic of the railway. The
capital account of the Tilbury and Southend line showed
that £600,900 had been received, and £592,816 expended,
leaving a balance of £8,090. The capital account of the
Barking branch shows that £189,987 had been received, and
£191,843 expended, leaving a balance against the account
of £1,856. The revenue account for the half-year ending
Juue 30 showed that £21,789 had been received and
£15,500 expended, leaving a balance of £6,239. I
'e I STO

ICKPORT, DISLEY, AND WHALEY-BRIDGE.
The report of the directors of this company states that the
balance in favour of revenue account is £1,92:2. Although
the directors might have declared a dividend at the rate of
about 2j per cent. per annum, they defer the same until
arrangements shall have been completed for liquidating the
liabilities on capital account. The past half-year embraces
the least favourable period for passenger traffic, and the
railway has suffered not only in common with others from
the general prostration of.trade, but also from the reduction
of rates consequent upon the continued competition of
neighbouring lines of railway and canal. The report of
Mr. Errington, the engineer, states that the junction line
to the Cromford and High Peak Railway is now completed.
The capital account shows that £:00,622 had been received,
and 1'231,314 expended, leaving a balance of
.E 23,692
against the company. The revenue account for the half-
year ending 30th of June last showed that £3,02 had been
received, and £2,107 expended, leaving a balance of X 1,728.
To this is added £1,444 from lr.st account, making £3,17:2,
out of which is deducted £1,:l50 for interest on loans, leav-
ing £1,022 as above.