The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-31 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTEr LIG NCE.

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN AND GREAT
NORTHERN.

The following is the reply ti the direcT-ors of the Lon-
don and North-Wrstern Company to the minutes of the
deputation of the joint cotnpahies to settle the prevail-
ing disputes : _ _

"Euston-station, March 27.
' "The directors of the London and North-Western
Company have carefully considered the minute of the
deputations from the mediating companies, dated 22d
and 23d instant. The further recommendations con-
tained in that minute are admittedly made in conse-
quence of the refusal of the Great. Northern and SLef-
field companies to continue to act upon the arrangement
concluded on the 11th inst., when, in deference to the
wishes of the deputations, and in order to facilitate as far
as possible the settlement advocated by them, the Lon-
don and North-Western Board made concessions be-
yond what the Sheffield Company had any right to
claim or expect at their hands.
"The only question upen which there is any substan-
tial difference between the parties is, whether the Lon-
don and North-Western Company, in consideration of a
three months' agreement for equal rates and fares—
which agreement could not be legally enforced even
for that short period—ought to give up permanently
their legal right, under the agreement of July, 1854,
between them and the Sheffield Company, of which
agreement that company have for several bears had the
benefit, and which they had lately thought fit to
put an end to, without either giving the stipulated
notice or accepting the stipulated reference to arbitra•
tion. This condition is now sought to be imposed on
the London and North-Western Company by the Shef-
field and Great Northern directors.

" With a full knowledge of the fact that this board
wholly declined to agree to such a condition, which bad
been proposed through the deputation by the other
party, and expressly refused by the London and North-
Western directors on the 11th inst., the deputation
came to the decision recorded in their minute of that
day that there was no valid reason for continuing the
present injurious rates.

" The London and North-Western directors might
have reasonably objected to any re-opening of the deci-
sion so arrived at, but a new suggestion having been
offered by the deputations with respect to the litigation
forced upon this company by the Sheffield Company's
proceedings in connection with the South Junction line,
and with the Warrington and Stockport agreement, and
with the Chester station, this board, arxious to meet
the views of the deputations to the fullest possible ex-
tent consistently with their duty, offered in the minute,
under date the 22d inst., to leave to the absolute deci-
sion of Mr. Leeman the questions involved in these liti-
gations, which offer, however, was not accepted by the
Sheffield Company.
" This board have therefore read with some surprise
the subsequent minute of the deputations now under
reply, and in which it is intimated that the Sheffield and
Great Northern companies now again, and as a condi-
tion of accepting the decision of the deputations, claim
that this board shall wave permanently their rightful
position in the legal and Parliamentary proceedings
forced upon them with relation to the repudiated
agreement of 1854; those companies reserving to them-
selves, at the same time, the right, unlimited and un-
restricted in any degree, to carry on their attacks upon
this company by means of their suit in Chancery and
their fire bills now before Parliament. This board must
again wholly object to such a condition.
"Confessedly injurious as are all these measures and
proceedings o❑ theepart of the Sheffield Company, not
only to the London and North-Western Company, but
to many others also, it cannot be pretended that they
are calculated or designed to result in permanent advan-
tage to the public.
" Tuis is made abundantly clear by the following ex-
tract from a published letter addressed by M r. Chapman,
deputy-chairman of the Sheffield Company, to Mr.
Denison, chairman of of the Great Northern Company,
so recently as the 11th of February, 1856, at which
time the Sheffield Company was acting under the agree•
ment of July, 1854, with this company. A copy of the
letter in question was handed to the deputations on the
11th iE st.

"'You (Mr. Denison) will recollect that for many
years your company (the Great Northern) has coveted
the Sheffield and Manchester traffic. You induced
Parliament, on grounds of competition, to give you run-
ning power over our line from Retford to Sheffield,
made out of the money of our shareholders, and oar
property was seriously damaged thereby, and fatal acci-
dents also resulted. After you obtained those powers
of competition you agreed to divide the traffic (which
you were thereby enabled to compete for) with the
London and North-Western and Midland. You stopped
competition, raised fares and rates, and ceased to
care, for the time being, whether that traffic passed over
our railway (and tbereby to some slight extent compen-
sated us) or otherwise.

" The Great Northern Railway Act was obtained as
for a line from London to York, and no part of your
case for that line, either alleged or suppose .1 was that of
Manchester traffic. Parliament never purposed, i❑
giving that line, specially to make a second line to Man-
chester.

"'Suppose you had the power to run to Manchester
to-morrow, what would be your course 3 After a cam-
paign of competition you would charge the same fares
as the London and North• Western, taking the public,
of necessity, in a somewhat longer time ; you would at
length be ready to dispose of your share of the traffic
thus acquired under any division which would leave you
in a better pecuniary position than Loofore. You would
act, as regards Manchester, precisely as you did as re-
garded Sheffield, and our shareholders and the public
would be the victim?.

" 4 JOHN CHAPMAN.

" ' To Mr. E, Denison, M.P., Doncaster.'

"Simultaneously with the prosecution of the hostile
measures before referred to, the Sheffield Company have,
for the obvious purpose of extorting terms, commenced
and continue to carry on a competition at rates so re-
duced as to entirely destroy all profit, both to this com-
pany and to themselves, and which have the effect also
of diverting from its natural course the traffic of neigh-
bouring companies. For example, the Sheffield and
Great Northern companies carry passengers from Man-
chester to London and back, via Sheffield, a distance
exceeding 400 miles for ss. ; whereas between points
upon their own lines they charge the same sum for
carrying a third-class passenger 60 miles.
"The London and North-Western Company are pre-
pared to abide by and act upon the arrangement come
to on the 11th of March, and to make the further con-
cessions offered in their minute of the 22d inst., so far as
now applicable. The question of the alleged right of the
Warrington and Stockport Company to use the joint
station at Chester, under their Act of 1853, which point
alone is raised in the pending suit is now before the
courts, by whom it will be speedily and conclusively dis-
posed of. With reference to the South Junction
accounts, the London and North-Western directors con-
cur entirely with the deputations in the opinion that
these accounts oug-ht not to be disturbed, except upon
very strong grounds ;' but entertaining that opinion,
they will feel it their duty to bring these accounts under
the review of the Court of Chancery, should the Sheffield
directors refuse to refer them to Mr. Leeman or other
impartial arbitrator, with power to make such investiga-
tion and correction of them as he may find just and
necessary. The London and North-Western directors
are ready to refer this matter, as well as all other ques-
tions in difference, relating to the accounts, tolls, and
rates connected with the South Junction line and
Warrington and Stockport agreement to Mr. Leeman,
without complicating such reference by any unnecessary
limitations, and to abide by his decision,' as recom-
mended by the deputations.
"The London and North-Weqern Board, as the trus-
tees of so large a property, have too deep an interest to
be insensible of the evils attending the reckless compe-
tition set on foot, and now carried on by the Sheffield
and Great Northern companies, or of the still greater
evils which may result from its continuance and exten-
sion. Deprecating the existing state of things, they are
prepared as heretofore, at once and unconditionaly to
restore the rates and fares at all points vi here the com-
panies are in competition to the position in which they
stood prior to the contest, or to such other scale as the
deputation shall consider reasonable ; but if the Sheffield
and Great Northern companies persist in their refusal
to give up, even temporarily, the existing ruit -
ous rates and fares, unless this board will agree to aban
don their duty to their proprietors by now pledging
themselves that under no circumstances will they seek
to enforce the legal rights of this company, the respon-
sibility of that course of proceeding and its consequences
will not rest upon the directors of this company, who
must in tbat event leave the question to be dealt with by
the Legislature, feelittg that by such a course they will
best consult not only the interests of their proprietors,
but also the permanent interests of the public.
"The London and North-Western Board cannot close
this communication without again expressing their thanks
to the members of the deputations for the time and
trouble bestowed by them in endeavouring to bring about
a termination of the existing reckless competition, so
injurious to all parties."

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN, AND GREAT
NORTHERN & MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD,
AND LINCOLNSHIRE COMPETITION.

In reference to the reply of the London and North
Western Railway Company to .the recommendation of
deputations from the Midland, Lancashire and York-
shire, North-Eastern, and Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway companies, respecting the competition for the
London and Manchester traffic, the joint committee of
the Great Northern and Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-
colnshire companies submit the following statement :
" Easton Hotel, March 30.
"The Great Northern and Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire Joint Committee can only express their
regret that the London and North-Western Company
have thought proper to decline to adopt the recommen-
dation of the mediating companies—the Midland, the
Lancashire and Yorkshire, North-Eastern, and East
Lancashire companies. The deputations from those
companies had before them all the fee's on both sides,
and their recommendation embodied the conclusions
they came to, as impartial arbiters, as to the course
which ought to be taken by the London and North-
Western on the one hand, and the Great Northern and
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire •n the other.
This decision the Great Northern and Manchester,
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire agreed to adopt, and if it had
also been adopted by the London and North-Western
Company there would have been an end of the com-
petition in rates which the London and North-Wee-
t ern affect to deplore in designating it a reckless competi-
tion. It injurious consequences do result from the con-
tinuance of competitive rates, the London and North-
Western have now only themselves to blame for
it, Impartial arbiters Lave interposed—they Lave heard