The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-25 00:00:00

.RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH WALES.
The 26th half-yearly ordinary meeting of the pro-
prietors of this compaLy was held yesterday, pur-
suant to notice, at the Great Western Hotel, Pad-
dington, Mr. C. H. M. Talbot being in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, expressed his regret that although the gross
receipts of the company for the last year had been
358,0001., yet that out of that sum only 82,0001.
found its way into the pockets of the shareholders.
There were, however, several causes which during
the last half-year had contributed to affect in a
peculiar manner the general traffic of the company.
The first of those causes to which he should allude
was the unfortunate " strike " which had taken
place among t :e colliers in Glamorganshire, and
which had led to a serious falling off in the mineral
traffic over the line. The next cause was to be found
in the expense attendant upon relaying the line in
the neighbourhood of Swansea at a cost of 20,0001.,
of which sum 5,0001. had been apportioned upon
the last half-year, thereby causing a considerable
decrease in the dividends for that period. He might
also observe that the unfortunate accident
which had occurred near Pyle station on the 14th
of October last, and which had resulted in the
loss of several lives, had led to the necessity for
compensation upbn the part of the company being
made to no less than 60 persons at an expense of
6,0001. A great many suggestions had been made
to the directors, with a view of providing a remedy
against the recurrence of such accidents for the
future, and they had come to the conclusion that,
as it was proved those accidents were to be attri-
buted to the risk which was run through mistakes
made in sending telegraphic messages, regulations
should be made which would take all responsibility
off the telegraph, and that written messages should
be despatched and written answers received before
any train set out on a wrong line. Having said thus
with regard to the dark side of the picture, he
should advert to the brighter aspect which the
other side presented, and say a few words upon
the future prospects of the company. The directors
were in expectation of receiving very shortly the
award of Capt. Galton, who had been nominated as
umpire, to determine the amount to be allowed to
the Great Western Railway Company for the sup-
ply of rolling stock, and they hoped that they
would be enabled thenceforward to work the line at
a reduced expense, while they at the same time did
not hold out the prospect that any very large sav-
ing could be effected. He had upon many previous
occasions alluded to the apparent difference of the
cost of locomotion on the south Wales as compared
with other lines. He had, indeed, consulted some

of the greatest locomotive authorities upon the
subject, but without being able to receive any
satisfactory answer to his inquiries ; nor could
he explain why the expense should be so much
greater in the case of the South Wales than in that
of the South-Western Railway. All improvement
might, however, be effected in that respect, and
the subject was one which ought, in his opinion, to
enter into the calculations of Capt. Galtun or any
other arbitrator. Another sousce of improvement
in working the affairs of the company would be the
holding of the meetings, if not of the Board, at all
events of the traffic committees, in Wales. (Hear.)
The company had, it was true, no other railway to
compete with their line, but they must bear in
mind that so long as the sea was open as a highway
to the trader and that he could transport his goods
in vessels at a somewhat smaller cost than by rail-
way he would continue to do so. Let the slightest
advantage, however, in the scale of expense be
the side of the railway, and he would at once make
use of it, and having used would notfailf7 tlinte' fu-
tore.e to avail himselfof the advantages which it af-
forded. He (the chairman) might mentionl that the
traffic of the company, in what
trifling
led in Wales
thesteam-coal trade, was vemryeett.itling in amount,
and he should put it to the
not a question worthy of serious cliolgnswidheertahtieornitwwhaes-
cher traffic committees could not be appointed to
meet in Wales for the purpcse of organising
a trade in that quarter ? There was also another
subject which was well entitled to the attention of
the company ; he alluded to the traffic with Ireland.
Large quantities of goods were every day being sent
over here from that country, and under these cir-
cumstances he saw no reason why a daily
packet
service between Milford and Waterford should not
pay well. The only difficulty which stood in the
way of such a service was that of procuring specu-
lators to establish sufficient number of ateamcn