The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-16 00:00:00

SOUTH DEVON.

be revenue
The report of the directors states th tt
for the half-year ended the 31st of December last
amounted to £123,654, as compared with
xi
received during the corresponding half of liV3
£102,614 for same half of 1863, and £99,526 for
;
the same half of 1862. The expenses amounted for
the past half-year to £62,758 as compared with
£53,350 for the same half of 1864, with
£54,402 in 1863, and £55,644 for the same
half of 1862 ; the profit on working being £60,895,
£56,812, £48,212, and £43,882 respectively.
The opening of the Launceston and South
Devon Railway for traffic on the Ist July last caused
an addition of 181 miles to the mileage worked. The
receipts on this branch had been mainlyderived from
passenger traffic, the want of accommodation having

LISKEARD AND CARADON.

The half-yearly meeting was held at Liskeard on
Tuesday—Mr. Clymo in the chair.

The report, which was unanimously adopted,
stated that there was a disposable balance of £2,084,
out of which the directors recommended that a divi-
dend be declared at the rate of 5 per cent. The
Cheesewring branch had been completed. The re-
tiring directors, Messrs. Clymo and Glencross, were
re-elected, and the proceedings terminated.

delayed until October the commencement of gene- £1,200. They proposed to raise the money by the
ml merchandise traffic, which was now from the • issue of debentures.
same cause only partially worked. The amount due The retiring directors were re-elected, and also
to the Launceston Company as the net earnings of , Messrs. Sandell and Eames, the retiring auditors.
the half-year was £2,623. The revenue account I An extraordinary general meeting was then held,
presented a disposable balance of £42,171, and after I and the directors were authorised to convert the
providing for all preference and other charges the I paid-up shares into stock, and to issue the remainder
directors were enabled to recommend the payment 1 of the capital, and to exercise the borrowing powers
of a dividend at the rate of 31 per cent. per annum to a certain extent.
on the ordinary stock, leaving a balance of £1,650 for
the current half-year. The capital account, as pro-
vided by the act of 1865, now included the capital
receipts and expenditure of the South Devon and
Tavistock Railway Company, which had merged
into this company. The directors had conferred with
the committee having the management of the Corn-
wall and West Cornwall Railways, with the object
of bringing about a satisfactory arrangement in re-
spect to working the lines for locomotive purposes
between Exeter, Falmouth, and Penzance as one
system. The length of railways to be so worked at
a mileage rate was at present 191 miles. It was be-
lieved that the united working of so considerable a
mileage would admit of great economy when the
plan was put into operation on the Ist July next.
The West Cornwall rolling stock, tools, engines,
&c., had been valued at £43,289. The payment of
this money would be secured to the West Cornwall
by bonds of the associated companies. The capital
account showed that £2,682,768 had been expended,
leaving a balance of £37,913.

BIRMINGHAM TOWN AND DISTRICT BANK.

The directors have determined upon the payment
of an interim dividend of 9s. per share (£6 paid)
for the half-year ending the 31st of December.

Court of Common Council.

-Ap..------

A special Court of Common Council was held
yesterday at Guildhall, under the presidency of the
Lord Mayor.
Mr. R. N. PHILIPPS inquired of Mr. Rudkin,
the chairman of the Markets Improvement Com-
mittee, whether that committee had made any
arrangement to give greater facility for the
slaughtering of cattle at the Metropolitan Cattle-
market. He considered it very important at the
present juncture that some steps of the sort should
be taken. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. RUDKIN, in reply, said that at present there
were slaughter-houses at the market in which 500
animals could be slaughtered daily, but the commit-
tee had it in contemplation to erect other abattoirs
in which a very much larger number of animals could
be slaughtered, if butchers and others interested
chose to avail themselves of the additional accom-
modation. (Hear, hear.)
Alderman WATERLOW said that while they were
upon the subject of the market, he should be glad
if the chairman would inform him whether any steps
hail been taken by the committee to render the two
large buildings that were intended originally for
hotels available for lodging-houses for the working
classes,•or any other useful purpose.'
Mr. RUDKIN said that the committee had adver-
tised the buildings to be let several times, but he was
sorry to say that they had only received one answer,
which was from the North London Society for Im-
proving the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, and
they had granted a lease of the premises for 21 years
to that society, in order that they might carry out
the objects they had in view.
THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS.

Mr. BEDFORD brought forward a motion, that a
special committee be appointed to consider the de-
sirability of altering the respective number of mem-
bers returned to this Court by the several wards of
the City, having regard to the number of freemen
occupiers and the rateable value of the property in
each ward, and to report thereon to this Court.
To this motion there was an amendment by Mr.
E. DAVIS, " That after the word ward' the fol-
lowing words, ' and that such select committee do
extend their inquiries, with a view of effecting a
comprehensive reform of the Corporation."
A somewhat desultory discussion took place upon
the motion and the amendment, and in the result
the latter was declared to be negatived.
Mr. ANDERTON then moved as another amendment
the previous question, which upon a division taking
place, was declared to be carried, the numbers being
—For the amendment, 76 ; against it 26 ; majority
in favour of the amendment, 50.