The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-24 00:00:00

SOUTH-EASTERN.

The directors of this company have resolved to re-
commend the proprietors, at their half-yearly meet-
ing on the 30th inst., to declare a dividend at the
rate of £2 17s. 6d. per annum.
The report of the directors states that the gross
traffic receipts for the half-year ending 31st July
amounted to £658,696 (including £29,093 for'steam
boat traffic), as compared with £630,435 for the
corresponding period of 1865, being an increase of
£28,261. The ordinary working expenses during
the half-year amounted to £276,121 ; the rates,
taxes, tolls, and Government duty to £40,355 ; and
the working of the steam-packet service to £14,240.
After providing for all preference and fixed charges,
and for £32,914 for past compensation, there re-
mained a net balance of £111,161, out of which the
directors proposed a dividend of £2 17s. 6d. per cent.
per annum on the ordinary consolidated stock of
the company, payable on Thursday, the 6th Sept.,
leaving a balance of £1,397 to be carried forward.
The number of passengers carried during the half-
year was £8,495,435, against £7,878,970 for the cor-
responding half of 1865, showing an increase of
616,465 passengers. The receipts for passengers
amounted to £412,064, and for the same half of 1865
to £400,304, showing an increase of £11,760, of
which £8,872 was derived from third-class, £2,033
from second-class, and £855 first-class. There
had been an increase of £10,163 in the receipts
for merchandise and minerals and cattle. The
ordinary working expenses showed an increase o
£9,226 during the half-year, due principally to the
increased number of train miles run, and to increased

law charges. The very large sum of £32,943 had
been paid as compensation, making, with the sum
of £39,345 paid in the half-year ending the 31st
January last, a total payment far compensation in
the year of £72,288, or, adding law charges, equa
_ _

to a dividend of 1 per cent. on the company's ordi
nary consolidated stock. The claims in respect o

the recent unfortunate accidents have now been all
settled and charged in the half-yearly accounts, with
the exception of a final sum of £l,OOO, the payment
of which had been arranged since the close of the
half-year. The company's steamboats had crossed

the Channel 792 times during the half-year in the
regular course of service, and with their accustomed
regularity, the average speed maintained by the three
large new passenger boats in all the voyages made

by them having been nearly 17i statute miles per
hour. The directors have decided to open the
Cannon-street station on the Ist of September,
although some of the works at the terminus were
still incomplete. The Dartford Loop of the North
Kent Railway would also be opened on the same
day. The works between Chiselhurst and Tunbridge
were proceeding satisfactorily, and were expected to
be finished in the course of next year. The total
cost of this line (which was the only work of con-
struction now in progress) would be aboutX9oo,ooo,
of which £730,000 had already been expended.
Under the agreement for the division of Continental

traffic the London, Chatham, and Dover Company
had, in the earlier part of the last half-year, to credit
this company with an excess of receipts taken by
them above the proportion due. Since then thi
company had carried somewhat more than that pro-
portion.

The capital account to the 31st of July showed
that £17,628,611 had been expended, including
£549,432 during the past half year.

LONDON, TILBURY, AND SOUTIIEND.
The directors of this company state that the re-
venue account furnished by the lessees showed that
the receipts for the half-year ending the 30th of
June last amounted to £25,387, and the expenses to
£17,972, leaving a balance of £7,415. The returns
of passengers, tolls, and proportions of goods' re-
ceipts derived by the Great Eastern and North
London Companies from the traffic of the line dur-
ing the half-year amounted to £11,320, which, added
to the £25,387, made the gross receipts for Tilbury
traffic £36,707 for the half-year. The capital ac-
count showed that £794,744 had been expended,
leaving a balance of £456.

WARE, lIADHAM, AND BUNTINGFORD.
The directors in their report state they are far from
being satisfied with the accommodation afforded the
district by the manner in which the Gieat Eastern
Railway Company work the traffic. They contrasted
the facilities which the Great Northern Company
gave in the district for the development of traffic
with the disadvantages the Buntingford railway
laboured under in consequence of an inefficient mode
of working the traffic. Even the carriers upon the
public road from Royston, through Buntingford, to
London, were now carrying a great deal of the traffic
that ought to come by the Ware, Hadham, and Bun-
tingford Raihiay. The balance-sheet showed that
£123,008 had been expended. The traffic receipts
for the past half-year amounted to i 2,579, against
£2,559 for the corresponding half of last year, show-
ing an increase of £2O.

SOUTH YORKSHIRE.
The directors' report states that £128,300 had
been expended on capital
half-
year. The revenue account that £24,784
accountsb during the
had been required for intier4e3s,t:ownedd
loans and for rents, and
preference stock and shares,
minimum dividend on the ordinary stock guaranteed
Cent.
and 68
tf
101 debentures bdesinvti ud re ensd a lot inl
by the Manchester, Sheffield, and LincolnshircanPteleld
way Company, making together £68,152 which was'
received from the latter company. The total expen_
diture on capital account was £3,111,578.

NORTLT AND SOITTII-WESTERN JUNCTION.
The report states that the receipts for the half-
year ending the 30th of June last, after deduction
of working expenses, amounted to £5,761, against
£4,893 in the corresponding half of last year, show-
ing an increase of £B6B. During the half-year con-
siderable expense had been incurred in renewing
the bridge carrying the company's line over the
Great Western Railway., and also the bridge over
the Grand Junction Canal at Willesden. The gene-
ral result of the working was a disposable balance
of £2,716, from which the directors recommend a
dividend at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum, leav-
ing a balance of £6l. The capital account showed
that £.114,869 had been expended, leaving a balance
of £2,031.

DUBLIN, WICKLOW, AND WEXFORD.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held in Dublin on Monday; Mr. W. Dargan in the
chair.

The report, an abstract of which has appeared in
The Sun, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said he thought the receipts of_ the past