The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-24 00:00:00

EAST KENT.

The half-yearly report by the directors has just
been issued. It says :
" Since the last general meeting the works on the line
have been steadily progressing, and between Strood and
Faversham are drawing rapidly towardscompletion.
,
Although some delay bee taken ia
unex-
pected difficulties which have arisePnact_e owing to
the Strood
end of
the line, still the engineer sees no reason to depart from
the expectation which he expressed in his last report of
the line being ready for traffic in the autumn .of this year.
The arrears of calla appear large, but this is owing mainly
to the forfeited shared still in the hands of the company,
which the directors do not think it prudent to issue in
the present state of the money market. In accordance
with the opinions expres ed by the shareholders at the
last general meeting, the board proceeded with the bill
for an extension of the East Kent line from Strood to
St. Mary's Cray, in conjunction with the West End and
Crystal Palace and Mid-Kent (Bromley to St. Mary's
Cray). It will be in the recollection of the shareholders
that this measure was considered necessary in order to
the due conveyance of the Continental and East Kent
traffic which will come from Dover over the East Kent
line, and which it is admitted by the South Eastern their
North Kent line will be unable to carry. It had the
further object of securing a West-end Terminus for the
traffic to and from Rochester, Chatham, Canterbury,
Ramsgate, Margate, Deal, Dover, and the Continent.
It would likewise have carried out the views of the
Government so often expressed in favour of an inland in-
dependent line to Dover. The South-Eastern, at the same
time, were promoting a line from Dartford to the Green-
wich Junction, for the purpose of partially effecting
only one of these three objects, namely, the relief of the
North Kent, at a cost nearly, if not quite equal, to the
more comprehensive 'measure. The directors have to
report that the committee of the House of Commons
declared against the East Kent Bill, and gran' ed
that of the S tith-Eastern, on the ground that " the
competition which would be created by the former would
be very injurious to the South-Eastern," thus appear-
ing to ignore altogether the policy of Parliament, which
had already passed the East Kent Extension Bill, in
1855, with the avowed object of supplying a second and
independent line to Dover. The committee, however,
acknowledged the importance of the object contemplated
by the East Kent of securing a West-end terminus, by
exacting a pledge from the South-Eastern directors, as a
condition of passing their bill, that they would call their
shareholders together, and propose to them to come to
Parliament next session for the purpose of obtaining a
West-end terminus. Tho committee, in considering this
bill in connection with that promoted by the East Kent,
have adopted the opinion enunciated by the sth report
of the select committee on railway and canal bills bear-
ing date July 8, 1853. The committee believe that the
competition which would be created by passing the bill
now brought before it by the East Kent would be
greatly prejudicial to the South-Eastern. That the
South-Eastern has constructed expensive works autho-
rised by the Legislature for public use, and that such
clear grounds of public policy have not been adduced as
to justify the committee in further diminishing the re-
sources from which their just remuneration was to
spring." The passage referred to in this report, and
which was contained in the South-Eastern's petition
against the East Kent bill, forms only an imperfect ex-
tract from a paragraph in Mr. Cardwell's report of 1853,
which was made before the passing of the East Kens
Act in 1853, and two years before Parliament
found it necessary to establish a principle of com-
petition for the continental traffic by granting the
East Kent extension to Dover. The whole para-
graph is as follows, that part referred to by the com-
mittee of the House of Commons in their special report
being printed in italics :—" As regards territorial divi-
sion in the high meaning attached to those words by
some of the witnesses, amounting to an assumption that
a concession of a certain territory should be made in a
particular company, and the faith of Parliament be
pledged against the intrusion of any rival within the
circle so prescribed, your committee are satisfied that
no such engagement can in reason be asked for from
Parliament, nor would it be of any enduring value if it
were given ; the only security which any company can
obtain for the undivided possession of a particular dis-
trict is the maintenance of such relations with the in-
habitants of that district with Parliament, the guardian
of the general good, as may render the continuance of
that exclusive possession consistent with an enlightened
regard to the wants and interests of the public. Your
committee consider that the principle heretofore esta-
blished at law, that an Act of Parliament constitutes an
engagement between promoters on the one side and the
public on the other, is a principle deserving more con-
sideration than it hitherto obtained as a guide to future
legislation. This principle rightly understood conveys
to the promoters no right that their privileges shall be
exclusively maintained when they cease to be consistent
with the general advantage, but it does imply that
having bees anthorised by the Legislature to construct
expensive works for public use, the resources from
which their just remuneration was to spring shall
not be taken away upon any other than clear grounds
of public) policy. The directors considering that the
decision of the committee of the House of Commons
was at variance with the views of the Legislature and
Government, and most unjust to the East Kent as well
as to the public, determined to appeal against it to the
Upper House of Parliament. In this determination
the directors wore fortified by the strong expressions as
to the impolicy of the decision of the committee, which
fell from many independent members of the Howie
of Commons on the third reading of the Soath-
Eastern bid. A petition was therefore presented
to the House of Lords in the name of the East Kent,
praying to be heard against the South-Eastern bill, and
that it might be rejected. The South-Eastern having op.
posed the right of the East Kent to be heard, the Lords'
committee decided that they were entitled to be heard
against the bill, but also to set up as against the South-
lantern line the extension line from Strood to St. Mary
Cray rejected by the Commons. After hearing the evi-
dence of Lord Sondes and Mr. Lushington, the com-
mittee of the House of Lords—impressed no doubt with
the argumects urged by this company of the impolicy of
granting a monopoly to the South-Eastern, and thus per-
forming the circuitous route by Reigate and Ashford to
Ramsgate, Margate, Dover, and the Continent, of the
great national importance of an independent and direct
line between Canterbury and Dover and the metropolis,
of the great public advantage of a West-end terminus,
and of the convenient mode and small expense at which
therm objects would be secured by the proposed East-
Kent extension—reversed the decision of the House of
Commons and threw! out the S suth-Eastern bill. This
decision, weile it materially supports the views and
strengthens the case of the East-Kent, leads to the con-
viction that Parliament will tot sanction the whole of
the Continental and East-Kent traffic being in the hands
of a company who have a direct interest in carrying it
over their own circuitous route by Reigate and Ash-
ford to the city, instead of over a route not materially
longer than the old coach road to the Cay and West-end.
The directors consider that the principle has now
been affirmed that the East Kent ought to have an
access to London from Strood independent of the Sou'h-
Eaatern. The bill introduced by the board for an ex-
tension of time for the purchase of land for the Dover
Extension line till August 1853 has received the royal
assent. The directors are making the necessary arrange-
meets with a view to the speedy opening of the line.
The necessary rolling-stock has been ordered, and a con-
siderable portion of it is now ready for delivery. The
engineer's report expresses an opinion that a considereble
portion of the line may be opened in October. The ac-
cennts sho v a total receipt of 457,669/. and an expendi-
ture of 446,426/.—leaving a balance of 11,2431. The
arrears of calls on 630,000/. is stated at 243,3051. Oa
the Dover Extension line the receipts have been 52,729/.
and the expenditure 44,2091., showing a balance of
8,520/. The arrears of call 0n87,5904. are 41,0221.