The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-11 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX and SURREY GRAND
JUNCTION RAILWAY.
STANDING ORDERS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,—l am a shareholder in the Middlesex and Surrey
Grand Junction Railway ; and have, consequently, re-
garded with much interest the railway applications to
Parliament this session ; and I feel deeply convinced of
the necessity of a most rigid revision of the standing
orders, or, at least, of their being enforced with strict
impartiality ; and, if you will permit me, I will contri-
bute a few facts in reference to the above line which may
be of public utility at the present moment.
At the close of November last extra Gazettes were
published, containing a notice of an intended line of
railway from Hogg's-mill River, on the South Western
Railway, through certain districts, to Epsom in Surrey ;
and in such notice was contained a paragraph that
" Application was intended to be made to Parliament for
leave to let or sell the intended line to the South Wes-
tern Railway Company." This notice was signed by
Mr. Bircham and Messrs. Morgan, solicitors, Old Jewry.
The usual landowners' notice was subsequently
served along the line very imperfectly, as I am informed,
some land-owners being omitted—why, I do not stop to
inquire—and the usual deposit of plans, &c., was made
by the same parties who published the notice in the
Gazette.
In February a petition was presented on behalf of the
South Western Railway Company (mark this!) for leave
to bring in a Bill, &c, for making the line, and the same
was referred to the Committee on Standing Orders.
Now this Committee had to decide whether the South
Western Company had, amongst other things, published
the usual notices required by the Standing Orders, and
the Committee decided the South Western Company had.
Now, it is clear that the South Western Company
never published or served a single notice, the only notice
of the intended line being the above, which bears on the
face of it evidence of its NOT
.being the South Western
Company's; for none but madmen would have applied to
Parliament to let or sell an intended line to themselves !
but the name of Mr. Bircham, the respectable solicitor
to the South Western Company. being attached to that
notice, in company with other solicitors' names, seems to
have had an effect on the Committee.
Now, here the Standing Orders are a perfect farce,
and I repeat the South Western Company never served
a single notice of this intended line before the presenta-
tion of the petition. The House, however, received a
report that the Standing Orders had been complied
with, and the Bill was read a second time, and, unless
the Lords interfere, will become a law.
From the case above-mentioned, one would naturally
conclude that the Committee would not be very
squeamish about the Standing Orders ; and the Mid-
dtesex and Surrey Company applied for an extension
of time ; but, observe the different conduct pursued
in this latter instance—it was refused peremptorily,
no witnesses examined, and the undertaking is thrown
over until next session.
Now Sir, there are, or rather were, three lines of
railway before the House, running to or near the town
of Epsom, in Surrey—Hogg's-mill River to Epsom—
Croydon to Epsom—and the Middlesex and Surrey,
crossing the country between Epsom and Ewell. Jus-
tice to Epsom demanded that the three lines should be
before the Committee together, in order that the best of
the three should be adopted. This is denied, and it will,
in all probability. be seen that a clumsy junction of the
Croydon-Epsom and Kingston-Epsom may be finally ef-
fected. Another consideration arises—whence arises this
extraordinary power of the South Western Company to set
aside a Standing Order of such vital importance to the
public as the public notices in the Gazette, and individual
notices along the line ? Is there a sort of mesmeric
power possessed by established companies over Com-
mittees of the House ?
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A CONSTANT READER.

MILITARY STATIONS.

(From the United Service Magazine for March.)