The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-07 00:00:00

that each station will add to the Metropolitan Rail-
way, not the districts, £lOO per week, and I base
that upon this fact. Directly the St. John's-wood
Railway was opened it produced to the Metropo-
litan £230 per week, and I say if the stations on
St. John's-wood, the traffic from one of which is
hotly competed for by the Midland Railway,
and the other so near Baiter-street, that it
was included in the area served by the
Metropolitan Railway before it was opened,
produced us that amount, we have a right to
expect more than the £BO per station arising from
the interchange with this portion of the Metropoli-
tan district, especially when we take into considera-
tion the far different position of the various stations;
take Westminster-bridge for instance, what finer
position can there be than that on the banks of the
river, close to Lambeth and its third-class people,
it will also convey a large number of the better
class who are constantly in the habit of going to
the law courts and other great e4ablishments.
At Westminster there is nothing on the St. John's-
wood to compare with that ; the whole three sta-
tions at S. John's-wood are not, I believe, compa-
rable with the one at Westminster-bridge. Then
we come to the station in the Broadway, that is
essentially a third-class passenger station. There
was a time when the venture down the Broad-
way was to render yourself liable to have your
pocket picked, if not to lose your Ffe. Then,
again, going further westward, you come to the
Victoria Station, a place where they start an enor-
mous number of trains into the suburbs and
to the Crystal Palace. There is also there the
Chatham and Dover. I do not know what the
statistics are of the passengers from the Victoria
Station who go into the country, but my belief is
that the Victoria Station will give us and the Me-
tropolitan Railway Company an enormous traffic.
Then you come to this station, and looking at
this station I say it is essentially a third class dis-
trict on this side, while it is a better class on the
other side. It was a point for starting a large
number of omnibuses, and they have continually
gone on increasing from the time of their starting to
the present day. I might say more for the Bromp-
ton traffic,which is further west than this. My con-
viction is that the traffic upon this portion of the
Metropolitan District Railway will astonish the
public when they see it, and when our extension is
opened to Thurloe-square, and we are enabled to
interchange traffic to this line, 1 say it will add
£l,OOO at least to our receipts. I think the greatest
commendation ought to be paid to the contractors
and officers of the District Railway, not excepting
the Metropolitan proper, and I think we ought to
couple with the toast the health of the deputy-
chairman, Mr. Sheriff. (Hear, hear.).
Mr. SIIERRIFF—I am not going to make a speech.
I never do. I merely say I agree with every word
our worthy chairman has stated. Ido not think
he has in any degree over-estimated the prospect
of the Metropolitan District or the Metropolitan
Railway Company, as connected with us. I have,
indeed, always held the view that the Metropo-
litan District Railway up to Westminster-bridge
is decidedly not the best, for I hold from
Westminster to the City is the more valu-
able but even from the westward !part, from
Westminster to Brompton, I believe will realise all
the expectations we have formed, and I hope we
shall work in perfect unity with the Metropolitan
Railway.
The health of the chairman, Mr. Parson, the
contractors, Messrs. Kelk, Waring Brothers, and
Lucas, and the general manager, Mr. Myles Fen-
ton, having been proposed, the meeting separated.