The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-21 00:00:00

Cabirb ISbition

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.
(THIS DAY.)
• WEST YORKSHIRE.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
A Learned COUNSEL bating stated that he appeared for
tile Harrogate and Ripon line, by which all the traffic on
that line would be conveyed from Harrogate and Knares-
berough,
The CHAIRMAN said that what had fallen from the
learned Counsel convinced the Committee that the course they
bad resolved upon to adopt would be the most convenient
one, as it would have the effect of relieving the town and
the city of a great number of people. He now would beg to
express a hope that none of the Learned Counsel would
introduce any topic that was not distinctly relevant to
the subject, because, do what they (the Committee)
would they would be obliged to sit there for a length of time,
and at much greater inconvenience than those at the other
end of the room. He hoped also that the counsel would
give the Committee credit for being in possession of
such local knowledge of the different lines, the population,
traffic, &c., as would render it unnecessary for counsel to
enter upon what he might call the A B C matter, and thus
not substitute tongue for time.
Mr. HILL said, that as he was placed in the unenviable
position of senior counsel here, lie begged to assure
the Committee that. he, and those who acted with
him, would be far from doing anything from sordid
motives, and would therefore do all they could to facilitate
the bffsiness before the Committee; but he hoped the
Committee would ask the House of Commons for the dom.
meats on which the Board of Trade had founded their report
upon this line.
'The CHAIRMAN said there was an order to that effect al-
ready before the House for all proposed lines approved of
by the Board of Trade.
Mr. HILDYARD then proceeded with the case fur
which be appeared as counsel. He had laid before
the Committee the plan of the Manchester and Leeds
line, except the Bury and Heywood, which, if ex-
tended about four miles further than it now did, would give
a great facility of access from a number of towns to:the main
line. The town of Heywood had 15,000 inhabitants and
Bury 24,000, and both towns had extensive cotton manufac-
tures, and the line had been approved of by the Board of
Trade.
Mr. Hayle, a witness, was then called, and his deposition
was to the effect that the present roads between Heywood
and Bury were very hilly and inconvenient.
Mr. Sergeant nELLASIS opposed tho line, on behalf of the
Eyre and Callon Canal Company, on the ground that the
line would injure their traffic.
The CITAIICMAN said it appeared to hint that the object of
the I.earned Counsel was to prove his locus standi here.
Mr. HILDYARD said that the line did not crows the canal at
all, but ran parallel with it.
The CHAIRMAN said the opposition appeared to the Com-
mittee to be very far fetched, and was matter more for con-
sideration when the details came to be discussed, than at
present.
Captain Latais, manager of the Manchester and Leeds line,
deposed that there was a very extensive traffic between
Heywood and Bury, and that there were very large ma-
chine and wool manufactories in each town. In cross-ex-
amination he said he had never seen an agreement by. the
Manchester and Leeds Company to pay the Eyre Canal
Company 40,000/. a year.
The CHAIRMAN said that all this appeared to be irrelevant,
as the question before the Committee was the proof of the
preamble of the Bill.
It was then agreed upon to admit the preamble as proved.
The Burnley line was then taken up, and Counsel con-
tended that its necessity was so apparent that lie need not
take the trouble of proving it, and, as the Bill was unopposed,
lie would proceed to call his witnesses.
Mr. John Moore deposed that Burnley was divided into
two townships, one of which contained 19,000 inhabitants,
and worsted and cotton mills to the amount of from 500 to
1,000 horse-power. The proposed line would considerably
diminish the present cost of the transit of goods.
Mr. Hopwood, cotton spinner, corroborated the last witness.
Counsel said that this was all the evidence they intended
to offer on this line, and would, therefore, proceed to the
next—namely,

OLDHAM.
Oldham was divided into two branches—namely, Oldham
proper and Mumps, and the question now before the Com-
mittee was, to carry on the line to Mumps.
Two witnesses were calted, who deposed as to the utility
of the line, and said that the population of Oldham was
24,000, and contained several manufactories, the transit of the
produce of which would be greatly facilitated and cheapened
by the proposed line.
Mr. Sergeant BELLASIS said he held in his hand a docu-
ment which, he contended, was an aeTeement, signed by
Ceitain Lewes, entered into by the Manchester and Leeds
Company, to pay the Canal Company a certain sum. If the
Committee should be satisfied that that was a valid docu-
ment, he would propose the substitution of a clause in the
Bill remedying this crying evil.
The CHAIRMAN said the Committee were unanimous in de-
claring that they had not the power to insert any such clause
in the Bill.
Mr. Sergeant BELLASIS said his clients would then try
their clause at another tribunal.
All the clauses were then, with some verbal amendments,
agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN then announced that the Committee would
go no further than this Bill to-day, and to-morrow, at
twelve o'clock, they would proceed with the Huddersfield
and Manchester line.
Mr. BAINES begged of the Chairman to procure the order
of the Speaker of the House of Commons to compel the at-
tendance of certain witnesses upon the West Yorkshire line,
who had refused to come.
The Committee on the C group of railways, consisting of
Mr. Barneby, Chairman, Sir W. Clay, 'Sir Winston Barron,
Lord Dalmeny, and Mr. Somes, sat this morning in
Committee Room 14, on the Huddersfield and Sheffield Junc-
tion Railway.
Mr. WHATELY, who was assisted by Mr. Baines and Mr.
Yatw, appeared for the Company, and after a brief opening
address, relied on the Committee allowing the preamble of
rho Bill.
Mr. TEMPLE opposed it on behalf of a lady named Horse-
tail, but was not prepared to sustain his objection, in conse-
quence of his client not expecting the discussion to come on
to-day.
This objection the Committee overruled, although
Mr. Wrier:me: expressed his readiness for an adjourn-
ment. Miss Horsetall's petition was the only one against
the Bill, and the Company were ready to make her any rea-
sonable compensation for the injury she had sustained by
the line passing through her garden. The Company were
willing to give her 2,0001. for the injury done to her property,
while the loss sustained could not be more than 300/.;
altogether Miss Horsefall valued the property at 6000/.
It was clearly an exaggeration, but the Company
were wiling to bear an extravagant charge rather
have their prospect impeded, and if the petitioner
chose to appoint arbitrators, they were quite willing
to abide the decision. Though ready, therefore, to postpone
the consideration for the Committee, yet he thought that no
great loss could accrue from proceeding.
Mr. Thomas Smith. solicitor, was examined on the sub-
scription contract. By his statement it appeared that there
were fifty-two subscribers to the undertaking, all of whom
were locally interested. The amount of their capital was
37,850/. ; =id, besides these, there were 106 other share-
holders, whose subscriptions amounted to 90,150/.
After a statement from Mr. Sutcliffe, who proved that the
line eras likely to be beneficial to the town of Huddersfield,
Mr. Charles Cope was called; by his statement it appeared
that the iong traffic would 1)1 21,8811., and the local receipts
47,953/., which left a net revenue of 41,990/. That was pre-
suming that this was the only line between Huddersfield and
Preston, but if the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway was
carried out this amount would have to be altered. There
were two Bills before Parliament, of which this was one.
Tile other was the Manchesier and Huddrrsfield, which was
an extension of the present Manchester and Leeds line. By
the promotion of the proposed line a great advantage would
be obtained in the facility of intercourse with the north-west
Districts of the country, and, by that means, even were the other
Bite formed a profit wc,ulil accrue to the company of more than
three times the loss which they would sustain from the local
competition of the Manchester and Huddersfield line.
Mr. Locke and Mr. Gee, the engineers, were examined as
to the difficulties of construction, and from their evidence
it aproared that the works would be of a difficult and expen-
sive cilaraeter, in consequence of the abruptness of the coun-
try, and {?rough there would be both tunnellings and viaducts,
as well as deep cuttings, yet that the estimate was up to the
exp:,nse likely to he incurred, the highest gradient being 1
in 100, and that only throegh a space of
The Committee allowed the preamble of the Bill to be
proved, and deferred the consideration of the opposition to it
till twelve to-morrow, when the inquiry is to be resumed.
LYNN AM) ELY, ANDIN ELY AND HUNTINGDON
LES.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mr. TALBOT said it was not his intention to object that
the town of Lynn would not be benefited by a line of railway
between that place and Ely.
Mr. AUSTIN would be obliged to his Learned Friend if he
stated then what his objection was.
Mr. TALBOT said the time for that was not come, but he
would tell his Learned Friend that be had a very substantial
Objection.
► Several persons were called wbo proved that the navigation
between Ely and Lynn tray liable to be stopped in winter
and summer, and caused great injury to persons engaged in
trade. Others ware called ho proved that the proposed line
would be of the greatest advantage to the agriculturists along
the line, who on an average sent up 122,000 head of sheep in
the year to London at a cost of 3d. per head, and an average
of from 1;0 to 200 beasts at a cost of 2s. 3d. per head.
Mr. Rastrick, engineer, examined by Mr. Sergeant
WRANGIIAM, said he surveyed the line in question, and se-
lected it as the best that could be selected for a railway
'there were no engineering chtlicnities. They did not •
here in the least with the banks on the navigation. They
had
bridges, but they did rot interfere in the least
with drainages. Ile went over the line with Mr.
Brunel, echo rho employed on behalf of the Bedford Level
Commissioners,. and they agreed that not the least injury
would be done to the banks,(aio7ges,?r navigation. He
bad calculations of the expenses the line.
ton:eneering cost was about 248,8261. The The
makingcos.t of land was
about 51,174/. The line was made with a view to double
set of rails, but only one set of rails would be laid down.
ear. Sage:nit WRANO
BA3I said that the Company would
Consent to the usual clause of laying down the double set of
wren the Board of Trade required it.
The caSC; for the promoters of the Bill having closed,
Mr. TALBOT said that the time was now come for him to
etate hie opposition to the Bill, which he would do in a very
short time. His Learned Friend might have sent him awe),
Aram the Committee, if those whom lie represented made
eom;:ensation to thsse whom lie (Mr. Talbot) represented.
-fie did not mean to deny that a railroad corn-
nitioic.ation would not be greatly beneficial to the town
,y/m. Ile did not rest his case as a competing case, for he
admitted that in that view he would not have any locus
atandi before the Committee, but on the peculiar circum- '
stances of the case. The oljection then, was that the loss
loin would accrue frem the means now possessed
by the parties for whom he appeared being taken
front them, they would not be able to keep up and
maintain tile cuts made for the drainage of the country,
which was so neceseary even for the railway itself, for that
was the point. The Commisaioners of the Eanbrink
leerke posed an income of 11,8001, their 9000 e,
leaving them a balance of 2800/. They would lose
ere-ball .their navigation tolls byat eto the the Railwa
maintey
nd the residue would be totally inadequ-
;lance of the drain. The Sout Leveland expenditure was
Commissioners had a
total income of 5,050/., and liabilities
2,3501. They would lose 25. 3d. of
if thug their navigetion tolls,
anc4
which would be equal to 1,900/., a bal
of 450/. The consequence would r
be
103. thatwould a large
acreage tax of probably • sou or be
imposed to keep the drains in a lit state. This was a pe-
culiar case, distinct from the rase of a turnpike-road or a
canal, and he hoped he had established a &diluent case bc
by
t
the Committee to establish a claim for couipenatioa o