The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-09 00:00:00

GROUP L.

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PORTSMOUTH ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of Saturday.)
To the cross-examination of Mr. COCKBURN, the witness stated
that these tables had only lately been made, but in the tables sent
into the Board of Trade he had made the estimate for the whole
returns, 388,000/. 10s. 11d., and, deducting from this
155,2121. 4s. 4d , being 40 per cent. for working ex-
penses, there was a balance of 232,8181. for net revenue.
He then had calculated the passengers at ltd. and lid. per
head per mile, and he had taken a greater number of miles and
more coaches. Among the latter was the Brighton, the Worthing,
and the Horsham coaches. In addition to this they had taken all
the Guilford trade, which was considerable. His charge also now
was only Id per mile for the passengers. Another reduction had
been made on the parcels, from 2s. to Is. each. He had made this
reduction because he believed that the South-Western Company
had reduced their charge, but he had not made any detailed in.
quiry, or gone to the offices of the Company to ask for a table of
charges.
To the cross-examination of Mr. GURNEY—In his present
tables he estimated the whole of the tonnage at 257,621 tons
in the year, but in the tables sent into the Board of Trade
he had estimated the weight at 521,476 tons. The
traffic between Godalming and London was stated at 96,460
tons, but of this he took only one.third, carried at 2d. per
ton per mile. He had estimated that there were 11 passengers per
coach per journey, though he believed that 9 was the usual esti-
mate. But at:Corshane the average which had been taken was 9 ;
at Sheetgate, near Petersfield, it was 61; at Haslemere it was
not quite 11 ; at Godalming it was about 5 ; at Dorking it was a
little more than 6 ; at Guilford it was about 5 ; and at Leather..
head the average was about 6 passengers per journey. The total
of these results then gave an average of 6, though he had stated
them at 11. His inquiries had been made of the coachmen
and coach proprietors on the road, who had given hint
the number of London passengers by Portsmouth and
Chichester coaches. The coach from Winchester and
Petersfield would cross the line of railway at right angles,
and he had taken his traffic at the Sheetbridge.gate to as.
certain what passengers he would get for the railway. With re-
spect to the goods traffic, he had based his assumptions on the sup-
position that the mills and factories on the line would burn coal
instead of wood and turf, as they would then get coals much more
cheaply. The same observation applied to lime, fish, and French
eggs, and lie had not includes( in his present estimate the traffic
which he expected to draw from the South-Western line. He had
got his data of the water conveyance from Nell Quay, at Chiches.
ter, and at the quay for the Portsmouth traffic.
On his re-examination by Sir. AUSTIN, Mr. Simmons stated that
the whole of the goods traffic on the South-Westeen line was
11,1731, and of this he took 3,000/. for the proper Portsmouth
traffic, leaving 8,1731. for the proper Southampton traffic, which
he considered sufficiently fair. In the returns sent in to the
Board of Trade, he had included a branch to Reigate, and another
to Guilford, which had been originally contemplated, but were now
abandoned, and the traffic of which was not included in the sub.
sequent tables now presented to the Committee. The Guilford
passengers, he calculated, would return 52,731/., and 43,2381.
for goods, the whole amount of the goods traffic being
calculated at something over 124,0001. He had been
led to suppose that the whole of the Guildford traffic would be
drawn to the atmospheric line, in consequence of the feeling ex-
pressed by the principal of the Guildford traders in fa-
vour of the London bridge terminus, and their indisposition to
use the South. Western line. The loss of the Reigate branch also
had abstracted upwards of 11,000/. from his estimate. His
original estimate of the South-1N estern traffic was above 84,0001,
which had been reduced to 32,0004, making a reduction of
52,000/. The whole of the reductions would therefore amount
to about 130,0001. When there was an apparent reduction on
the passengers to 50,0001., it arose from the reduced mileage, and
passengers from their several stations, the difference being between
4,247,280 miles, and upwards of 9,000,000. This accounted for
upwards of 39,0004, and a mistake had been made in the
number of miles which they would have to travel. His reduced
estimates had been made from the evidence given
by the witnesses for the Guildford and Portsmouth Railway. He
had also deducted the Worthing coach and all the coaches to
Horsham. All these reductions would account for the
discrepancy between the two tables. He attempted to
get his tables back from the Board of Trade, but
had been unsuccessful, and was obliged to suffer them
to remain. He had, therefore, communicated the facts to his em-
ployers, and stated that the reduction of the two branches would
reduce the traffic nearly one-half. He had made no other altera-
tions but those which were suggested by the evidence of the South
Western Company.

To the inquiry of the CHAIRMAN, the witness stated that both
his sets of tables were formed on precisely the same principle.
To Mr. AUSTIN, the witness replied that he had got his average
of eleven passengers from Mr. Crofts, and from some persons at
Portsmouth.
To the inquiry of Lord CLIME, Mr. Simmons replied that when
he had given his estimate of the passengers from Horsham, he was
not aware that the Brighton Company had projected a branch to
that place. He discovered the discrepancies in February, after he
had learned that the Guildford branch had been abandoned.
Mr. Waghorn, ornamental tile and vase Frisker at Ewell, stated
that he possessed a very fine vein of fire clay at Nonsuch Park.
He consumed about 3,000 tons of coals, and disposed of from 500
to 1,000 tons of clay to all parts of the world. He supplied Ports-
mouth dockyard with fire bricks, and sent a great quantity to Hol.
land, France, Germany, and even to Constantinople, and if this
railway were opened he would save a great deal by avoiding the
circuitous route of the Thames. He had also a trade towards
Dorking and Leatherhead, which he very much desired to extend,
and for this the railway gave him an opportunity.
Mr. Simmon, an owner of real property at Leatherhead, stated,
that the value and rents of property had been of late much reduced.
They had no water conveyance, were badly off for land carriage,
the nearest station being that at Kingston. He has a large corn
mill on his hands, and he did not see that any means of conveyance
would be obtained unless this railway was obtained.
Mr. Moor, a woolstapler at Epsom—Stated that he principal part
of his business lay down the left of the proposed line as
far as Chichester, and the South• Western line was perfectlyuseless ;
and the dealers in his neighbourhood would be ruined unless they
had the means of conveyance which would enable them to com-
pete with the dealers in the west. He sent from 1,2.00 to 1,500
packs of wool to London, most of which he got from
the south. From Chichester he paid ls. 6d. a cwt.,
from Petworth ls. 3d. On an average the latter was
the usual price, and he would save more than half by
the use of the railway. The communication through Epsom south-
wards was, in his opinion, the heaviest tonnage from London, in.
eluding timber, bark, paper, lime, and flour. There was certainly
no road on which there were so many waggons, the country being
altogether destitute of water conveyance.
The CHAIRMAN requested to be furnished with a return of the
tolls at Leatherhead, Epsom, and Dorking, which
Mr. RAWLINSON, on the part of the promoters, promised to fur.
nish on Monday.

The Committee then adjourned till twelve o'clock on that da;

GROUP P.
NEWPORT AND PONTYPOOL RAILWAY.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of Saturday.)
tinning at 2d. The Committee had been enabled to come to this
decision from the discussion that had taken place on the different
points. To the tolls for goods, merchandise, and passengers, no
opposition had been offered, and if the present rates at 2d. per mile,
and Id. additional for locomotive power, were fair and moderate,
the Committee would reserve any alteration.
Mr. Pare having been called to give evidence as to the usual
rate of tolls for merchandise and passengers, deposed that the
charges in the tolls clause were perfectly fair, and were, in fact,
lower than similar rates on other railways.
The clP..use was then made part of the Bill.
Mr. WlLLtams appeared to oppose on behalf of the Brecon and
Ab',rgavenny Canal. He contended that sufficient compensation
tiad not been provided for by the clause in the Bill, which gave
power to the Railway Company to alter, stop up, and destroy, part of
the works on the Newport Canal, in which the parties: for whom
he; appeared were materially interested. No equivalent had been
offered for the great inconvenience that would be occasioned. Non
hrec infedcre venia. Law and justice were on his side, and he
trusted the Committee would order such alterations to be made in
the clause, as would satisfy the fair and reasonable demands of
his clients.

Evidence having been heard, the Committee suggested that
words to the following effect should be introduced into the clause,
as the subject was a matter of compensation for time, that the
branch to Snatchtvood should be constructed within nine months
after the opening of the main line.
The Committee were occupied during the remainder of the day
in passing clauses, which, with a few alterations, were all made part
of the Bill.
The Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock on Monday.