The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

MANCHESTER AND LEEDS RAIL-
WAY.

A Special General Meeting of the Proprietors of the
Manchester and Leeds Railway was convened at the
Company's Offices, Oldham -road, Manchester, on Thurs-
day last, for the purpose of taking into consideration,
and deciding upon, a proposed arrangement between the
Manchester and Leeds Railway Company and the Hull
and Selby Railway Company, for uniting and consoli-
dating into one concern the traffic and business of the
said Companies, and for working the said two railways
under one management, also for the purpose of taking
into consideration, and deciding upon the making of pro-
visional arrangements with the Hull and Selby Railway
Company, for the management of the traffic, and other
business of the said two railway companies, in connec-
tion with each other, until the sanction of Parliament
can be obtained ; and also for the purpose of taking into
consideration, and of deciding upon the propriety of
making an arrangement between the Manchester and
Leeds Railway Company and the York and North Mid-
land Company, in reference to the traffic passing along
the last-mentioned railway to or from the Hull and
Selby Railway, and for giving to the Directors all such
powers and authorities as may be necessary for enabling
them to carry any such arrangement into full effect. The
Directors also applied to the meeting for power to obtain
an Act of Parliament for carrying out the above object,
and others connected with them.

A considerable number cf Proprietors were present.
The Chair was taken by H. Houldsworth, Esq.
The CHAIRMAN having explained the objects for
which the meeting was called together, as above, stated
that the business of the present meeting was not to de-
cide finally upon the various measures, but to sanction
the Proprietors in making application to Parliament.
The opinion of the meeting on the proposed plans was
taken seriatim, and the resolution authorising the Court
to apply to Parliament for an Act to alter and amend
the Act relating to the Manchester and Leeds Railway,
was carried unanimously.

PROPOSED NEW BRANCHES.

The CHAIRMAN said the next resolution would refer
to the new branches of the line which it was proposed to
construct. In the Report of the Directors to the Pro-
prietors in September last, they stated that surveys were
then in progress for branches to Ashton, Bury, Bradford,
and Huddersfield; and since then they have given the
preliminary notice which will enable this Company to
apply for powers to make branches to Huddersfield,
Bradford, and Bury, and which will enable an indepen-
dent Company to make a branch from this Company's
line to Ashton and Stalybridge. Having stated the
general advantages that would arise from the formation
of these two branches, he went into some of the details
respecting them. The Huddersfield branch is 31 miles
long, and the section exceedingly favourable. The gra-
dients and the curves are good. The expenses of the
works and the station are estimated at 36,0001. to 38,0001.,
and the land and general expenditure at 22,0001.
to 24,0001., making the probable cost of that line
60,0001., or somewhere thereabouts. These sections
will be laid on the table for inspection by the Proprie-
tors, or, if the meeting desire it, they will be more
fully explained by Mr. Gouch. The Bradford line will
be 10i miles long from the main line. With the excep-
tion of an incline in going over a hill which lies between
our line and Bradford, that branch will be also favour-
able as regards gradients. The incline will be about a
mile and a quarter long on each side of the hill, and the
gradients varying from lin24 to 1 in 33. It will be
worked by a stationary engine, and these gradients are
not now unusual, and there is no mechanical or prac-
tical difficulty in making a line or working it with such
gradients. The Bradford branch, as I have stated, is
IN- miles long. The works and station and fixed engine
are estimated at 113,0001. The land and station and ge-
neral expenses, including a very central station at Brad-
ford, where the land is high, the land will be 60,0001. ;
making a total of 173,0001. or 174,000/. the estimated
cost of the Bradford Branch. The estimated cost of the

two branches will be from 230,000/. to 240,0001., being
about 16,000/. a mile.
The resolution, authorising the construction of the

Huddersfield and Bradford Branch, was then put by the
Chairman, seconded by Mr. Pease, and carried unani-
mously.

THE BURY BRANCH.

The CFIAIRMAN stated that the line resolved on for
this branch was one passing through Middleton. It will
be six and three quarter miles from Middleton, and
twelve miles from Hunt's Bank to Bury by that route.
The works generally are of a very favourable character.
The estimated expense of the works and station at Bury
is 76,0001., the land and general expenses come to about
29,0001. or 30,0001, making a total expense of, from
106,0001. to 110,0001.

No decision was come to with respect to this branch.

TUE ASHTON BRANCH.

The CHAIRMAN, with reference to this branch, said
that this line was calculated to connect Ashton and
Stalybridge with Liverpool ; and that that alone would
necessarily be a large and important source of traffic,
which would go far towards paying the expense of its
formation. In addition to that they had 750,000 passen-
gers a year between Oldham and Manchester, so the
proportion due to the population of Ashton and Staly-
bridge would be about 663,000 ; and if any considerable
portion of the passengers passed along their line, with
the economical mode in which we can work these short
lines, we can have no doubt at all that there will 1..:0 a
reasonable prospect of profit. But he did not come for-
ward to ask them to enable them to make such a line,
but simply, that if other parties came forward, and wished
to make such a branch, that they would give them every
facility in their power, and that they should even go so
far, if necessary, as to offer them a limited guarantee of
the profits to be realised from it. If the Proprietors did
not view it in this way, then, by not sanctioning this re-
solution. the matter will be left entirely in the hands of
the Ashton and Stalybridge gentlemen to take it up or
not, as they please.
After considerable discussion, the resolution sanc-
tioning the construction of the line was carried, with
only one dissentient.

'the CHAIRMAN then moved the following resolution:
—" That the Directors be, and they are hereby autho-
rised to, adopt such measures, and make such arrange-
ments with the landowners and other parties as may
appear to them expedient, in order to obtain all or any
of the Parliamentary powers intended to bo applied for,
or which may be expedient to be resorted to in antici-
pation of those powers, or which may tend to facilitate
the subsequent execution of the same."
It was seconded by Mr. HOULDSWORTH, and carried
unanimously.