The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-19 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN A
,
SlR,—The Report of the Railway Department of tut
)30aru
of Trade on the Kentish and South-Eastern Railway sehernes,
...,
enunciates the general principles which guide the Board inn'
decisions.
The first is—" To keep steadily in view the attainment of
the greatest amount of public advantage." ies,
The second--" To give protection to existing CornPaP_
by allowing them to complete the railway communication_,
of particular districts, where the lines proposed by theta. eIZ
in all substantial respects, sound in thenarelves, and not ins'
nor to those proposed by any other parties." 'cid"
Before applying these general principles to the Pon
of
cases embraced by the report, reference is made to car_s. th
competition between existing and new Companies,
respect to which the following propositions are laid down
,18
Ist. " That an established Compan, which has a valwtmew,
property and large available income, independent of the n
of
scheme, can of course offer a guarantee for the fulfilraenWtst
all that it undertakes to accomplish, greatly superior to
of a new Company, however respectable."
'ous
This proposition is supported by reference to various die
stances, in which new Companies failed to accompus"
objects for which they were incorporated.
2dly, " That the traffic of a system of lines, connected/I-rid
one another, can always be worked more economicallfr
conveniently under an uniform management than by
pendent Companies. if so
idly. " That an established Company can always % as•
disposed, offer guarantees and advantages for a geeateitiss
tent of railway than the new Company—viz., for the ells
as well as the projected lines.
4thly. " That whatever guarantees may be thus on" ae
e co
existing Companies, possess the double advantage, • sTh. ieto
pared with similar offers from new Companies, of cotoiabderel
immediate operation, and of being more certainly reit eif to
effectual. An offer from a new Company to bind itsothee
charge fares considerably lower than those usual upon
utiol;
lines might readily be made in the hope of therebY4;at
their Bill, but the fulfilment of it would depend Innis! to
tirely upon the eventual success of the linee and its as."'"'
perform its engagements." a that
From these propositions the conclusion is deduced, sil•
preference should be given to the schemes of existing 011
way Companies for supplying their own districts, Toiert,
ties)
schemes are as good, or better, than those of other P"tiosol
where no special reasons exist to induce the expects
advantage from competition, and where the old CI,
o er
voluntarily offers such guarantees as may be resale poll
quired to protect the public against the abuses of WI( pp,
on such conditions as at once place the public in a bet
sition than they could hope to obtain from competition, to
If we apply the general principles and reasoning - Bo'
report to the proposed schemes for facilitating the 011'40
cation between London and York, and between LinctaerSl
and the north and south, and the manufacturing and twos
on
districts—viz., to the schemes of the existing ComPanina the
the one hand, and to that of the London and York con'
other, I am at a loss to conceive on what grounds tu,i`i'or)
fident assertion of the promoters of the London an report
line, that their undertaking is to be sanctioned by the
of the Board of Trade, can be based.
If we keep steadily in view the greatest amount ,;°OO,
advantage—we cannot disregard the cost of constnttlecO:
the London and York line is to cost 6,500,0001., wbubv,,,seii,
tend that the objects which it seeks to attain may be
or better, attained by, or in connexion with, exisosneno o• ne
panies at a cost of 2,500,000/. ; surely if this be s°, ti
can reasonably doubt which of the two schemes is rape
to benefit the public.
Let any man refer to the map of the London ands ,0f
line, published by Mr. Herapath, in his Railway JP,,t irOt'
the Ist inst. Starting from London, he will see on w`-fsti‘;
ern side a continuous line of railway from Lonclen,ttasteht°
on the eastern side a line made, or nearly so, from Je._°" sols!,
Cambridge. The estimated cost of continuing the 1110111
of Cambridge to York, so as to accommodate the loos h and
of Lincolnshire, and connect it with the north and sou
the manufacturing districts, is as follows . 4,0
From Cambridge to Lincoln X1,17
Proposed Branches to Boston, Spalding, and itor'
2 WO
Stamford .. 7560
From Lincoln, by Doncaster to Swinton ,
From Doncaster to the York and North Midland
dare'
Your readers will perceive that this extension of es rats'
sere $1
lines will connect London with York by the ess—tbe lucid
whilst it will at the same time amply accommodate, Sheds
wants of Lincolnshire and connect that county wit",,,tslo,,
and Wakefield ; in short, that it will do all at a
within 2,500,001., which the London and York line,
loop, aims to do at a cost of 6,500,000/.
In my letters to you of the 27th January and an: ther
last I entered into various details to prove, that wuebeten
garded as a means of shortening the distance ire
London and the North, or as connecting Lincolnsl.th
the ports of London, Ipswich, and Harwich, or "%vici fO7l
manufacturing and mineral districts, the London urocf ,
scheme was uncalled for and indefensible. The gado
,1,
the statement which I then made remains to this .cielesA
questioned, and those statements afford abundant of,
that irrespective of the cost of construction, the lin...e"aa sa
in connexion with, the existing Companies, are, s" to tA°,
stantial respects, sound in themselves and not inferi'lt.be ,
g.
proposed by the London and York. Let us now test or
D
tive advantages of the competing schemes by toe '
tions which the Board of Trade has laid down.
First, which offers the best guarantee for the 000
ment of what it undertakes. stoo'
EXISTING COMPANIES. LONDON AND, „,ties
The Midland and Eastern If the Eastern licrrn
Counties, with a large avail- Northern and Eas,.lo the''
able income independent of panies failed to laid-00.e
the new lines which will con- sects for which they_.„ be 'A
nect them together, offer the corporated, what no
most unquestionable security pected from the Urogri Poi
for the accomplishment of York, who uncle
fsier
cote
what they undertake ; whilst, construction of 33°
• ated si%
in connexion with the Cam- railway at an cstzm aoy
bridge and Lincoln line, from 6,500,000/. ? Selects joitd
its comparative cheapness, engineers in the awthe D;#
they will be able to afford if two will say that
pore}' to
the greatest amount of ad- and its branches -to, FA
vantage to the public, with made for the estires relee
an adequate return on the will assert that it willate
outlay.
at
Butlea if t
s hahlef
line
emisucinhaisdigheierpoll
It is a great mistake to
suppose that the ports of Boa- can it possibly pa.% eerif/
ton, Spalding, and Wisbeach public or the shareho jog Von
will be benefited by a com- must be a coroPq,eog.4
manication with each other— with that now 01-,s
what they want is a commu- the western route, Toe y
nication inland from their re- Bawtry to London
spective ports. Nevertheless, be, "ex necessitate_ to tso
the existing Companies are third competing l'evoscp,
prepared to make a continu- eastward of it ; in,.„!`se mud
ous chain of communication, sooner or later, a Poets.
by a double line of rails, along made direct fr°ll of
Pet rt
the eastern coast, as well as through the - heS bero
sgtp
er to
the direct line from Cam- county, to ape f
bridge to Lincoln, in case it where it will jos'' Jes,ol3
should be recommended by the Eastern Counti'll 0° to
b
the Board of Trade. The cost the traffic from , roue ,; st
of the coast lines from Lin- come, via Gainsu'itesla,"6,
coin by Boston, Spalding, LincOln, and why 6 t
Wisbeach, and March, to Ely, sent round the cos,
is estimated at or near ton and Spalding'
700,0001. lea
O• lien
Secondly—With respect to the economical and CO
orb
working of the traffic.
The Midlands, Eastern The London, saline ip
Counties, and Cambridge and with their n3ah! A dIAO'
Lincoln Companies have ar- loop, must have sod ~
ranged that their system of staff and stations,,, the `fig
lines, connected with one not be worked Nvi,t'oalisfe
another, shall be worked economy ; whast,','„ro of Shot
under an uniform manage- only a single "'h-ire, 'te
meat, so as to ensure economy through Liacolo._, ace
toy te
and expedition. will not adeelna-,so of
modiste the trsw
~bicb
county. enteee csaa.
Thirdly and fourthly—As to the relative gnarl nee
may be offered to the public by established and
panies, and the relative value of such guarantees•naneeS
The existing Companies A stronger ease •„stittdds
may offer such advantages, be imagined to Jd---af of
not only in respect of the refusal of the Boarbidaist:af,
projected lines, but of their to listen to the a Goeill
existing lines ; they may offer low fares, &C., by OPT tite
to lower their rates, and to in the hope 0f thy' ,bio adiag
afford greater accommodation their Bill, than
on their existing lines, and to London and Ireros
bring those lines under the regard to the Ittihe cerVaiog
arrangements now proposed of the line, an".„tioetiogothet
for all new railways. of its being a Cu"- tte
It is clear, too, that the offers with one, if nnot°fin ee 00 1 eel'
of the existing Company will lines, no relis_itinote pod
come sooner into operation, placed on tbe, er'
and will be more certainly vency of the uvt7ol.o woe!'
rendered effectual, whilst the its ability to Pesast, it st,'
entire route to the North will gagements--ia 'ioestinecnces,
be opened much sooner to the can paY as a° • rig gut sese
public by their means than and the concludsdet tb!' a
by the rival scheme, of the report un
are peculiarly aptofoat
"No Act of lare.oat cal oa
compel an intvr% rates
ode
to carry at as i" oratricier
"'Pie:sons undo-"
taiffonordas"a ProoP-
able to an
atakini
nogdenra'igteht„,lo3tereoranfr;,filtichebitt
established Licritif falai re,
eP
can be relied ti)sntheref°l. ntif
engagements _ sppare.. A
ferable to one trios.
more advantarw' the
new Compare
tarred °the't
ac In the list of advantages, which would be
_°_eding to more
public by the London and York Railway, cv
not
be ;i°ll
published statement, there is not one which Win is consle
cheaply and as well afforded by the lines of, all laid .ifeni
the
with, the existing Companies. Great stress is of roo. Ave
supply of coals to Lincolnshire, but the silbse"t: 00Vosls
Lincoln by Boston and Spalding to Peterborourgquires. ht
that accommodation which Lincolnshire
tie_.° he hrueto
from Swannington and from Clay Cross,e Tersci;no ;sisi
by the Midland and Syston and Pet r: Lecoln.a dt°
Stamford—and by the Cambridge
aYbuted thrT the
line and branches they would he distr.' the case kW)
heart of Lincolnshire, which could not Debt from lr°Liscl
London and York line, Again, coals broi?g, sod iiet 0
to Lincoln would by means of the Catilo,irs"!efdi the ri;ilic
main line and its branches be dispersed t' rv"
yefle spsid'
the county ; not so by the London &floc
would carry them round by the ports
in It
avoiding the most populous parts o ,of ert hoe: thi3el°uelletVat: de $s 6e
, and I°'_.l tbe
London gate. this
determined tore port in favour of the has
It has been üblicly stated that the Board
One gentleman connected with that Coemilusw
d t whatever levet
he knows it for a fact. I give no credit
statement, and only refer to it from its mischieThe
flea that —. tnoatt°ift
raising the price of shares. lam
Committee of the Board of Trade :east'
of their opinion to transpire. Sangnine by thew n„1,0;-' ‘}t
sons who have been courteously received
cannot
sin to
been misled by their own wishes, but tSies)se. Sure that Ihr;
fact what the decision of the Board
_es
it cannot be an easy matter to at
6rti,ini; Coonr_"the
erg
schemes of, and in connexion reasonse ex
_.st
to inda.c.e ,0
staiffnedre
idnoteorierlstaeva
hrliesr,t,
inferior to it, or that any special. -17
or that the ola 0'
pectation of advantage from compeetwea,ran.ees
as way 0;;
nies have not voluntarily offered such gu r
inst the abuses::f_ mbetio
sonabiy required to protect the publx sire the public :o,' 'ls 0
poly, on such conditions as at once. pi
TCj
Sir, your obedient servant,
position than they could hope to obtazz-i !from cocmrPLS.rcq.°A.
obert
atDII: Florence' rt
On the lit of February, at his villa,
FOP'
Ladbrok Esq., aged 74.
On thee, 4th inst., at Birmingham, George Edward
berton, Esq., aged 39. - 11.110' of
0
Lociion: Ptintcci and Published by
Thc _klur,„ca_ iso
N• IE2, .4:_tn li, Printer. at Site coo&
Stra iu `.' of the Se
Iv°9 ,iii
1845'
Middlesex, Wednesday, Februarl

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