The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-02-04 00:00:00

DUTY ON RAILWAY PASSENGERS.

A meeting of deputations from several of the leading
Scotch lines was held on the 24th ult., in Glasgow, to con-
sider the best mode of endeavouring .to effect a change in the
present system of levying the passenger duty on railways•
The unequal pressure of this tax has of late been much
noticed, and has been adduced by the directors of several
c.impanies as a complete bar to the establishment of traini
for the conveyance of the humbler classes of travellers at $
rate proportionate to their means. Upon lines of railwaY
where are average fare of 3d. pee mile is paid, the government
duty, (which is a fixed duty in the shape of a poll tax,)
4 1-6 per cent ; on 2d. per mile it is 61 per cent ; and on Id•
per mile it is 121- per cent upon the entire receipts. It will
therefore be evident, that upon lines of expensive construction
and working, the profitable conveyance of passengers at
low fares is impracticable, and a large class of the cony
munity is thereby shut out from the facilities which railway/
offer to their more wealthy brethren.
We trust that the directors of our English railways will
at once take up this subject and co-operate with theic
Scottish neighbours. To railways in the manufacturing LW'
districts, an alteration of the mode of levying the duty'
(which is all that is sought) would be of great advantage;
and the accommodation that might then be offered to the
labouring classes and smaller tradesmen in their journeYst
either of recreation or business would be welcomed as 9
book, not unappropriately following, and perhaps exceeding
in value, to theist at least, the reduction of the postage upon
their letters.

LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAILWAY.-HALF-
YEARLY MEETING.

The half-yearly general meeting of this Company was lola
on Thursday last, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street'
John Barman, Esq., in the chair. The attendance was vell
large. We are unable to give a full report of the proceedinV'
which are too long for our columns, but have pleasure in ail'
verting to a few statements contained in the directors' re"
port, which are calculated to afford considerable satisfac-
tion to the proprietors.

First, with respect to the works—it is now announced that
the line will be completed and opened to within seventeen
miles of BrightOn by the end of -the ensdin autumn. The
remainder of the line is progressing rapidly and satisfactorily
Next, with respect to the share list, it may be remembered'
that at the last half-yearly meeting the arrears upon calls
amounted to the immense sum of £122,896. Of this the
directors have since recovered £110,708, leaving in arrest
the comparatively trivial amount of £12,188, a considerable
portion of which the directors expect will be shortly paid•
Of the call which has been made since the last meeting, the
sum of £207,728 has been paid, leaving an arrear of £7:x,448•
The whole of this amount, however, the directors anticipated
being paid.

The directors announced for forfeiture a number of share/
held by parties unable to pay, or who have sold but not heel'
relieved from responsibility by registration. In the 1801.
case, the nominal holders have given security for payment
the calls due, upon condition of their having the shares for
feited and their responsibility put an end to. It was stated
by the chairman, that of the 36,000 shares which made
the capital of the Company, the total number that wool
have to be reallotted, under the forfeiting clause, would he
only 144 shares This statement was received by the wet
ing with great applause, and speaks volumes in favour of ti".
soundness of the share list.
Power was taken by the directors to borrow the sum -
£600,000, previous to doing which, however, it was 01'.
nounced that another call must be made, to compel tbe
amount of one half the capital, necessary to be paid up he;
fore the.borrowing clause becomes operative. It was though
that a £5 call would be sufficient.
After hearing a highly satisfactory report from Mr. Ittihs;
trick, the engineer, and re-electing the retiring directors, t"
meeting broke up.

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