The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-12-04 00:00:00

in improved, but not rest

RAILWAY AFFAIRS,

AUDIT OF RAILWAY ACCOUNTS.-011 Thursday a
numerous meeting of railway roprietors was held at the
Clarendon-rooms, to consider the best mode of securing
an efficient audit of railway accounts. Mr. A. H. Wylie
presided, and expressed his opinion that the resolutions
adopted at the delegate meeting in London were inade-
quate to the purpose, and some of them more fatal and
destructive than any before extant. He strongly objected
to the sixth and eighth resolutions. The sixth made the
accounts passed final, subject to the eighth, which would
prevent all such disclosures as bad lately been made.
The eighth gave powers to certain proprietors, holding
stock to the value of one-third of the total paid-up capital
of the company, to appoint two of their number specially
to examine the accounts of the current half-year, and that
such auditors, and the public accountant selected by them,
should have the same power as auditors appointed by a
majority at a general meeting. He thought it a delusion
to suppose that dissentient shareholders would go to the
expense and labour of getting the opinions of one-third of
the shareholders. The directors ought to devise some
measure that would recognize the existing powers, and
give the shareholders more power. He was opposed to
the interference of government until he saw whether the
shareholders could manage the matter themselves or not ;
and he proposed a motion to the effect that the resolu-
tions of the delegate meeting of directors in London, in
November, were not calculated to insure a satisfactory
audit of accounts. Mr. D. Mather seconded the resolu-
tion, and it was carried unanimously. A desultory con-
versation ensued, which ended in authorizing the chairman
to forward copies of the resolution agreed to, to the several
railway authorities, and to • prepare a memorial to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to reduce the stamp duty on
railway proxies to a much lower amount than 2s. 6d.,
now demanded.

On Thursday, the shareholders of the South-Western
railway, after a rather stormy meeting, resolved to aban-
don the scheme of carrying the railway to London-bridge.
The engine drivers and firemen of the East Lancashire
railway have given notice of a strike, in consequence of an
attempt to reduce their wages.

GREAT NORTHERN RAIIWAY.—About GO miles or th 3
permanent way of ells company's main line, between
London and Peterborough, are already laid, and it is
expected the whole length of it will be opened by August
next.

From some unknown circumstance, on Monday, Wm.
Pilsworth, a guard on the Sheffield and Rotheram rail-
way, fell out of or from a truck when on his way from
Sheffield to Rotherham, and was killed by the train pass-
ing over his head.
The returns from the shareholders of the London and
North-Western Company show about six per cent. only
in favour of government audit. We are informed that the
returns from the Midland shareholders are nearly in the
same proportion.
The Lord Chancellor, on" Wednesday, granted an inte-
rim order for an injunction to restrain the London and
North-Western and Cheshire Junction railways from
interfering with the station accommodation of the Shrews-
bury and Chester Railway Company at the joint station at
Chester. Our readers, from previous statements, will
perceive the motive for the application.
YORK AND NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY.
"—The meeting on Thursday was not very full. H. S.
Thompson, Esq., in the chair. The second part of the
third report of the committee of investigation, seriatim,
was generally agreed to. The question whether the chair-
man and vice-chairman should be independent, and not in
any other " direction," as suggested by the committee,
was met by an amendment by the chairman, to defer the
consideration till the half-yearly meeting. On a show of
hands the amendment was carried, and a poll being de-
manded, the directors admitted proxies, who were against
them, and so the amendment vies negatived, and the com-
mittee's recommendation confirmed. A committee was
elected to confer with the directors, and arrange a scheme
in reference to preference shares. The report to be con-
sidered at a special meeting on the 21st December.
THE GUARANTEE SOCIETY.—The numerous defalca-

tions amongst railway officials which have recently been
brought to light, have placed on railway boards the duty
of devising means for rendering peculation and embezzle-
ment difficult, if not impossible, among their servants in
future. We believe it is the determination of most of the
railway companies who have not already taken security
from servants holding posts of trust, to ley down the gene-
ral rule of requiring security for fidelity of trust from the
majority of their employe's. No doubt this rule will tend
to protect the property of the shareholders very efficiently,
and will afford a salutary check on those who have hitherto
been placed under no kind of restraint whatever, except
that which conscience and honesty impose. We should,
however, be disposed to consider that such a rule, if rigidly
enforced, would be productive of mischief and inconveni-
ence to deserving servants, who might not have sufficiently
wealthy friends to resort to, were it not for the circum-

Dee. 4, iS49'

stance that public establishments have recently
ntee►
opened- for the purp3se of providing
thus doing away with the doubtful and dangerous Pile.
ace of private guarantee. The main difficulty with re•
spect to these public companies is the difficulty of maitl.„.7
a correct choice. The Guarantee Society, of 13ircpi-o.f
lane, however, appears to present so many featurq
respectability, that we cannot hesitate to recommendrt
tir
the notice of those numerous railway staffs who InnY'
no
be seeking for the best means of complying with the rc(l,
sition of their boards of directors. The Guarantee Secle"
has been established on the advantageous plan Of
ti
acting guarantee business on the principles of abslegio
of premiums after a certain number of payments• Tf of
a feature that has secured the company a large sb__in of
business, and combined with the reasonable s',;
charges, will no doubt ensure its permanent prosperiir
Railway Gazette. ample guarastecc,

MR. HUME, M.P., AND TIDAL HARBOURS
RE SOUTHPORT ROADS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDO.
have been favoured with a report of the Pr°.
ceedings at Southport (for which accept my thanks), To
specting the anchorage ; and the want of buoys, Sze• r,
aid the navigation thereof, in consequence of the 10,ero
pool dock trustees refusing to buoy the channel leadin.,,
the Roadstead, although belonging to the port of T.
pool

In 1845 I obtained the appointment of a I
missioner, whose labours for four years are

House of Commons and the country:
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