The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-19 00:00:00

NORTH UNION RAILWAY.

The half-yearly meeting of the Shareholders in this under-
taking took place at the Clarendon Rooms, South John-
street, yesterday.

The CHAIRMAN, (Theodore .Rathbone, Esq.) opened the
proceedings by suggesting to the meeting, that if one meet-
ing only was held per year, it would perhaps he more conve-
nient for the shareholders, and save expense. Some obser-
vations having been made on the subject, the Secretary was
called upon to read the report, from which we make the fol-
lowing extracts :

" The directors have great pleasure in calling attention to
the steady and rapidly progressive increase of the receipts, in
all the different branches of the undertaking; the receipts
from the passenger and parcel traffic having increased over
those of the corresponding period of the former year,
£3339 2s. sd. ; those from the goods and merchandise tolls,
£6BB 9s. ; and those from tolls on coal, (a business still quite
in its infancy on the North Union Railway,) £587 10s;
making a total increase of income of £1624 12s. 3d. this last
six months. That this increase of income will be continued,
the increasing intercourse with the rising town of Fleetwood,
and probable amount of business on the Lancaster line,
when the next season for travelling arrives, together with the
large coal trade coming on the railway, seem to render quite
certain.

"The North Union Act authorising the board of directors
to declare and make dividends amongst the proprietors out
of the clear profits of the undertaking, the directors think
they shall consult the convenience and the wishes of their
proprietors, by at once declaring a dividend of £2 10s. on
each of their 6329 £75 shares, payable on the 25th instant,
by warrants, which the secretary will forward immediately
after the general meeting on the 18th instant. This dividend
will amount to £15,822 10s. and will leave a balance of
£1390 12s. Ild., to be carried to the next half-yearly account,
out of £17,213 2s. 11d., the nett income of the last six
months, after deducting from the receipts all the different
disbursements, inclusive both of interest and the reserved
fund of 43631.

" The directors have only further to notice the highly gra-
tifying circumstance, that, from the opening of the North
Union Railway, in November, 1838, to the present time,
(during which period 419.632 persons have travelled over it,
and a speed has been required by the post-office arrange-
ments fully equal to that of the trains of any other line in the
kingdom,) no accident of any importance has occurred to
any one passenger." _ _ _ _

It was moved by Mr. I%lA:rims, and seconded by Mr.
TAYLOR, that the report should be received.
A conversation then ensued respecting the amount of the
surplus fund.
Mr. GA.Rivarr suggested that a dividend of £3 instead of
£2 10s. per share should be declared.
The CHAIRMAN said that as the dividend had been de.
dared, the suggestion could not be entertained. He (the
Chairman), and he was certain-the directors also, would be
very glad to make the dividend as large as possible.
On the subject of abolishing one of the' half-yearly meet.
ings, a further conversation ensued, when it appearing to be
the wish of the shareholders that the meeting should take
place, .
The CHAIRMAN said that the directors would not fail to
attend to the wish expressed.
It was then suggested that the half-yearly meeting should
be held at Preston and Liverpool alternately.

Thanks having been voted to the ehairtnan, the meeting
separated.