The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-01 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

The Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle Dissolution-
Railway Bill was thrown out by a committee of the'
House of Lords on Wednesday.
The key-stone of the last arch of the Wharfdale Via-
duct, on the Leeds and Thirsk Line, was placed on
Monday.
The traffic on the Chester and Holyhead Railway, for
the week ending July 22, was as follows :—Coaching
traffic, £1,356 17s. 9d. ; goods and cattle, £9B Bs. 2d.;
do. excess, £24 19s. 9d. ;—total, £1,480 ss. Bd.
At the special meeting of the Dutch Rhenish the share-
holders agreed to refer all their differences between the
board and the Liverpool party to a conference between
three of the London directors and three of the Liverpool-
deputation.
During the present session 55- railway :bills receivetd,,
the royal assent, the aggregate capital amounting "I
£8,588,466 ; and the loan to £3,515,550 ; making a Ott'''.
of £12,104,016, authorised to be raised, in some cases, as
additional capital to complete-lines in course of construc-
tion, and in others for making new railways and branchea
to the extent of 323 miles.
The wooden bridge over the Tyne at Warden, about,
two miles west of Hexham, and which forms a portion of
the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, was destroyed by
Piro on 'Phnr.lny morning,, iginitiort bccn etnthtd, iG
is supposed, by the falling of some hot cinders from the
fire of the engine of a luggage train which had passed over
it but a short time previous to the fire having been dis-
covered.

The report presented to the half-yearly meeting of the
North Staffordshire proprietors declared a dividend of 4s.
per share, from the interest received on capital and the
surplus proceeds on the canal. The works appear to have
been actively carried on, and the passenger traffic on „he
portion of the line opened from Stoke tc Norton Bridge
is satisfactory and promising. The report and accounts
were adopted unanimously.
From our official returns it appears that the amount of
traffic for the last week, on 4040 miles of railway, was
£223,107, thus accounted f0r:—£120,983 for the convey-
ance of passengers only, £45,560 for the carriage of
and a remainder of £56,564 for passengers and goods to-_
gether, not respectively apportioned
weekbeing an increase of
£28,591 over the corresponding of last year, when
the mileage was 3158. The average earnings per inue
were £55, whilst in 1847 they were £6l.
OBSTRUCTION.—At the Cambridge Assizes, a null,
goods,
named Creek, was indicted for having placed an iron chair
on the Eastern Counties Railway, and having thereby
obstructed an engine, and endangered the safety of per-
sons travelling on the line. The jury at once returned a •
verdict of guilty. Mr. Justice Maule wished it to go forth
that if any life should be lost in consequence of obstruc-
tions placed on the line of railway, the persons placing the
obstructions would be guilty of murder, and fit objects for
the infliction of capital punishment due to this crime. I°
the present case, though no life was lost, it was impossible
to award any but a severe sentence, and the prisoner must
be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for one year.
JOBBING IN RAILWAY SHARES.—In the late applica-
tion for the dissolution of the Liverpool and Newcastle
Junction Railway, Mr. Wilson, the secretary, detailed
before the Parliamentary Committee the "jobbing" with
the shares, which excited the indignation of a crowded
room. That in August, 1845, 100 shares were allotted to
each provisional committeeman; that 10,000 shares were
set apart for members of the managing committee equally
2,000 to solicitors; 200 each to local solicitors ; 500 to
bankers; 2,000 to members of parliament; that the share°
were then at a high premium ; that the second allotment
was on 26th of August, 1845, of 4,200 to the committee of
management, 1,565 to the provisional committee, 1,100 to
solicitors, 200 to surveyors, 300 to bankers, 3,500 " to the
friends of the committee of management," and ,t 6,085 to
the general public !"—making in all 23,800 allotted. In
September there was another allotment to directors. But
at a meeting of February, 1847, these allotments were
questioned, as refusals of shares to landowners were 111
existence. That in November, 1845, there was a further
allotment to directors (promoters of this bill,) but these-
allotments of September and November were cancelled, or
only half to be used. That 23,700 shares were allotted to
officials of the company, and they only registered for
12,080, leaving above 11,000, sold in scrip. That all tbe
directors hold now but 4,796 shares out of 70,000 ; they
had signed the subscription contract for £695,002. °u
.
the amalgamation in 1845, each company took 35,
shares and divided them amongst its company. Since thi9
bill was in contemplation, purchases of shares had befo
made by directors and solicifors, and were included in tnf_
assents to this bill (now 42,000.) The price of shares
1845 was proved to be sto 7 premium, and now ss. -nri
Ffrance (the Chairman) admitted that in 1845, 20,T,
shares were allotted among the committee of managenae° ;
but, on subsequent complaints, half were to remain t h
to
company until the act passed, and only 250 were issued
each at that time.—Railway Times.