The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-08-20 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

At the Great Western Railway meeting on Thursday,
a dividend of four per cent. was declared.

The engineers on the Eastern Counties Railway have
resolved to strike, on account of alleged harsh treatment.
The carriages on the Great Northern Railway are made
of " teak" wood, highly polished. They are much
cheaper and more durable than those commonly used.
The London and North Western, Midland, and Great
Northern lines have amicably arranged to carry at the
same rates between the same points.
THE BRITANNIA BRIDGE.—The last lift of the last
tube was completed amid much acclamation, on Friday,
and everything is understood to progress so satisfactorily
as to lead to the conclusion that the entire structure will
be opened a fortnight earlier than was expected.
The London Times, of Tuesday, has an advertisement
to the effect that extensive arrangements have been made
with the London and North-Western Railway Company
and their agents in London for supplying Wigan coal to
the inhabitants of the metropolis.

MIDLAND RAILWAY : THE DIVIDEND.—The surplus
upon the traffic for the half-year, and applicable for or-
dinary dividend, is £59,513 18s. 10d., and the divi-
dend to be recommended by the directors will be 16s. on
the consolidated stock—that is equal to £1 12s per cent.
per annum; and a dividend after the rate of 4s. 6d.
per annum will be declared on the Birmingham and Derby.
The Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company had a severe
contest with the York and North Midland Railway
Company, for the conveyance of passengers to the York-
shire Agricultural Society's Show, at Thirsk, last week.
They alternately announced reductions of fare, until the
former company, whose line is direct, took third-class
Passengers there and back for 9d. They got 1,300 pas-
sengers, and the other company twenty.
LONDON AND NORTH 'WESTERN RAILWAY.—HALF-
YEARLY MEETING.—The half-yearly meeting of tnis
company was held on Friday ; George Carr Glyn, Esq.,
in the chair. The room was crowded with proprietors.
The chairman, in his opening speech, said that since the
last half-yearly meeting several additional miles had been
opened, but the proceeds from those miles had not yielded
results to correspond with the mileage previously opened.
The working expenses of the company had been greatly
diminished. It was impossible to close the capital
account at present; that for locomotive power, works,
and buildings had, however, been closed. The present
stock of carriages and waggons was insufficient, and it
would require a vote of £90,000 to meet these require-
ments. With respect to the dividend, the directors
believed it would not be prudent to divide a larger sum
than £2 10s. for the half-year.—The report of the direc-
tors was then read and adopted.—ln reply to some ques-
tions, the chairman stated 'that the dispute with the
Great Western Company was still unsettled. It was
expected that the Stour Valley line would be opened be.
fore the end of the year. The directors had entered into
no engagement on behalf of the Caledonian line. A sum
of £4OO a year had been saved by the measures which had
been adopted respecting light gold.—Mr. Bright called
the attention of the shareholders to the fact that the di-
rectors were about to carry forward a balance of £144,721,
and were confining the dividend to five per cent. In
point of law, all the earnings of the line ought to be dis-
tributed ; and he moved an amendment, to the effect that
the dividend should be at the rate of five and a half per
cent.—A lengthened discussion followed, at the end of
which the amendment was negatived by a large majority.
—Mr. William Garnett then moved that the dividend be
at the rate of six per cent. per annum.—This was seconded
by Mr. Entwisle, but lost also by a large majority.—The
original motion was then put and carried.—ln answer to
a question, the chairman said the dividend would be
payable on the 26th.--The report of the audit committee
was then read and received.—A committee was appointed
to consider the best means for the future management of
the company, with a special reference to the constitution
of the board under the amalgamation act, which comes
into operation in the beginning of 1851.