The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-05 00:00:00

GRAND JUNCTION RAILWAY.

On Friday a quarterly meeting of the Grand Junction
Railway Company was held, at the Cotton Sales'-rooms,
for the curpose of hearing a statement of the progress of
affairs during the past three months, and of declaring a
dividend. John Moss, Esq., presided.
The CHAIRMAN opened the business of the day with a
long address, explanatory of the state and prospects of
the undertaking. He expressed a hope that the Shrop-
shire gentlemen would adopt moderate counsels ; and
said that all the needful measures were being taken by
the Grand Junction Board for bringing before Parliament
the Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, and also the Shrews-
bury and Stafford lines. He thought the course adopted
by the London and 13:rminglirn Board in this affair had
not been such as they had a right to expect ; but, as they
had publicly, lately, shown on what they ground that
he should say no more now. He desired, how-
ever, to o take this opportunity of disclaiming, for himself
and his colleagues, all intention to make any personal
charges against the chairman or any member of the
board. An injustice was done to them if any part of
their public statement was construed into an attack or in-
sinuation of any kind on any gentleman individually ; if
he were to add to it, it would only be to express the great
regret that the Shrewsbury party should have been, under
all the circumstances of the case, enabled to boast, at their
recent public meeting, that they had among the holders of
shares in their competing line the most influential of the
London and Birmingham Directors. (Hear, hear.) Un-
happily there had been, recently, a difference of opinion
between the Lundon and Birmingham and Grand Junc-
tion Boards on other subjects, a full explanation of wbich
he did not deem 'it expedient at present to go into. He

would not even offer an o
'pinion as to which Pa141 14
tbatil
been right or which wrong • but this he must say,
agreement made between the two boards, in July las'ito
no longer in existence; that it was adhered to tlari,beti
London and Birmingham Directors had persisted 40.
refusal to refer the matters in difference to the aruide
tion it provided, namely, to three of the sharelloi_o,
not being directors of the company. In the present„!,i3r,
tion of affairs, the course of the Grand Junction I:10
would be defensive only. He could hardly belierno
parliament would allow new lines to be made run to!
parallel and close to theirs, practice having gone to P
that the public cannot be gainers by such a Pis"' 1J t?
thought, that, if any railway in the kingdom con.,
considered safe, theirs was that railway ; and, in preoc'oo,
the sincerity of these opinions, he had, very tateb;ijeor
siderably increased his interest in the concern. k
hear.) Their receipts were most satisfactory. The.yo
lowere bee
d their fares, and given greater accommodatleha
the public—(applause)—by adding second-class ee',,it)
to first-class trains and by giving a third-etas!' 1111
covered carriage, at lit. per mile. (Applause.)o
_0
Chairman concluded by moving that a dividend ofoll
for the three months should be paid. He said this '144
leave a very handsome surplus, and he expected
(;
a very flattering statement for the shareholders at.
°' ,
MOS. Sr
Mr. ROBERTSON GeansroNs Deputy-chairalsa-'
conded the motion, which was unanimously adoPteiajd
Mr. H. POTTS, of Chester, remarked, that, a" niefi
disputes had arisen between the respective coraPtob:
which must be unfortunate for all parties, he hadna7o:
whatever that the consideration given by the Grandooo
tion Company to the measure in dispute was given
mature judgment.
ht re'
Mr. MOZLEY said, that the chairman had thoug-aPict
per to address the proprietors on a variety of paints 'estr'
were eminently important. The Grand Junction 40.
pany held, at a cheap rate, a very large and extended dot
and if, taking into consideration that what had been
00!1
three or four years ago in the infancy of railwaYs co!
not be effected now, and if they were content to trYtioi
they had got, and to extend their line in every pot.' to
if they reduced their fares and paid constant atteetl°,po
the wishes of the public • if, in fact, they anticipate of
wants of the public, he felt quite confident they heZ
bone
eiolaanrteot
whichhp
epro esiwt iwaosno
ui
nlfdrtohcmea
rGreyri tahtnheder
mjtuhtnhecrtoni
ouongr
ht
Chtooomtrphtaehnei
ns y
e•
deitcto:
hear.) With respect to the difference with the -1-4041 r
and Birmingham Board, he thought he might SOY .0(
li el
several
evw
ehraatl hoafdthbeeednoscauinid
documents
ately'that on a
careful 001
of there was no
doubt that an agreement had been made for the P-tp
benefit of both parties, and that, if arbitration was t.°A;sti'
place at all, it should have taken place at the very '"0,)
cal point at which the parties had arrived. (Hear, l'efoi
He was quite convinced that it was for the interest
030.
companies to cement a strong alliance, and that, ,11,0
tual good working and understanding, and also bY 50',bet
ing the distance between London and Liverpnolfol
should render every class and description of opPosill„ei;
nullity. Applause. He considered, as a man of hus.7eno
that the differences between the two companies mush 1P
in a serious loss to both. He spoke boldly and Pia:tot
with the view of showing, that, if the directors of el err
board were self-willed, or if any portion of either "
deeply interested in other concerns,—(hear, hear trod
carried the flag to rout them from their hold. (`'ee
cheers.) He prayed them to consider that there ort,
very large interests at stake, interests of the last irePodil
ance ; that, upon the faith of men of honesty and grr
judgment, widows and orphans had invested their-P,
perty in the concern ; and that anything like direct oPrtit
sition between the two companies could only end
destruction of the means of this defenceless class of P"
sons. (Hear, hear.)
sir
Mr. RuTsoN asked what foundation there was , r nor
ing the directors of the London and Birmingham v
panies were shareholders in the Shrewsbury line ?
Mr. SWIFT said he had heard it mentioned at a'
ing in Wolverhampton. the
Mr. RUTSON asked how the chairman considered
agreement of July at an end ? va,
The CHAIRMAN replied, that, when the Birnun'tbet
Company declined to refer the matter in disputer bete
were informed that the agreement was at an end.
,10
was not any railway property in the kingdom whic",aios
not injured by the differences between the Grand Jun't Eel
and Birmingham Boards. He was sorry he could e°Dir
how it was possible to make any agreement with the
mingham Board more binding than the last. to
Mr. MoznEY here entered into some explanation °stet
the position of the London and Birmingham DI ir
with regard to the Shrewsbury line and their alleged
terest in that undertaking.
ff'
The explanation was considered somewhat satisfaet.o to
The CHAIRMAN observed, that since they bad writ beir
to the London and Birmingham Board, to state thatt tO
agreement was at an end, no answer bad been returne
their communication. beet
Mr. HARDMAN EARLE stated, that plans had .„%
prepared and notices lodged for the purpose of roaliicqioo
railway from Crewe to Stoke by the Grand Joulinet
Company ; and that other parties would take up the, hoe
and make it to Stafford, so that the Potteries would "
as good a railway communication as could be wished.
The meeting separated at a quarter to three o'clock.