The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-17 00:00:00

THE SURVEYOR'S OFFICE

EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

from two letters recently inserted it
_ .

a contemporary, that there is an inquiry instituted to inquire
into the practices of the corporation surveyors, would you
allow me, through the medium of your journal, to make, or
. .
s to be made, why a preference

yen by tL

surveyors to one

than another ? Surely, if the architects in Liverpool are
entitled to an inquiry into the improper practices of the cor-
poration's servants, so also are the builders. I ani one of
those blunt fellows who will not purchase favours by means
of cant and treats, and hence I am one of the excluded par-
ties. There are some persons who are employed and pa-
tronised by those gentlemen, who, I am informed, frequently

the carpet

`antial far

rosity, w'hic

in the

been

pe this obnoxiou

nee rests on their
indirectly paid Dv

;vstein will

td signed," &c.
bounteous gene

ices of t

May individuals shewn up
before the ratepayers, as I am heartily sick of reform (bein
myself of that class) under such circumstances. 1

of the applauders and supporters of the radical reformers
(save the mark!) previous to the municipal act being ob-
tained, because I was led to believe that those immaculate

gentlemen would do away
but the contrary is the tal

Liverpool, May 16

a all patronage and favouritism
nd from that cause alone lan
A TORY BUILDER.

THE EASTERN COUNTIES AND THAMES HAVEN
RAILWAYS.

TO THE EDITOR 0.

RAILWAY MAGA Z/N/

Mn. Enrroit,—ln your journal of the 7th instant there is
a letter, signed E. C. 5.," on the subject of the proposed
arrangement by which the Thimes Haven Railway Company
were to have brought their traffic to London by the Eastern
Counties line, but which arrangement, it appears, is broken
off in consequence of the two Companies not being able to
agree upon terms. Your correspondent appears to be a
Shareholder in the Eastern Counties Railway, and is, no
doubt, extremely anxious to obtain the largest possible
amount of traffic upon this line • and, as I doubt not, there-
fore, that any information will be acceptable to him, I am in-
duced to communicate what I know of the subject, as I also,
as well as himself, have heard some " whisperings" relative
to this matter. As the whispers which I have heard differ a
good deal from those of your other correspondent, I propose
to show, not only that his deductions may possibly be wrong,

from the very nature of thing's, they must neces-
sarily be so ; and I may therefore, perchance, be able to
calm his apprehension of loss to the Eastern Counties line,
to which, no doubt, lie is very deeply interested.
" Lucri bonus odor, ex re quillibet"—the smell of gain is
good, from whatever source it proceeds—was the answer of
the Roman Emperor Vespasian, when he was upbraided for
layityg a tax upon wine. And no doubt your correspondent,
" E. C. 5.," thinks the same thing, and with reluctance sees
the prospect of an income of traffic to the Eastern Counties
Company,. which he considers will produce £21,000 per

ci,fride for the present from their grasp. Being my;elf

a Shareholder in this Company, I confess I should very much
like to see this additional traffic secured; but I cannot dis-
guise from myself the fact, that gold itself may be purchased
too dear, and that as the Directors of the Company must ne-
cessarily be in possession of more of the facts than any or-
dinary Shareholder, and knowing, too, that many of them
possess very large stakes in the concern, I cannot think that
they are actuated by the paltry avaricious motives which
"E. C. S." attributes to them. The views taken by Direc-
tors are also very frequently, and necessarily, different from
those of particular Shareholders ; for the latter may possibly
be mere temporary holders of stock, and whatever, there-
fore, improves the present value of their shares, it is their
aim to uphold, while a Director, acting for the permanent
prosperity of the concern, looks far beyond the present
moment, and will often sacrifice an apparent present gain, to
secure a more lasting benefit.

To descend, however, from general propositions to parti-
cular instances. "E. C. S." states, that it was the unjust
demand of the Eastern Counties Directors, to be allowed to
run their trains on the Thames Haven Railway at the same
rate of toll as they were to receive from the latter Company,
which caused the negotiation to be broken off. It may be
owing to some natural dullness of comprehension, but I must
confess I am not able to see the injustice of this demand.
The distance run upon the two lines is, I believe, pretty near-
ly equal, but the cost of construction (arising from the res-
pective situations,) must be more than three times as much for
the Eastern Counties Railway as for the Thames Haven,
mile' for mile. If, therefore the Thames Haven Company
grant the privilege for the Eastern Counties company to run
trains over their line at the same rate that will satisfy the lat-
ter for their tollage, it is quite clear that the Thames Haven
Conipany will have much the best of the bargain. But then
" E., C. S." says that in this case the Thames Haven Com-
pany would lose their monopoly of the traffic. I can very
easily suppose that this is just the subject which may have
causei

the difference between the two Companies. Experi-
ence has shown in more than one case, that it this privilege
of inter-traffic between main lines and their branches existed,
the public convenience would be promoted, and the quarrels
of public Companies prevented. Take for instance the case
of the Greenwich and the Croydon Companies. The Croydon
Company most absurdly endeavour to charge their first-class
passengers, one shilling and three pence from New Cross to
London Bridge, a distance of about 2 miles. The conse-
quence, of course, is that the passengers will not come on the
Greenwich line. But if the Greenwich Company had the
privilege of yunning their trains on the Croydon line at the

same rate of toll which the latter now pay the former; they
could afford to take the Croydon passengers from Newcross
to Tooley-street, for about sixpence each, paying the Croydon
Company the same rate of toll per mile, which the latter now
pay' the Greenwich Company. Now, as regards the Thames
Haven Company, the same kind of case may arise. They
unt of traffic on their•line
Tefore, they make their
Company on this basis,

to lirin

bargain with the Eastern

s discover that a far sm
be more remunerf

'ectly fair

that the Eastern Counties Company should have the option
of Continuing the traffic on the old terms, if they think proper,
)t be made the cat's paw of, for the purpose of calling
the Thames Haven Company, for them to reap
But 1 have also heard another reason assigned
Eastern Counties Company demanding a reciprocity
with the Thames Haven Company. It is said there

into exister

all the profit

re other projects

Counties line, which propose to use part of the Thames Ha-
ven line ; it is, therefore, very natural for the Eastern

Counties Company to endeavour to secure similar advantages
for these branches, which they propose to grant to the Pi-
Haven Company. For it is notorious, that w!
sistance of the Eastern Counties Company, cue Thames
Haven line can never be made ; and, therefore, the apprehen-
sion of " E. C. S," that they will obtain a distinct line into
London, is perfectly groundless, as it is scarcely likely that a
Company, that has been trying for five or six years to raise
a capital of two or three hundred thousand pounds, and has
failed in their endeavours, should succeed better when they try
to raise a million or a million and a half ! I differ in opinion
from " E. C. S." therefore, and think that the Directors of
the Eastern Counties Company, instead of " impaling them-
selves" on the horns of a dilemma, have acted very wisely for
the interests of their Shareholders in demanding reciprocity
of tollage, as the basis of their agreement with the Thames
Haven CoMpany, and that without such reiprocity they
would betray the interests of their Company in granting
terms lower than the usual Parliamentary rates. For, in ad-
dition to all the previous reasons, it must be borne in mind,
that if the traffic prove so extensive as the Thames Haven
Company expect, they may ultimately obtain another line
into London independent of the Eastern Counties, and then,
after putting them to a vast expence, may terminate the
agreement; but I apprehend by the other arrangement this
could not arise (and in justice it ought not) for the East-
ern Counties Company would then be able to continue the
traffic to themselves, if their allies proved faithlqss to the
spirit of their agreement. Whether these are all, or even any
of the reasons which have led to the present interruption of the
negociation alluded to, I can of course, on the authority of
the "whispers" before mentioned, only state conjecturally,
but I think they show that, common prudential motives alone,
completely sanction the course which the Eastern Counties
COmpany have taken, and exonerate the Directors from the
charge made against them by " E. C. S."
I have replied to your correspondent as though he were
really entitled to the character he assumes of an Eastern
Counties Shareholder ; and possibly he may be entitled to
it. lam disposed, however, to think that the same gentle-
man sometimes acts in other characters ; and in the lan-
guage of Goldsmith (when George, in the Vicar of Wakefield,
met the man who sold him the gross of green spectacles, and
recognised him by his introducing the second time the only
scrap of learning which he possessed) I would say to him,
" I think, Sir, I have met you before." The days of
chivalry I thought had long since passed, otherwise I should
have imagined the writer of the letter in question was a true
Knight-errant in search of adventures, for the extirpation
of oppression and avarice in whatever secret corners they
may lurk. Like Don Quixote, he appears to discover giants
in windmills, and distressed damsels as plentiful as the
pebbles on the sea-shore. " Virtue," it is said, " once
dwelt upon this earth !" and if our Knight can discover her
secret dwelling, and liberate her from the spell which now
binds her in some dungeon fastness, none will more rejoice
at his success than

Your obedient servant,
10th May, 1842. , SIMON PURE

THE EX-KING OF HOLLAND..- -THE HAGUE, May 11th
—ln consequence of the favourable acconnts which continue
to be received of the health of his Majesty King William
Frederick, Count of Nassau, his Majesty has given orders
that the public prayers for the entire recovery-of the aged
Prince shall be accompanied with thanksgiving to Almighty
God for having preserved his life
THE 'REJECTED OF

NORTRUMBERLAND.—The General
Committee on Election Petitions have reported to the House
of Commons that a Select Committee will be appointed on
Monday, June 6th, to investigate the petition presented
against the return of Lord Howick for the Borough of Sun-
derland. If the inquiry is only conducted in a searching and
skilful manner, corruption, in all its shades of character, will
be brought to light equal even to the Whig performances at
Sudbury and elsewhere, and there can be no doubt but the
" Rejected of Northumberland" will be sent to keep company
with that "sombre" gentleman Mr. Dyce Sombre, who has
been ignominiously kicked out of the House of Commons.—
Newcastle Journal.

THE FIRE AT HAMBURGH.—Some of the merchants ac-
quainted with the customs of Hamburgh observe, that this
will offer a favourable moment for the improvement of the,
city, as the particular method which is adopted of insuring
the houses in Hamburgh will place great power in the hands
of the government. Nearly every house is, it seems, occu-
pied by a freeholder or a tenant-at-will, or for a short term ;
and there is nothing similar to the long leases which are so
common in England. These freehold houses are insured by
means of a system of taxation—thatis to say, the holders
pay a certain rate to the government, who undertake, on
their part, to repair the damage done by the. This rate of
insurance, it seems, the government may vary to meet the
exigencies of the occasion, and as the present will be so great
as to exceed the possibility of paying any adequate rate that
may be levied on the inhabitants, the freeholds being already
mortgaged to their full amount, it is thought that the govern-
ment may fairly expropriate the lands, and resell them in
lots. This certainly
seems a violent proceeding, and one
the justice of which it is difficult to make intelli-
gible in this country ; but whether it be consistent • with
Hamburgh institutions, those who are familiar with the
laws of that city. can alone decide. More intelligible is the
proposition of seizing this opportunity of throwing down the
rampart that surrounds the town, and thus preventing Ham-
burgh from being selected as a suitable spot for a garrison in
the case of a European war. Private letters contain several
melancholy facts connected with the ill-usage of the English
residing in Hamburgh, on account of the prevailing suspicion
that some of our countrymen had a hand in the fire. Two
Englishmen had tongs tied round their necks, and weie
thrown into the canal; another was thrown into the canal,
and stoned till he sank ; a third had his head split
. in two with
An axe ; and a fourth was run London,
through the body with
When it is ascertained how contrary is the feehngn,
he it is found
a sword.
to anytjling like malice towards Hamburgh--
how prbinptly and liberally the call to relieve the
in that city has been answered by the British—the ichelthe distre,,ed
recollec-
tion of these outrages will,
doubtless, awaken the deepest re.•
gret among the inhabitants.—London rtMeC.