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I Cuientrar

GLAMORGANSHIRE AX3 MONMOUTHSHIRE

PRICES OF SHARES IN CANALS…

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THE RAILWAY GUAGE QUESTION.—-The yet undeci- ded question of the guage, as invo'.ved i i the strug;o between the Oxford, Worcester, andWotvcrhamptou. and the Oxford and Rugby lines, represented by the. London and Birmingham and Great Western Companies, is still the chief topic of conversation in the raihvny world. Each party are making the most strenjious exer- tions to be fully prepared against the discussion of the question in the House of Lords, or for examination of the commission to be appointed as the result of Mr. Cobdcvs's motion. We think it highly probable (and hope such will be the case) that the subject will not be brought before the Peers, until the result of the labours oi the commissioners is known, as, although the Great Western party will endeavour to convince the public that it is '.i merely a question of the guage, but one as to which railway will be of the greatest public utility, it is quite clear that, once admit the principle of the admistuie. of guages of different widths, it becomes hard to imagine to what length it may be carried. It having been repeat- edly clearly shown that both principles have their advan tages as well as disadrantages, upon the whole, andlh: the public requirements are supplied as well by one us the other, it ought not, in the present state of railway affairs, to be a question whether the broad can adopt a few raor J inches of heating surface in the lire L ;x, than locomotives on the narrow guage possibly can, or whetho'* the in- creased width of a first-class carriage gives a million"ire a little more room to stretch his limbs, and lazily loll rl. his ease; but the great and paramount question is, shall the property in upwards of 2000 miles of railway, l:ud down on the narrow guage, under the compulsion of the Legislature itself, and which in speed. economy, and safety, has been proved to meet all the public demands —shall such property, representing: as it docs, between ^30,000,000 and £ 40,000,000 steiling, be liable to dete- rioration and spoilage, by carrying out the whims :1ltl fancies of engineering invaders, representing, it may truly be said, one company only, embracing a line and its branches, jointly of not more than 3JO miles we think there can be but one answer to the question. M e have- every respect for the talents of Mr. Brunei, and admire the spirited and energetic manner in which he broke through the tramels first forged by the Legislature, as to the width of guage, but we may buy gold too dear aud the narrow guage having spread itseif over the length and breadth of Great Britain, we fear we must contine that gentleman within his own territory. It is a convinc- ing proof of the confusion which iv;!l take p'ace o:i uu admixture of the guages, when we find a company pro- jected for the formation of iaHwavs with a eupital of ^4,000,000, in a dilemma, as to vr'.i t f.ue it shall wear beiote Parliament, and with a very strong inclination, like Janus, to put on two. The Great Welsh Junction Railway Company isi 01;^ paragraph of their prospectus call upon the directors oi all the narrow guage lines to support them before the Standing Orders' Committee and in another they state- that they shall be perfectly prepnrvd to by down t;:c narrow within the broad guage, and thus r.ccommodafo vehicles from the Great Western as well r.s other l'nes. We are no advocates for confining the energies and c terprize of engineering science, convince,! that in man;. points we are still in our infancy we would op?n thr widest possible door for the entrance of the spi, it (1:' improvement and advancement, and leave ihe arena f, their exertions free as the air we hieaihe but, when so- much property is at stake, we think it requires 1n.ore Ihao: common consideration, and we trust the commission to be appointed will take a just and. impartial view of »he- subject, and will hesitate ere they arrive at a dec! ion — Mininj t Journal,