23 OCTOBER 1852, Page 13

SELF-REFORM OF RAILWAYS.

Tan railways are indulging just at present in such a superfluity of accidents, and are so ably illustrating the searching discussion on the subject in which the whole press and public are engaged, that practical conclusions cannot very long be deferred. When trains continue to encounter each other at crossings, almost as if by a preconcerted arrangement,—when all the newspapers are putting forth exactly those views as to the malice prepense of railway ne- gligence which we have urged upon our readers for some months past,—when the whole public is able to compare the theory with the practice,—it is quite clear that the rationale of railway acci- dents is established, both in doctrine and in rule-of-thumb, and that a people retaining any principles of common sense (which perhaps may be affirmed of the English public) will not very long consent to a monopoly of railways by statute law, especially as the monopolists are exercising their rights so as to convert travelling into a gambling between life and death. Every man who reads a newspaper, or who travels by railways, thoroughly understands that he might ;ravel well and safely without being impeded in his tra- velling and put to the risk of his life by those whom Parliament lies made the possessors of the highways ; and knowing so much, he will not be very long before he makes up his mind to give his voice in favour of a plan which will secure a system of transit economical, regular, and safe. Still, we are inclined to believe the evil has not gone so far that railway companies might not, even at this eleventh hour, save themselves from the interference which threatens them.

Meetings of the different companies are held, and questions of amalgamation are mooted, without much progress. Deputations are appointed to negotiate particular terms of alliance, and they fail. It is evident that railway companies desire to bring their operations into a better combination, but that the several interests which each company represents adhere too distinctly to their own partial view, and that these sectional negotiations are without suf- ficient motive power by their own compulsion. Railway directors, here and there, are resigning, in order to be out of the confusion : but the retirement of such managers as Mr. Glyn, a man capable and experienced, only helps to render the confusion greater. We have an able man, trusted by his constituents, with- drawing from the council, and we are by no means sure that a better man will be put in his stead ; on the contrary, the general feeling most obviously manifested is, that the managers of railway companies do not know what to do next. They see difficulty, but they cannot attain to the remedy. Possibly this might be managed if they were placed in a position to take a more comprehensive view of the domains now severally under their charge. We would suggest to them the example of the iron- masters in Staffordshire. There the interests are far less compli- cated, far less demanding cooperative consultation ; those men nevertheless do assemble, consult upon the general interests, come to some collective determination, and abide by it. They hold their meetings quarterly. We do not see any reason why people with an interest so distinct or with resources so available as rail- way managers should not adopt a similar course. It would at all events materially facilitate the probability of their retaining the management in their own hands, if they were to take such steps towards acquiring a collective conception of their own interests and the possibilities of their own management. In other words, they might hold a conference of representatives from all the rail- way companies, according to some plan of representation propor- tionate to property or beneficial interest. The first duty of such a conference would be, to survey the ac- tual state of the railway companies. It would find the railway shareholders and managers collectively in occupation of the prin- cipal highways of the country without rivals. It would find the public, on whom their prosperity depends, excessively dissatisfied with the actual state of things ; and it would find that dissatisfac- tion arisen to such a pitch as to threaten that the public will apply to the Legislature, and possibly even take the management out of the hands of the directors. It might occur to such a conference, that it would be possible for themselves to make such arrange- ments as should anticipate and supersede that interference, by ren- dering it unnecessary. We believe that it would be easy so to do.

Regarding the railway interest as a whole, such a conference would find it in possession of a vast fund, a vast stock, all the iron ways of the country, and the opportunity to supply the pub- lic demand for travelling. It would have none but a future rival in the trade ; and if it were to satisfy the public customer, however moderately, it might exclude that rival for ever. The disposition to travel may be extended indefinitely ; but there is a point at which numbers may be conveyed at too great cost for the trans- action " to pay." Trains may be sent after each other at com- paratively short intervals, if very great exactness be observed in arrival and departure, and if the telegraph be employed to notify the passing of trains at each station. Competition in railway traffic has hitherto introduced confusion both into the rates of fares and into the timing of trains. In some lines, the rancour of competition ac- tually impedes the travelling of trains. A farther source of dis- satisfaction to the public is the comfortless character of the ac- commodation in the carriages : the chief inducement to use the first class is the desire for an exclusive species of carriage, com- paratively free from the rough company which finds its way into the second ; the company in the third-class being sometimes in- tolerable. But as that is the motive to the use of the first class, the studied discomfort of the second-class carriages, fallaciously intended to drive passengers into the payment of first-class fares, becomes a wanton infliction on the majority of railway travellers. As to the classification, a better might be effected, by keeping paupers and prisoners actually separated from the ordinary pas- sengers, and by admitting to each class of carriage only the bond fide payer of the fare belonging to the particular class. But im- proved regulations of this kind could be better carried out if they were adopted on all railways simultaneously, than if they were enforced on one alone.

The conference then might very beneficially occupy itself by

considering the general regulations for assorting passengers; the rates of fares; the timing of trains, especially in reference to joint trains running successively on various lines, or meeting at junctions ; and the nature of accommodation to be conceded. A further subject, the consideration of which might save much loss to railway companies, would be the distribution of new branches. The saving of wasteful expenditure under that head alone might compensate the railway interest for all the cost or trouble of the conference. But we believe that one most useful duty which would come before the meeting would be, to arrange for future periodical meetings of the same body. Even if all railways were not at first to join in the general alliance, those that did so would acquire a confidence from the public highly beneficial to their ex- chequer ; and others would in time fall in.