RAILWAY EXPROPRIATIONS.
1:r0 THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]
S114 —Mr. Chamberlain's statement, referred to in your article in the Spectator of January 16th, that fifty millions sterling have been paid to landowners by way of " bonus " for the expro- priations which railways have rendered necessary, is, I believe, so gross an exaggeration of the truth, that it ought not to go unchallenged. A large experience in the " expropriation " of land for railways enables me to form some sort of conclusion, even in this "unverifiable region," as you term it. The quantity of land occupied by railways in the United Kingdom may be approximately estimated by the mileage. This, for the twenty- two principal lines for which the weekly traffic returns are published, is, in round numbers, 15,000 miles. Adding 3,000 miles for the other railways, which are mostly short, we get a total length of 18,000 miles, and, at fifteen acres per mile, a total quantity of 270,000 acres of land. Now, Mr. Chamber- lain's figure of 250,000,000 would give an average of 2185 per acre paid to the landowners by way of "bonus" alone, over and above the actual value of their land !
To any one with the slightest practical acquaintance with the subject, it must be evident that this is egregiously incorrect. An approximate estimate may be formed in this way. The usual " bonus " given for compulsory sale in the Southern part of England is 25 per cent., or one-fourth, of the value of the land ; but as in the North more is given, take it at one-third on the average. Now, excluding large towns, .2100 per acre all round is a very liberal estimate of the price paid for the land merely, for railways. One-third of this, or 233 per acre, would represent the "bonus," and would amount, on 270,000 acres, to 29,000,000, instead of Mr. Chamberlain's 250,000,000. I do not enter upon the question of the compensation paid in addition for " severance " and other damage to property, as that is quite
Previous page
