The House of Commons has again—this time by a vote
of the whole House—condemned the inhabitants of half-a-dozen coun- ties and all East London to pay a coal-tax of half-a-crown a ton in order that the Great Northern shareholders may get 9 per cent. dividends. The Lancashire and Yorkshire and Great Eastern Junction Bill, rejected on Tuesday by 162 to 121, not only connected two great railway systems at present almost shut out from the benefits of intercommunication, but pro- vided a great trunk line from the coal-fields of the North to London, to be constructed with a view to the carriage of coal in infinitely larger quantities and at considerably lower charges than pre at present practicable. The evidence given on this point before the Committee last session was simply unanswerable, and a similar Bill was rejected avowedly on the ground that the Great Northern must be protected from competi- tion. The Bill thrown out on Tuesday by 162 supporters of the Great Northern monopoly was almost unanimously called for by the two great manufacturing counties and the three great agricultural counties, their respective railway systems representing capital, of 40,000,0001., and by all London east of the City. Mr. Bright supported it as a free-trade measure, and. said that he had not heard a single argument to justify its rejection. Mr. Ayrton pro- tested against the theory that the decision of last year's committee was to be considered final in a case where such great interests were involved, and three members of Government spoke in its favour. The majority, however, met argument with cries of "Divide," and succeeded in postponing a great public benefit in the interest of an unjust monopoly. The decision was simply discreditable, but the public will take care it is not repeated next session.
Previous page
