It is stated that a Joint Committee of the South-Eastern
Railway and the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Com- panies has decided on "a fusion of profits " and friendly inter- working at all points. That seems an ominous announcement. It means apparently that the Companies who hold our communi- cations with the Continent in their hands have agreed to remain distinct,—that is, to keep as many directors, engineers, contractors, and traffic-managers as possible, but to .unite in obtaining from the public all it is possible to get. They are not to compete, but they are to waste. The result of that will be higher fares, lower speeds, and less accommodation, and it is fortunate that the plan requires the sanction of an Act of Parliament. Let there be amalgamation by all means, if the Companies can show cause for it ; but " fusion of net profits " should be refused, unless the Com- panies agree to terms in the interest of the public. For example, one condition should be a good steam service across the Channel, so as to prevent some of the torture endured by the thousands who in Easter Week rushed to Paris.
Previous page
