RAILWAY ALLIANCES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 310, 24 September 1908, Page 7

RAILWAY ALLIANCES.

GREAT WESTERN. JOINS THE OTHER LINES* TO RESIST NATIONALISATION. (Bt TBLfiOEAtn—rnESS ASSOCIATION—COPI'at-jai.) 23, 11.15 p.m.) London, September 23. The " Daily Express" states that tho Great Western Railway lias joined tho combination of other great railways, with a view to resisting tho Government's schemes for tho nationalisation of railways. NATURE OF THE AGREEMENTS. THE CAPITALS INVOLVED. If was cabled on August G that the London i?-ji^°, r^b- Western Railway Company and tho Midland Railway Company had agreed upon the. terms of a working alliance, in order to avoid tho effects of ovor-competition. According fco the "Daily Mail" there are three companies ill this alliance—the London and NorthWestern (for brevity called the North-Western), the Midland, and the Lancashire and Yorkshire. " ha "Daily Mail" further suggests the conclusion at an early date of an alliance botween tho Great Western and tho South-Western. The paper adds:—"With the agreements already existing between tho Great Northern, Great Central, and Great Eastern railways, this leaves one other great company' unprovided for, the North-Eastern." The capitals of the three lines in the firstmentioned alliance are:— £ Midland „ ... 192,000,000 ■ Nortli-Wcstern , 129,000,000 Lancashire and Yorkshire"''G9,ooo,ooo ■ Total .'.. 390,000,000" The Great Western has a capital of -£93,027,903, and if it joins the above trio the total combined capital will thus be .£483,627,903. Other capitals aroSouth-Western, ; NorthEastern, .£78,000,000. Some of the now arrangements under the working agreement between tha Midland' and North-Western railways are- described 'in an .official statement issued on behalf of tho two companies, The objects of tho companies, it is stated, are the convenience. of the public, more rapid transit, and a more-'economical in--torchahge of traffic, not only passenger, but parcels, merchandise, and livo stock generally, between all points in the British Isles. Tho new arrangements to come into operation, now that tho agreement has been signed, includo:— Ordinary, tourist, and season tickets inter, changeable. More through passengers services. Alternative use of either company's offices. Goods traffic to go by shortest route. Use of either company's- collecting vans. Greater number of through bookings. A passengers from London to Manchester will thus be ablo to use either route, no matter with which company lie booked, and will bo able to go by one lino and return' by tho other. This is only one of a large number of alternative routes covered by the. arrangement. ■ It is understood that other. important arrangements are under consideration. All .receipts will bo pooled, and after deducting working expenses tho profits will be divided in proportion to the traffio carried by each -company. -