IN COMMITTEE
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Examination continued, showing the development of the West Sussex line; the contest with Roy’s line in 1858, and the victory of the Brighton Company on that occasion. Rates were gone into in that contest, and one great argument then was that the Brighton Company carried coals to Brighton at too cheap a rate. The Shoreham Commissioners opposed our bill on the ground that the coal was brought by railway at so cheap a rate as to injure the Shoreham trade. (Laughter.) Mr. Roy’s line had the support of the landholders and gentry, but on a representation from them, after our bill was passed, the Company came again to Parliament, at our expense, in order to meet the wishes of the landholders. In 1859 the Mid-Sussex line was also sanctioned from Petworth to Midhurst, which was constructed on a similar arrangement to those of the other local lines. That line is now in course of construction, and will have a branch at Petersfield to the South Western. There was also a branch lately commenced from Pulborough to Littlehampton, which will give a short sea-route to France, to Havre, Honfleur, and other ports on the Normandy sea-board. That will also shorten the distance to Arundel and all towns west of it, Portsmouth included—to the latter about eleven miles.