THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: House of Commons select committee discusses Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Bill

From the News Letter, July 9, 1879
Houses of Parliament from South Bank, c. 1910. Picture: https://spitalfieldslife.com/Houses of Parliament from South Bank, c. 1910. Picture: https://spitalfieldslife.com/
Houses of Parliament from South Bank, c. 1910. Picture: https://spitalfieldslife.com/

After being returned by the House of Lords the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Bill had come before the select committee of the House of Commons the previous day reported the News Letter on this day in 1879.

Messrs Dyson and Co of Parliament Street, Westminster, acted as the Parliamentary agents for the bill; and Messrs Crawford and Lockhart of Queen’s Square, Belfast, acted as the solicitors for the bill’s promoters.

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The News Letter noted that Sir Edmund Becket QC, who was accompanied by Mr Pember QC, spoke on behalf of the promoters of the bill during the meeting.

In his remarks Sir Edmund emphasised to the committee the “great importance” this bill had for the interest of Ireland, both commercially and agriculturally, and to ensure the railways kept rolling.

He said: “The object of the bill is to grant further powers to the Great Northern Railway Company with respect to their own undertaking, and to enable them to purchase the Dublin and Antrim and the Newry and Armagh Railways.”

Sir Edmund told the committee that there were “a great many miles” of railways under discussion and he gave an estimation at that time it stood at some 500 miles “with a capital of about six million”.

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After lengthy discussion in support and opposition to the bill was passed, “the clauses having been disposed of in a few minutes, and was ordered to be reported in the usual manner to the Commons. The News Letter reported that the proceedings did not start in the House until after 3pm and were “continued to an unusually advanced hour”.