The life of George Stephenson, railway engineer - Lighthouse ...

RAILWAY SYSTEM AND ITS RESULTS. 471
who does not laugh at the idea. The " Datum point" is the crotchet
of some theoretical red-tapist. Every practical man knows that it is
not of the slightest real value in checking levels, or for any other prac-
tical purpose. The consequence of these orotehets is, that the Stand-
ing Orders are loaded with a number of useless forms, which are not
now rigidly enforced ; and recording, as they do, the exploded crotchets
of the House of Commons, they are become almost a nullity, except
in so far as they occasionally involve expense or trouble.
But having passed a Bill, how does Parliament treat the railway on
which it has conferred powers ? In the first place, it affords extraor-
dinary facilities to landowners to make extraordinary demands for
compensation. Having given them these facilities, it then makes the
legal steps by which such demands can be resisted so expensive, that,
in a money point of view, it is frequently difficult to decide whether,
if all the desired reduction can be made, the cost of obtaining the sav-
ing will not exceed the whole amount that can be saved. This is so well
understood, that acute surveyors and solicitors, after making fair estimates
of value, always add an amount to their estimate, for charges
which may be entailed by resisting claims.
Of the £286,000,000 of railway capital expended, it is believed that
nearly one fourth has been paid solely for land and conveyancing
and yet it is well known that, except in regard to the houses which
have been actually demolished, nearly every piece of property which
is intersected, undergoes improvement in value, in consequence of the
construction of the lines. In towns and villages, the land abutting on
the railway becomes frontage ;
and even in the country, land near sta-
tions becomes available for building purposes. The millions which
have been paid by Railway Conjpanies to landowners for their prop-
erty, may therefore be said to be so much absolutely put into their
pockets. Considering, in addition to this profit upon the land taken,
the increased value of the land left, it is clear that the gain to the land-
owners by railways, must, in the aggregate, have been enormous.
Now here agaia the one-sided character of parliamentary legislation
is exhibited. Parliament has never, on any occasion, permitted im-
provement to be considered as an element in favour of a railway ; but
it has always been ready to tax the Railway Company, on account of
possible depreciation. The extent to which claims on account of de-
preciation have been carried, is well known. Great was the ingenuity
of the agent who discovered the use of the word " Severance." To
Railway Companies constant repetition has made that term but too
familiar. In every case in which the line passes through an estate, a
claim is set up for compensation, on account of "severance;" which
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