Tue 10 Nov 1874
Special Meeting. Relations between Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames & Severn Canal Co were discussed and a reply was made to a letter from Mr Prideaux, Clerk to the Thames & Severn Canal Co,
At a Special Meeting held at Wallbridge on Tuesday the 10^th day of November 1874 at 12,o,clock noon.
Present: Mr G H A Beard Chairman, Mr J TStanton, Mr J T Fisher, Mr T M Croome, Mr E C Little, Mr S Phipps, Mr W W Kearsey, Mr W J Stanton, Mr C H Hooper.
The relations of the Stroudwater Navigation with the Thames & Severn Canal Co. were discussed and it was Resolved that the chairman Mr Beard reply to the letter received from Mr W Prideaux, the Clerk to the Thames & Severn Canal Co.
Copy of letter to Mr Prideaux
_______________________________________________
Stroudwater Navigation, Wallbridge Nr. Stroud
November 19^th 1874.
Sir,
My Committee consider it due alike to you and themselves, that I should answer your letter of the 15^th ult addressed to their Clerk, in reply to a prior one from him, and especially because of your remark that the Memorial which was forwarded to you, with the latter communication was got up by the Agents of the Stroudwater Company, and that signatures to it had been actively solicited by their Clerk.
We have enquired into the matter and find that the Memorial was certainly prepared by Mr Snape but at the request of the Memorialists who were repeatedly complaining to him of the state of your Canal & of the consequent loss sustained by them, but in acceding to this request Mr Snape acted only as their agent, and not with the tacit consent, or even knowledge of my committee, though now the matter has come before us we do not see any reason why he should not have adopted the course taken.
Since the Memorial was handed to my Committee, and indeed since the receipt of your reply to it, we have gone into the question and obtained satisfactory and reliable evidence that the allegations of the Memorialists are, to the full, correct, and it appears to us quite clear that not only the Traders suffer but that our Navigation also sustains great loss by reason of the very defective condition in which your Canal and works at present are. This state of things affects my Company more seriously than otherwise would be the case, by reason of the arrangement existing between us and the Thames & Severn Canal Co for the division of tonnages at Wallbridge.
This arrangement and the provisions of your act of Parliament, out of which it arose, were based upon a calculation of traffic which the Stroudwater Navigation would receive from it’s connection with your Canal, but for years past my Company have ceased to derive any real benefit from such traffic, and therefore the amount which we annually pay to your Co has been an absolute loss to us, and a clear gain to you for which you give us no reciprocal advantage. Under these circumstances it seems obvious that your Co should put their Canal into such order, as that heavy traffic in timber, corn & coal, can freely pass along all parts of it, so as to restore to us the position of advantage in respect of which existing arrangements were made & that until this be done, such arrangements should be so modified as that my Co may receive a fair proportion of the Tonnages charged according to the length of such Canal over which traffic passes.
Our committee have referred to the correspondence mentioned in your letter as having taken place between Mr Taunton and Mr Kearsey in 1868, but cannot find that it bears upon the question now between us further than to show that at that date your Co did not recognise the claim which mine then made & which they have in these altered circumstances always considered a fair one, for a more equitable distribution of the tonnages between the two companies.
In adding that the sense which my Co have of the injustice to them of the working of existing arrangements, under present circumstances is so strong, that they deem it right to take some action to obtain relief, I trust your board will not feel that we are actuated by any other than a friendly spirit and hope your company will recognise the fairness of the claim we make.
I remain Sir,
Your obedient servant,
G H A Beard,
Chairman,
Stroudwater Navigation.
Walter Prideaux Esq
Secretary
Thames & Severn Canal
Goldsmiths Hall
London EC.
[Minutes signed by those attending]
