300 History of Inland Transport 



panics, etc., were to have like powers granted to them in 

 respect of their canals, etc. ; and the Act therefore conferred 

 upon them the necessary powers for varying their tolls. 



The preamble of another Act passed in the same Session 

 (8 & 9 Viet. c. 42) recited the powers given to railway com- 

 panies as carriers of goods on their own lines, and stated that 

 " greater competition, for the public advantage, would be 

 obtained if similar powers were granted to canal and naviga- 

 tion companies." The Act accordingly extended to them the 

 same powers. With a like object, and again adopting the prin- 

 ciple sanctioned in the case of railway companies, the Act 

 further authorised canal companies to make working arrange- 

 ments between themselves, and, also, to lease their canals 

 to other canal companies, with a view to a better provision of 

 through water routes, and, consequently, a more active 

 competition with the railways. Two years later another Act 

 (10 & ii Viet. c. 94) was passed, giving the canal companies 

 power to borrow money for the purposes here specified. 



In his presidential address to the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers in 1885, Sir Frederick Bramwell, dealing with 

 various matters relating to the transport conditions of the 

 country, said : " This addition to the legal powers of the canal 

 companies made by the Acts of 1845 and 1847 has had a very 

 beneficial effect upon the value of their property, and has 

 assisted to preserve a mode of transport competing with that 

 afforded by the railways." 



It is true that the powers to act as carriers were taken 

 advantage of by leading canal companies, who worked up a 

 good business as carriers, although, to a certain extent, with a 

 result directly at variance with the widely accepted view that 

 canals should carry heavy and bulky commodities, and rail- 

 ways the lighter and more compact goods. What actually 

 happened was that the canal companies, as carriers, competed 

 with the railways in the transport of domestic supplies, while 

 the railways still carried most of the coal, iron-stone, etc., 

 for which many people supposed that canal transport is 

 specially adapted. 



While, however, as the result of these particular powers, 

 some of the canal companies improved their financial position, 

 and were enabled to maintain a better competition with the 

 railways, very little use was made of the authority given to 



