in
the country to interchange facilities for through-booking traffic, and
clears up their respective accounts in reference to the same.

Something of the use and value of the Clearing-House may be shown at a
glance, by explaining that, before the great schemes of amalgamation
which have now been carried out, each railway company booked passengers
and goods only as far as its own rails went, and at this point fresh
tickets had to be taken out and carriages changed, with all the
disagreeable accompaniments and delays of shifting luggage, etcetera.
Before through-booking was introduced, a traveller between London and
Inverness was compelled to renew his ticket and change luggage four
times; between Darlington and Cardiff six times. In some journeys no
fewer than nine or ten changes were necessary! This, as traffic
increased, of course became intolerable, and it is quite certain that
the present extent of passenger and goods traffic could never have been
attained if the old system had continued. It was felt to be absolutely
necessary that not only passengers, but carriages and goods, must be
passed over as many lines as possible, at straight "through" to their
destinations, with no needless delays, and without "breaking bulk." But
how was this to be accomplished? There were difficulties in the way of
through-booking which do not appear at first sight. When, for instance,
a traveller goes from London to Edinburgh by the East Coast route, he
passes over three different railways of unequal length, or mileage. The
Great Northern furnishes his ticket, and gives him station accommodation
besides providing his carriage, while the North-Eastern and North
British permit him to run over their lines; and the latter also
furnishes station accommodation, and collects his ticket. To ascertain
precisely how much of that traveller's fare is due to each company
involves a careful and nice calculation. Besides this, the _whole_ fare
is paid to the Great Northern, and it would be unjust to expect that
that company should be saddled with the trouble of making the
calculation, and the expense of remitting its share to each of the other
companies. So, too, with goods--one company furnishing the waggon and
tarpaulin, besides undertaking the trouble of loading and furnishing
station-accommodation and the use of its line, while, it may be, several
other companies give the use of their lines only, and that to a variable
extent. In additi