The proposed line was in direct
competition with the Great Northern, and they sought my aid in opposing
it. Certainly there was no need for two railways, but Parliament thought
otherwise and passed the Bill. Indeed Parliament is not free from blame
for many unnecessary duplicated lines throughout the kingdom.
_Competition_ was for long its fetish; now it is _unification_, and
(blessed word!) _co-ordination_. Strange how men are taken with fine
words and phrases, and what slaves they are to shibboleths! Before the
House of Commons Committee which sat on this Bill I had the pleasure, for
the first time, of being examined by Balfour Browne. He was leader in
the case for the Great Northern, and I met him also in consultations
which took place. Since then I have crossed swords with him too, and
always I must confess with keen enjoyment. His knowledge of railway
matters was so remarkable, his mind so practiced, alert, and luminous,
that it was rare excitement to undergo cross-examination at his hands. In
his book, _Forty Years at the Bar_, he himself says: "I have not had many
opportunities of giving evidence, but I confess that when I have been
called as a witness I have enjoyed myself.
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