While there has been too much proneness to favour competing schemes, there has been an unreasonable jealousy of agreements between companies. Traces of the jealousy with which Parliament has regarded agreements between companies, even for merely working branches in extension of parent lines, are shewn by the provision that agreements shall be reviewed every ten years. It also appears in the views of the Railway Commissioners as expressed in section 6 of their twelfth report (1885). They state that it is the practice of some companies to get such agreements confirmed by means of a schedule to their private Bills, which gives the public no opportunity of knowing what those agreements are about, and that the agreements are confirmed, either for long terms, or in perpetuity, without any provision for a periodical revision in the interests of the public. And yet it is not known that the public have derived any advantages from the periodical revision of agreements for working branch lines, and whenever application has been made to Parliament for absorbing a branch line it has been authorised without any difficulty. In the last session of Parliament, the Midland Company applied for power to enter into, and carry into effect, agreements with certain other railway companies with respect to the provision of joint terminal accommodation at towns and stations on their respective systems; the alteration and enlargement of existing stations for joint purposes; the providing at joint expense of train services between towns and places served by their respective systems, and of locomotive engines and stock for such joint trains; the appointment of joint staff and the fixing of rates, fares and charges in respect of traffic using such joint stations, or carried by such joint trains, and the division of the receipts therefrom. Any agreements made under these powers were to be subject to the approval of the Board of Trade. With the present view held by Parliament and by a section of the traders as to railways, it is, however, questionable whether such agreements would be confirmed, except on terms which it would be impossible for the companies to accept. In this country--which is unlike the United States in this respect--agreements to charge equal rates for competitive traffic have been, on the whole, adhered to. Arrangements for the division of such traffic are therefore not so much required here as there. The great desiderata of the companies are the limitation of competition within reasonable bounds, stopping the waste which it now causes, and fully affording to each other and to the public and traffic all practicable facilities and accommodation.