20
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under which a good deal of the Federated Malay States Railways
were built has been approved viz the local Government builds the Railway itself, is responsible for the work, and consults the Consulting Engineers just as much or as
little as it thinks fit. In the case of the Singapore
and Federated Malay States Railways the Secretary of
State declined to allow the system to continue.
The circumstances in which the Northern Nigeria line is being built are exceptional, for the Governor has large experience of railway building, he was apparently selected largely with a view to the construction of this railway, and the line is apparently through easy country (judging from the small cost (£3,000) per mile at which
s construction is estimated).
None of these factors are present in the case
of HongKong and it would seem that a good deal of the
trouble over the Canton Kowloon line has been due to
excessive control by Sir M. Nathan who as an engineer naturally wanted to have his say in things.
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The matters alleged against Mr. Eves practically
amount to:-
1. Sir M. Nathan's charge that the progress made
Mr. Eyes arrived in
HongKong in March 1906 at the commencement of the rainy unhealthy season. In September 1906 Sir M. Nathan
commenced to complain that the progress of the work was
Mr. Eves's reply was to the effect
by Mr. Bves was unsatisfactory.
unsatisfactory.
that malaria was very bad, that in his opinion only the
tunnel
Despatch on 1794/0 Straits.
See 38925/06
and
41029/06.
It was commenced
O
hauny from political reasons
10630/07.
પેન
tunnel should have been started in the wet season but
that under pressure from Government he had started on
the other parts of the line, that the resulting sick-
ness had rendered it very difficult to get or keep
labour, that contractors were asking exorbitant prices
which it would be foolish to accept, that competent
miners for the tunnel were obtainable locally, that the
line had been started without proper working plans,
that except for the tunnel there was no hurry and
that the Governor criticised him in a way which showed
want of confidence in his experience of Railway con-
struction.
In February 1907 Sir M. Nathan returned to the
attack asking that the work might be placed under the
Director of Public Works and stat ing that reason for
this request was his "grave fear that the very large
sums of money that are now being expended locally on
this undertaking are not being spent in the most
advantageous manner. Since the commencement of
November these sums amount to over $500,000 or about
£55,000. For this amount according to the original
estimate 1 th of the work on the railway, including
10 the reclamation of the station site, should have been
completed"; that he was "convinced that nothing like
this propertion has been carried out that not more
than 2,000 men on an average had been employed on the
works, that he could not see how payment of this staff
and the cost of local purchases reported to him coula
account for anything like the money expended, and
that therefore he had instructed the Director of Public
Works to make a special examination of the expenditure
and