3
کا
COPY.
425
7083
Encl. in Sir John Jordan's No.159 of the 2nd April 1908
To H.F. Liang Shih Yi
Director General of Railways,
Sir,
C. O.
&C.
&O.
&C.
15692
Board of Communications, Peking.
REC
PEKING, 13 March 1908…”
4 MAY 08
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch of the 6th instant on the subject of the appointment of consulting engineers for the Canton-Kowloon Railway, copies of which communication have been forwarded to the Corporation and to its joint Agents at Hongkong.
In further reference to this question, and replying to your present communication and to your letter of 14th ultimo, I beg respectfully to point out that Your Excellency's views, as therein stated appear to overlook certain important provisions of the loan agreement and to proceed upon the assumption that the system of construction of this Railway is a matter for decision by the Chinese Government without reference to the Corporation; furthermore, that the duties and responsibilities of the engineer-in-chief are not in any way identified with the interests of the bond holders, but dependent solely upon Your Excellency's instructions.
Your Excellency, for instance, refers to the concluding paragraph of Article 2, inferring therefrom that the Engineer-in-chief should prepare the necessary bridge designs and forward them to Peking for the opinion of the Consulting Engineer appointed by the Board of Communications. This paragraph, however, refers only to the sectional plans of the line and cannot possibly be construed to apply to the system of construction or to the duties of the Engineer-in-chief in regard...