The construction of the Sunning Railway has been progressing, though the final alignment beyond Kung Yik has yet to be determined. The General Superintendent states that this work is about to commence. Bridges on the Kung Yik-Sunning section are complete but are more rudimentary compared to those on the Hankow line, where supports and piers are made of solid concrete.
The Sunning section has been operational for about three months, with daily receipts amounting to approximately $300. While this is insufficient to make the line profitable, the management anticipates that the completion of the towns of Kung Yik and Sam Kap, and the extension of the line to Sam Kap, will significantly improve financial prospects.
There is a noticeable emphasis on aesthetics in the design of the first-class carriages and the Company’s offices at Kung Yik and Sunning. The office in Sunning is a substantial three-storey building, primarily accommodating Company clerks, which seems disproportionate to the line's current scale and prospects. The General Superintendent, Chin Poo, a Chinese man aged around 70 with 48 years of experience in the United States, oversees a large staff that appears to have limited work, indicating some slackness in management.
Beyond Sunning, the line is managed by two Chinese engineers educated in America. Rails have been laid for about 9 miles, with a significant detour to avoid cultivated land. A bridge over a major stream near Sunning is under construction, though bridges and culverts beyond this point remain unstarted, with gaps in the embankment. The line will not open until it reaches Sam Kap.
Sam Kap, currently a marshland, is slated for development into a town with steamers connecting to Macao and Hong Kong. However, the prospects of Sam Kap becoming a major port are questionable. While it is the only feasible harbour along a considerable stretch of coast, with 6 feet of water at low tide and potential for dredging, it is exposed to typhoons and gales, making it unsuitable for ocean steamers.
The railway's profitability is likely to depend on passenger traffic and goods transport between Sunning and other regions rather than Sam Kap becoming a major port. The line is not expected to be an extraordinary financial success.
Nevertheless, the achievement of the Sunning people in raising $3,000,000 gold, largely from Chinese in the United States, to construct the railway, drain marshlands, and establish new towns is remarkable. It demonstrates their patriotism and progressiveness and may inspire similar initiatives elsewhere in China.
The Company plans to build a railway from Tam Shou Hau to Kongmoon via Sanui upon completing the Sunning line, with a ferry connecting to Kung Yik. This line, passing through populated areas with minimal need for major bridges, is expected to be profitable.
A printed map of the Sunning Railway and a tracing of the proposed Kongmoon line are enclosed.
Canton, April 21, 1908.
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