>
}
}
}
}
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To me personally, as guardian of British interests in the line, he was, of course, entirely accuptable. In order, however, that all interference on the part of the now Ad- ministration should be eliminated as far as possible, and in order to safeguard revenue and disbursements, it was arranged that the former should be paid into a cuparute account and that the latter be placou under my joint cun- trol. It was at the same time made perfectly clear that Mr Chao, the Managing Director, and Mr Moore, the Acting Engineer-in-Chief, must act in absolute unison, on an assurance that, in the event of difficulties being created for them, they would have my wholehearted support. To have consented to indupendent action on the part of the Managing Director might have meant his having to give way to outside pressure. There never was any question of ig- noring him or his staff, anu, in fact, he gratefully accepted the arrangement as constituting a safeguaru for himself. Thore is no interference on my part with the working of the line under the Managing Director and Acting Engineer-in-Chief. I confine myself to seeing that only authorised disbursements are made and that proper pro- vision for the protection of life and property is ensured. When, therefore, I was informed that they were in a posi- tion to reopen for through running, I made it my business to ascertain that not only was the line itself in a fil and proper state, but that also efficient measures for the protection of passongers and rolling stock had been insti- tuted. On the occasion of the despatch of the special train on the 9th instant I had not co satisfied myself, and it was on those grounds that I deprecated the inai- vidual action of Mr Chuo. The local Government have never
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