456
preliminary work the Consulting Engineers made a survey of the
line of the rack-railway route and though Mr. Gibbs of this Firm
had volunteered for munition work in England yet he worked by
night and during the weekends at the plans, and various conferences
were held. Messrs the Swiss Oerlikon Company, the experts in rack
Steady progress
railways, were also giving attention to the matter.
was being made and we were still advised that it would be impossible
to proceed with the engineering work, except designs, and there
would be no advantage in forming a Company even if this could be
done without obtaining a definite contract for the work, which
contract no firm of repute would give under the prevailing condit-
ions. The Gerliken Company made it clear to us that had the scheme
been brought to then in the first place in war time they would not
have looked at it but that they were prepared to do all they could
because they considered it a sound scheme and we had been negotiat-
ing with them many months before the war. It will thus be clear
that everything reasonably possible was being done and that to press
the matter unduly would savour of want of patriotism, An
endeavour was made during an extended munitions holiday season te
Switzerlandin
obtain passports te visit Switzerlandin order to discuss the designs
with the Oerlikon Head Office, but without success. This should
prove that no possible opportunity to advance matters as far as
possible was neglected.
On July 29th, 1917, our Selicitors received a letter
from the Crown Selicitor, Hong Kong, with proposed amendments to
the draft Bill for the Railway which had been prepared between this
date and 1914, when the Agreement was sanctioned. The letter
cencluded with the following clause :-
"It is now nearly three years since the Agreement was approved by
"the Secretary of State subject as above mentioned, and as the
"Government has not yet been furnished with any proof of the
3