ε.E.
Copy.
Extract from encl. /= scent Sap fr For It delil 21 Aft. 1928
Kowloon-Canton Railway.
(orig on 52701 B/28. No42)
3
ww
3
then raises the question of the Kowloon-
HIS EXCELLENCY
Canton Railway.
are to run at a
He said that if express trains
profit, suitable engines must be
obtained. At present there are no suitable engines
for hauling the express trains. Sometime ago
Mr. Lao, the manager of the Chinese Section of the
Railway, Fr. Stratton, and Mr. Robert Baker, manager
of the British Section, had a discussion, and it as
considered that the best plan would be for the Hong Kong
Government to buy in the first instance a new
locomotive which the Canton Government could take
over on payment by instalments. There are two ways of
dealing with the matter: one is that the long Kong
Government buy the locomotives with power to run
them over the whole line; and the second is that
the Canton Government should buy the locomotives
and run them under the present working agreement. The Hong Kong Government has called for tenders
for one locomotive, which is estimated to cost about
£6,000.
MARSHAL LI says that he is very anxious to improve, not
only this line, but all the other railways in
Kongtung. There is profit in the undertaking if
the railways are properly run. The most important
problem is the labour problem, and it must first be
settled before there can be any hope of profit.
HIS EXCELIENCY says that something should be done no ".
IR.