41
paid by the Railway in instalments gɔmmencing from 10th
March, 1930, and that the total sleepers received to date
amounted to 134 bought by themM.
Hr. Stretten mgain urged that New bouth Wales
sleepers should be supplied and niso recommended "Bakers”
reinforced eomeret: Leepers which had been laid on the
British swetion for a considerable period, of which the
British seetion might have a large stoek in hand. He
also pointed out that the present state of affairs was
no fault of the Engineering Department, as he had
written on 7th November lust asking for 80,000 alsevere
and en innumerable times since then.
la a
ritten on 28th June last Mr. Stratton
stated that if no attention was paid te his repeated
requests for sleepers, the time was not far distant when
the railway would have to donne working. He urged that
100,000 sleepers were required to put the track in
first-class condition and declared that the 49,000
Singapore and himrila sleepers bought in the last 2 years
have now comenced to rat. He added that with a
track and fast service he was sure that the Oantem
Kowloon line would expture most of the passenger traffic
between Canten and Hongkong.
10. The most recent letter from Ir. Stratton to the
Managing Director Er. §. 0. Liu is dated 11th July.
this letter he urges that the Ministry of Commmniestions
should be requested by telegraph to advance the money for
sleepers from the murnius of other railways and let the
Canton-Kowloon Railway pay back by instalmente.
pointed