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if Uvah is favourable to the production of tea. They can show considerable rainfall, but then the rain comes at once and drought prevails for long periods, whereas in the tea districts there are showers at intervals to bring out the "flushes." But what is to be done when Ceylon produces 50 millions of pounds of tea? How can prices be maintained ? Where are the consumers to be found? As it is, prices have fallen from the large supplies, and India is rapidly increasing her returns. We, in Ceylon, are riding on one anchor, tea; and if that becomes unremunerative, we shall be in a bad way and hard pushed to pay the interest of our present debt, let alone that of another 1,000,000l. to get to Badulla.
Do not return the papers.
MY DEAR SIR,
Yours, &c. (Signed)
Enclosure in No. 3.
W. H. GREGORY.
Darjeeling, India, August 28, 1886. I HAD the pleasure to receive yours of the 27th ult. after our last mail had left, so therefore wired you via Bombay that I would reply to Mr. Waring's Memorandum, and now beg to do so as per my enclosed “reply.”
I have only been able to dwell on the main points raised by Mr. Waring, and hope that you will think that the results set forth in the Director's Report (by Book Post) for the last half-year, particularly from para. 10, is the best answer to what Mr. Waring mainly urges.
My firm offer to make and equip the extensions, for what should not exceed 5,0001. a mile, will, I hope, also give confidence. I had hope that this would be more noticed. I am so much engaged in advancing an undertaking on the pine-clad slopes of these mountains near the Nepal frontier, and which to my very very great advantage takes ine up 12,000 feet, and amongst the Himalayan Grouse, which also will, I hope, result in the down traffic of the D. H. R. balancing the up (very much to be desired), that I am not very keen to divide any attention. I will, however, with very much pleasure, assist any engineer from the Colonial Office to make a complete inspection of this line, and accompany such an officer afterwards to Ceylon. It would, however, better suit my engagements if I could first meet the inspecting officer at Colombo by the P. and Ổ. steamer due there from home 21st Oct., and then after a fortnight in the island, come on here.
I will, however, make it convenient to proceed down later on if it is desired, and I rather think that the officer should first see what has been done here before he is influenced by the authorities in Ceylon.
It may
interest you to know that Mr. Fergusson of the "Ceylon Observer
" seems more disposed for the cheaper line; he has urged me much to pay the island a visit, see the Governor, and work up the Tea Planters' Association.
If you ever meet Sir Ashley Eden, of the India Office, you will find him a strong supporter of this little line, for with myself he was one of the joint parents. He was Lieut.-Governor when the contract was made, and both he and the Viceroy at the time, Lord Lytton, were substantial shareholders.
Hoping that I have given you the information you require,
Sir William Gregory, K.C.M.G.
I am, &c. (Signed)
F. PRESTAGE.
REPLY to Mr. WARING'S MEMORANDUM on a comparison of the STATISTICS relating to the construction and working of the Darjeeling HIMALAYAN and the CEYLON RAILWAYS.
Ir appears to me that no useful or reliable comparison can be made from the results of working per mile of two railways constructed and worked under such varying conditions.
2. With the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway:
1st. Its terminus is 320 miles from the nearest port of shipment and the base of
supplies both of materials and skilled labour.
2nd. "It is treated as an isolated, distinct, and altogether foreign undertaking from
the connected State lines, resembling the greater length of the Ceylon Railway,
so much so that although the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has brought them an increase of upwards of Rs. 2,20,000 gross receipts per annum, one of them has increased its through passengers' fares only 50%, and it now contemplates seriously increasing the rates for tea.
3rd. The bulk of the load is up hill and most of it is carried one and a half miles
vertically. A
4th. It has a very limited traffic producing gross receipts of only Rs. 9,000 per mile
per annum.
5th. Its limited revenue is loaded with the cost of separate establishments and
heavy general charges.
Whereas with the Ceylon State Railway
*
1st. Its terminus is at a most important port.
2nd. The line is of the most convenient length to work to the greatest advantage,
and as a whole.
3rd. The bulk of the traffic is carried on fairly easy gradients.
4th. With the much greater mileage in proportion to the lift, the gross receipts are nearly double as much per mile per annum as on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
5th. The establishments and general charges are divided over more than five times
as large a revenue.
3. In reply to paras. 5 and 7 of Mr. Waring's Memorandum regarding the cost of the Darjeeling road, if (as no one can say). it cost Rs. 60,000 per mile, considering it is 24 feet wide between parapets, the sum I have allowed for the bridle track, 2,350/. 8 feet wide only, para. 5 in my letter of the 9th April, 1886, to the Ceylon Govern- ment, should be more than ample for the construction of the track only; this opinion has been endorsed by an expert of considerable local knowledge, and I repeat that I am still prepared to follow and complete the construction and equipment of the railway on the terms stated in para. 4 of my letter of the 9th April last, to the Government of Ceylon, showing the total cost of the line at 5,000l. per mile.
4. In judging of the cost per mile of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, and the gains it got from the cart road, it should be brought to notice that 15 miles of the line were temporarily laid on the cart road, whilst that length of new formation was being con structed, so that some 38 per cent. of the hill portion of the road was not availed of permanently, and only some 62 per cent., not 80, of the bill road utilized, as Mr. Waring has erroneously been given to understand.
5. Para. 18. It is quite true that the residents in the slopes of these mountains produce sufficient grain for their own wants, but the residents only form one eighth of the population since tea cultivation has been started, and all imported labour requires, I am glad to say, imported rice.
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Q
6. In like manner there is no use in attempting to follow Mr. Waring's arguments by which that gentleman endeavours to show why the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway should have cost more than it actually has, neither is it of use to attempt to show why a line with gradients 1 in 44 should carry at less per mile than one of 1 in 28; all I will urge is that if it is required to ascend 1 mile at 1 in 44 by the Ceylon State Railway system we have 44 mile x 2,63,067 Rs. 1,15,74,948 outlay, and by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway system, 28×52,552 Rs. 14.71,456 outlay about one eighth, and for every 100 tons of paying load carried up by the Ceylon system, 216 tons of dead weight will be carried against 75 tons by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It should also be remembered that much more per mile can be paid on a line 28 miles long, than on one 44 miles long, before the total through charge on the former will exceed that on the latter.
7. I beg attention to the attached statement showing how the working expenses of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway have been reduced with a very slight increase of traffic, and now that maintenance has been relieved of what should have been construction charges.
8. It should be noted that Mr. Waring has based his comparison on the results of the working of this railway for the year 1884, the most unfavourable year on the whole since the railway has been fairly at work, the more recent results particularly those of the last half-year as set forth in the accompanying report are much more favourable.
F. PRESTAGE.
Darjeeling, 28th August, 1886.
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