107
22526
No. 81.
Governor Sir C. BRUCE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received 3.40 p.m., June 18, 1903.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by Nos. 82 and 85,]
Estimated Treasury balance 30th June, Rs. 1,500,000. It is desired to charge £17,000 for dredger, equivalent to Rs. 255,000, and Rs. 245,000 for railways and framways to Treasury balance. I have no objection provided estimates show adequate margin of revenue over expenditure, which I will secure. Do you approve ? I'lease telegraph as soon as possible.
22526
No. 82.
MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR C. BRUCE. (Sent 6.35 p.m. June 19, 1903.) TELEGRAM.
Referring to your telegram of June 18.* I approve of your providing accord- ingly in Estimates for next year.
Despatch† follows by mail.
22526
(No. 125.)
No. 85.
MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR C. BRUCE,
[Answered by No. 97.]
Downing Street, June 23, 1903.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 18th instant, stating that the Treasury balance on the 30th instant is estimated at 1,500,000 rupees, that it is desired to charge £17,000 for the dredger against this balance, as well as 245,000 rupees for railways and tramways, and that you have no objection to the proposal provided that the Estimates for 1903-4 show an adequate margin of revenue over ordinary expenditure, which you will secure.
I telegraphed to you on the 19th instant,† to the effect that I approved of your providing accordingly in the Estimates for next year. As regards the expenditure for the dredger, I presume that this charge of £17,000 against the surplus balance represents the sum which I have suggested in my despatch, No. 93, of the 7th ultimo, should be provided in next year's estimates.
As regards the provision for railways and tramways, I shall no doubt receive the proposals for the allocation of this sum hereafter; it will, I presume, include the cost of the Long Mountain Branch Railway, to which I have agreed in my telegram of the 20th instant.§ I was not previously aware that any expenditure by the Government on tramways was contemplated, and I shall be glad to receive further information on this head.
I have, &c.,
J. CHAMBERLAIN.
22199
No. 83.
23659
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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Reference :-~~
C.O. 882
MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR C. BRUCE. (Sent 5.50 p.m., June 20, 1903.) TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 81.]
Referring to your telegram of 17 June, though not refusing to sanction line referred to in your despatch, No. 152, § which has already been begun, I cannot approve larger scheme in your despatch, No. 150, without further information. Is there a competent engineer in Colony to complete detailed surveys and supervise construction of line, or do you wish engineer sent out? Is it to be constructed by Public Works Department or put up to tender? In any case fear line could not be completed in a year, judging from time estimated for completing Long Mountain line. Meanwhile would it be practicable for Government to acquire automobiles to be let on hire in district?
23293
No. 84.
GOVERNOR SIR C. BRUCE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received 4.6 p.m., June 23, 1903.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by Nos. 87 and 88.]
Referring to your telegram of 20th June, Public Works Department and Railway Department are competent to complete surveys and construction of line; engineer need not be sent out; line will be constructed by Public Works Depart- ment, who confidently believe that it can be open for traffic August, 1904; proposal to use automobiles after full consideration not practicable; may I venture to urge strongly commencing work at once?
SIR,
No. 86.
CROWN AGENTS to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received June 27, 1903.) [Copy to Governor, July 2, 1903, No. 131. L.F. See No. 99]. [Answered by No. 90.]
Downing Street, London, June 26, 1903. I HAVE the honour to refer to your letter of the 8th April last, No. 12769, || enclosing, for our information and guidance, a copy of an Ordinance, No. 1 of 1903, of the Government of Mauritius, entitled "The Mechanical Transport Loan (Amend- ment) Ordinance, 1903."
2. Under the authority of the two Ordinances we have been providing the necessary funds temporarily for meeting the requirements of the Colonial Govern- ment, and I have now the honour to report that on the 19th instant we received the following telegram :-
"Tramway Loan. Have paid locally £21,317, and drawn £43,535 on you, further accounts coming in daily; think it will be well to raise £110,000 at once; no further amount need then be raised till final assessment made. Please wire rate of emission."
3. Our previous instructions, as contained in your letter of the 4th March, No. 8340/1903, are, however, to borrow up to £70,000 only, and I have therefore to request that we may receive the Secretary of State's further authority to borrow to the extent that may be required, and, as our disbursements in July and August for interest and sinking fund will amount together to about £25,000, I would ask that we may be empowered to borrow temporarily beyond the limit of £110,000 stated in the telegram from the Colonial Government if we should find it necessary to do so.
4. We gather from the telegram that the Colonial Government desires that a portion of the loan should be raised on a permanent, basis at once, and that we should telegraph out the interest at which it can be raised. In our opinion, however,
• No. Kl.
† No. 85.
'No. 80.
§ No. 78.
¡No. 77.
No. 83.
• No. 81.
† No. 82.
‡ Not printed. LF. transmitting copy of No. 66.
4 No. 83.
¶ No. 60.
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8 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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