PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TRILUC.O. 882
8 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
116
Ordinance No. 2 of 1901. Export duty for Station Agronomique. Ordinance No. 25 of 1901. Article 11,4 per cent. surcharge on all import duties in connection with the Re-afforestation Loan (Amendment No. 22 of 1902).
LOANS TO PLANTERS.
Hurricane Loan.-Ordinances No. 4 of 1892, 12 of 1892, 17 of 1893, 13 of 1894. Mechanical Transport.--Ordinance No. 34 of 1902 (Amendment 44 of 1902 and 4 of 1903).
Advances in Aid.-Ordinance No. 43 of 1902.
NOTE--No. 6 of 1884, which authorised the payments by instalments of cost of introduction of immigrants from India is repealed by No. 11 of 1901, and only not extends to advances authorised prior to 6th November, 1901.
"
GENERAL LEGISLATION.
Ordinance No. 44 of 1851.-Marking of sugar bags.
Ordinance No. 13 of 1875.-Article 6, sugar canes not to be planted in
reserves."
Ordinance No. 12 of 1878.-Labour Law.
Ordinance No. 5 of 1879.—Authorising companies to be formed for working sugar estates.
Ordinance No. 8 of 1881.-Privilege of Government for recovery of sums due for carriage of goods by railway.
Ordinance No. 28 of 1892.-Articles 47, 49, Customs Law: Regulations applic- able to coasting trade and transhipment.
Ordinance No. 23 of 1896.-Registration duty of Acts relating to sugar cane.
27749
(No. 155.) SIR,
No. 95.
MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GoVERNOR SIR C. BRUCE.
Downing Street, July 30, 1903. I HAVE the honour to inform you that His Majesty will not be advised to exercise his powers of disallowance in respect of Ordinance No. 4 of 1903, of the Legislature of Mauritius, entitled, "An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 34 of 1902 (The Mechanical Transport Loan Ordinance, 1902)," a transcript of which accompanied your despatch, No. 216, of the 19th of June last.*
2. I have to point out, however, that there appears to be an omission in line 2 of Section 1 of the Ordinance; some such words as "paragraph to " being apparently necessary before the words "paragraph iii" of the existing text.
29645
No. 96.
I have, &c.,
J. CHAMBERLAIN.
117
at a collective cost of Rs. 100,000, as stated in my telegram to you of 1st July last:* About Rs. 20,000 have been spent on the lines up to the 30th June last, and a further sum of Rs. 80,000, to be charged to the Treasury balances, has been provided in the Appropriation Ordinance, 1903, as reported in my despatch, No. 246, of this date.t transmitting the estimates for the service of the year 1903-04.
I have, &c.,
CHAS. BRUCE,
Enclosure in No. 96.
Governor.
EXTRACT from the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Railway Board, at a Meeting held on the 6th March, 1903.
*
*
*
*
*
No. 41.-The Honourable Dr. Edwards, who had been prevented from attending the last meeting, then enters the Board's room. The chairman welcomes him, and asks him to take a seat at the table. He explains that, as a member of the Commission of the Tramway Ordinance, Dr. Edwards having called the attention of the Commission to the necessity of light railway lines at Savanne, the Board had decided that infor mation be obtained from him on the matter.
The Honourable Dr. Edwards then states that there are two regions which deserve the favourable attention of the Government for the laying of light railway lines, one at Grande Savanne, and the other at Petite Savanne.
The former is greater and more important, extending over about 3,500 acres, between Rivière du Poste and Rivière des Anguilles, and above the old Savanne Road, and includes Bois Chéri, Grand Bois, Mexico and that part of La Flora Estate which has been parcelled out near Colville Bridge. These lands are cultivated in canes, except 232 arpents, which are in tea. They belong principally to Indían farmers, who possess from half an arpent to 100 or more. These are old immigrants who saved money', farthing by farthing whilst they were under contract of engagement. Those small planters contribute in a large measure to the revenue of the Colony, as will be shown hereunder. As they have lost their mules (200 in number) through the surra, they will not, be able to grow canes, and will be ruined, if the Government does not help them to carry their canes to the mill, as many of them have not yet paid all the instalments due on their land. No less than 300 arpents of canes were left uncut last which belonged to forty of these peasant proprietors.
year,
The following figures will prove that if a railway line about five miles long were created from Rivière du Poste siding, passing near Pont Colleville to Bois Chéri, making two or three curves, the Government will recover in a few interest.
years the outlay with
Two estates principally, Britannia and St. Avold, used to take the canes of those small planters.
One of them took in one year:—
From Bois Chéri
"
Grand Bois Mexico
JJ
(No. 248.) SIR,
GOVERNOR SIR C. BRUCE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received August 10, 1903.)
Government House, Mauritius, July 8, 1903.
REFERRING to the concluding paragraph of my despatch, No 148, of the 25th April, 1903,† I have the honour to inform you that I hope to be able to send you, in a few days, a full report on the line of railway to provide for the transport of the canes of small proprietors in a part of the district of Savanne.
2. In the meantime I enclose an extract from the proceedings of the Railway Board, held on the 6th March last, on the subject of the construction of a railway between Rivière du P'oste and Rivière des Anguilles.
3. In the course of the preliminary survey various questions arose as to the line to be followed so as to serve the largest possible area of the lands cultivated by small proprietors in the district, and it was eventually decided to construct two short lines,
† No. 76.
• No. 93.
Plus above the road leading to Souillac:-
200 arpents
2,500 tons of canes.
25
=
"
250
—
300 2,700
""
475
11
5,500
From Mr. Bax ...
60 arpents
""
Mr. Lionnet
108
Mr. Rey...
70
700 tons of canes. 1,600
800
11
"2
Messrs. Rey and Co.
160
13
2,000
"
Mr. Piat
??
150
=
+1
"
Messrs. Piat
50
1,500 600
75
598
-
475
31
7,200 5,500
"
}]
Total
1,073
=
12,700
31
• No. 89.
† 29643: not printed.
Add above