199
ת
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
885/26
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
6
A resolution by the Federation of British Industries was read, urging (1) that the existing main line and harbour facilities should be improved-including the construction of a deep-water berth at Kilindini-before undertaking any extension of the railway system, and (2) that another important development was the construction of a branch railway to Eldoret on the Uasin Gishu Plateau, and offering to assist the Government to obtain from British manufacturers the materials necessary for undertaking these works. Sir E. Northey said he was satisfied that the main line could be made to cope with a great increase of traffic, including that from the completed Uasin- Gishu railway, by speeding up and the construction of a few more passing stations, and that with a sufficiency of new locomotives no further development of the main line should be required for several years. It was suggested, as regards the offer of assistance from the Federation, that it should be communicated to the contractors for the new works, and to the Crown Agents with a view to obtaining greater expedition for orders for locomotives and other material.
Railway Development Policy in Central Africa.-Major H. Blake Taylor, General Manager of the Uganda Railway from November, 1912, to January, 1915, had offered to give evidence on the development of communications in East Africa and Uganda; the Report dated March 21st, 1919, of the Economic Commission appointed by the Governor of the East Africa Protectorate in 1917 also contained recommendations on this subject; and Mr. H. Wilson Fox, M.P., had submitted a memorandum" on the completion of railway communication from the Cape to Cairo, with proposals for the formation of a powerful company representing the Protectorate Govern- ments, the Imperial Government, and a group of capitalists, for the purpose of carrying out this work and developing the natural resources and trade of the territories traversed. It was agreed that the Committee should endeavour to formulate, if possible, some general principles of policy in relation to the future development of railways between the Sudan on the north and the river Zambesi on the south, and with this view it was decided to invite Mr. Wilson Fox, Sir Alfred Sharpe, Major E. S. Grogan, and Major Taylor to give evidence at the next meeting. 'The Trade and Industry Committee of the Royal Colonial Institute had requested that evidence might be given on their behalf dealing with the economic development of the Colonies and Protectorates. It was agreed that they should be given the opportunity desired, that the written memorandum which they proposed to submit should be circulated before the next meeting, and personal evidence taken at the meeting next following.
The next meeting was fixed for Thursday, April 29th, at 4 p.m.
FIFTH MEETING, THURSDAY, 29тп APRIL, 1920,
PRESENT:
LORD MILNER (in the Chair),
Col. AMERY.
LORD HARCOURT.
Sir OWEN PHILIPPS.
Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN.
Sir W. MERCER.
Sir J. EAGLESOME
Mr. DARLING.
Sir H. READ.
Mr. GRINDLE,
MR. EZECHIEL (Secretary).
Sir E. Northey, and Mr. Bottomley of the Colonial Office, were also present. Lord Milner, on the first occasion of his presiding at a meeting of the Committee, expressed his thanks to the members for giving their services and his appreciation of the amount of work which had been done.
The Minutes of the Fourth Meeting were passed.
Uasin Gishu Railway.—It was reported that a draft contract with Sir J. Norton Griffiths had been submitted by the Crown Agents and approved by the Colonial Office. The Com- mittee considered a telegramt from the Acting Governor of the East Africa Protectorate, dated 11th March, giving estimates prepared by a local committee of the traffic and earnings of the proposed railway three and ten years after its completion, together with the earnings to be expected from the increased traffic on the existing main line. Sir William Mercer stated that a calculation made upon these figures showed that, on the assumption that the cost of construction would be £2,000,000, and interest, sinking fund, and other loan charges at the rate of 7 per cent., a deficit during the first five or six years amounting roughly to about £500,000 might be expected, which must be met by increasing the amount borrowed. It seemed clear, however, that the local Committee had assumed ordinary main line mileage rates for the traffic on the new line, whereas it was understood that the Basin Gishu settlers were prepared to pay much higher rates, at least for the first few years. In fact their representatives, General Baker Carr and Capt. Hellard, at their interview with the Acting Governor on the 19th December, 1919, expressed the opinion that they would be quite pre- pared, if the building of the railway could only be secured thereby, to accept railway rates equal even to what they are at present paying for road transport, viz.: one rupee per ton
† No. 7, page 71.
• Not printed.
7
per mile, as they would at least benefit by quicker transport." A rupee per ton per mile over 60 miles of road from Eldoret to Londiani is roughly equivalent to 50 cents per ton per mile over 122 miles of railway from Eldoret to Nakuru; and at the rate of 50 cents per ton per mile, allowing for working expenses at the rate of, say, 60 per cent. of the gross earnings, a traffic of 100,000 tons (as expected after three years) should suffice to make the line pay well without even taking into account the additional net earnings on the main line. On the other hand, if the transport rates are maintained at so high a level the develop- ment of traffic to the estimated tonnage may be retarded. It thus appears that in order to avoid a serious addition to the capital expenditure through the necessity of meeting deficits during the first few years it will be necessary, and also justifiable, to make the rates on the new line for a time considerably higher than those on which the local Committee's estimates have been based. The question to what extent this should be done will require to be carefully considered by the Protectorate Government.
Kilindini Harbour.--Sir H. Read explained that the Sub-Committee were not yet able to submit their report, and that it would be necessary for them to meet again as soon as sufficient information was available with regard to Major Grogan's position under the lease of his land
Cotton-Growing in the Empire. Reference was made to the Report of the Empire Cotton Growing Committee, and to two memoranda by Mr. J. W. McConnel arising out of that report. Mr. Bottomley explained the present position of the financial proposals,
It was reported that the Trade and Industry Committee of the Royal Colonial Institute had been unable to prepare their written memorandum of evidence in time for this meeting.
Railway Development Policy in Central Africa between the Sudan and the Zambesi. Mr. II. Wilson Fox, M.P., Sir Alfred Sharpe, Major E. S. Grogan, and Major H. Blake Taylor attended to give evidence on this point. Major Grogan had previously put in a brief memo. randum of his views, which was adopted as a basis of discussion. The Committee were prepared to accept the view that hitherto there may have been too much fragmentary and unrelated railway development in the region in question, and agreed that it would be of great advantage if it were possible to arrive at any general principles by which particular proposals could be teated, or any general plan of development to work to. The illustrations given by Major Grogan of mistakes made in the past were not examined, except that Mr. Wilson Fox disagreed with regard to the Buluwayo-Elizabethville line, which he considered to be a good instance of correct railway development. It was, he said, one of the most paying sections of the South African railways. The difference in gauge between the South and North African systems (3 ft. 6 ins.) and the East African (and Belgian Congo) systems (1 metre) was an unfortunate fact, and in Col. Amery's opinion we were committed to this break of gauge for many years to come. The importance of concentrating development as far as possible on the best ports was recognised by the Committee. The question how the military link line laid down during the war between the Uganda Railway and the Tanga Railway should be disposed of was brought up as a concrete instance, as the problem largely turns on whether the traffic from the fertile district of Moshi at the present railhead of the Tanga Railway should be brought to Kilindini or Tanga in the future. The information required for a complete consideration of the question was not, however, yet available, and the suggestion that it should be investigated by the special railway commissioner whom it is contemplated to send out to East Africa was accepted. Lord Milner expressed his anxiety that in the consideration of such questions the railways in East Africa and Tanganyika should be treated as a single system. Sir Alfred Sharpe, while agreeing with much that was said in Major Grogan's memorandum, dissented as regards the exclusion
of Dar-es-Salaam from the number of main ports.
Mr. Wilson Fox pressed upon the Committee the value of establishing a North and South railway system. He admitted that no large volume of through goods traffic could be expected for a long time to come, but from enquiries which he had made at Cook's offices and elsewhere he was satisfied that passenger traffic would develop quickly, and the advent of visitors in large numbers, partly from South Africa but mainly from Europe, would rapidly lead, as it had already done in the East Africa Protectorate, to settlement by Europeans and the introduction of capital for the development of the resources of the territories. passengers should be able to travel comfortably, without too many changes. Goods traffic It was important that would also result over sections of the North and South line, which would thus act as feeders to the lateral lines. Major Taylor drew attention to the great varieties of climate which a North to South line across Africa would traverse, resulting in the necessity of employing for the comfort of passengers different kinds of coaches for different sections, so that changes of trains during the journey would probably be unavoidable. Heavy double-roofed conchies for a long tropical journey would mean expensive construction. Major Grogan suggested that good motor roads would serve as an alternative to complete North and South railway connection.
The next meeting was fixed for Thursday, the 3rd June, at 4 p.m.
28790
* No. 9 page 74.
A 4
Page 240Page 241
200
8
SIXTH MEETING, THURSDAY, 3RD JUNE, 1920.
PRESENT:
LORD MILNER (in the Chair).
LORD HARCOURT,
Sir OWEN PHILIPPS,
Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN.
Sir W. MERCER.
Sir J. EAGLESOME.
Mr. DARLING.
Mr. DAWSON.
Mr. MATTHEW.
Sir H. READ.
9
The whole of the land except the coastal fringe was "Crown land as distinguished from Colony land"; the Government would, therefore, be free to make land grants in connection with a concession for a trunk railway into the interior. Both witnesses were of opinion that such a railway would not pay for a long time to come unless it was extended beyond the Brazilian frontier to Manaos on the Amazon, and Mr. Nunan thought that it would not he difficult to negotiate a tripartite arrangement for such an extension with the State of Amazonas and the Federal Government of Brazil. Mr. Clementi explained the constitution of the Court of Policy and the Combined Court. In reply to a question, he expressed the opinion that the Colony would be prepared to accept financial control by the Secretary of State, if that would enable a development loan to be issued through the Crown Agents in London. Mr. Nunan was hopeful of the success of the colonisation scheme, and in the meantime he suggested that the next two or three years should be devoted to carrying out reconnaissances for a trunk railway line together with a preliminary economic survey of the regions traversed. The money required ' for these investigations-say about £30,000-could be found by the Colony.
The next meeting was fixed for Thursday, 8th July, at 4 p.m.
SEVENTH MEETING, THURSDAY, 8т JULY, 1920.
PRESENT:
Lord MILNER (in the Chair)
Col. AMERY.
Lord HARCOURT.
Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN.
Sir J. EAGLESOME.
Mr. DARLING.
Mr. GRINDLE.
Mr. EZECHIEL (Secretary).
Sir E. Northey and Mr. Bottomley were also present.
The Minutes of the fifth meeting were passed.
Kilindini Harbour.-The report of the Sub-Committee, dated 14th May," was considered. Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice attended to give evidence. He explained what works could be carried out on the Government site at a probable cost of £1,000,000. It was decided to proceed with the Government scheme as recommended by the Sub-Committee, and not to take any part in Major Grogan's scheme.
Powellised Timber Sleepers for the E.A.P. Railways. In view of the very heavy cost of steel sleepers at the present time, Sir E. Northey strongly recommended that sleepers of local timber, treated by the Powell process, should be employed, and that a small plant capable of treating 100,000 sleepers a year should be sent out as soon as possible. He estimated the total cost at a sum of £30,000 or £40,000, which he considered should be provided from loan funds. Lord Milner said that he was disposed to concur, but that it would be best to deal with the question in the usual administrative course.
E.A.P. loan requirements.-A letter from Sir E. Northey was put in, dated 28th May,† submitting a rough schedule of the sums which would, in his opinion, be required for develop- ment in the East Africa Protectorate. He estimated that the total amount required would be at least £5,000,000.
British Guiana. Mr. C. Clementi, C.M.G., Colonial Secretary of British Guiana, and Mr. J. J. Nunan, Advocate-General, attended to give evidence on the prospects of development of the Colony. The following papers had been circulated to the Committee before the meeting :-
Mr. Clementi's report dated 15th May, 1919, on the condition of the Colony during the War and the chief local problems awaiting solution.
A memorandum by the Colonial Office‡ on the principal proposals received for the con- struction of a trunk railway into the interior.
A summary of railway proposals made by the British Guiana Constructors, Ltd.
A memorandum by the Colonial Office‡ on the bauxite deposits.
A memorandum by the Colonial Officet on the problem of immigration,
Report of an interdepartmental conference‡ on assisted immigration from India to British Guiana, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Fiji.
The witnesses gave evidence with regard to the scarcity of the population; the prevalence of malaria near the coast; the more healthy climate of the interior; the high rate of infant mortality; the want of a pure water supply and the prospects of obtaining it from artesian wells; the necessity of instituting a satisfactory system of sewage disposal, the best type of system for the Colony being yet unascertained; the protection of the coast lands from sen erosion, on which some 44 million dollars had already been spent; the present position of the scheme under negotiation with the Indian Government for the introduction of 5,000 free immigranta per annum for three years; the political constitution of the Colony; finance; mineral and forest resources; the large savannah districts on the Rupununi and towards the Venezuelan frontier; and other matters. Mr. Nunan pointed out that in spite of the bad sanitary conditions the death-rate of the Colony was only half that of India and lower than in Mauritius.
‡ Not printed.
Report (II), page 15.
† No. 11, page 76.
Mr. DAWSON.
Sir II. READ.
Mr. GRINDLE.
Mr. EZECHIEL (Secretary).
Sir Owen Philipps was present only towards the end of the meeting. Mr. Bottomley and
Mr. Darnley, of the Colonial Office, were present for the discussion of the questions relating to the Uasin Gishu Railway and British Guiana respectively.
The Minutes of the sixth meeting were passed.
Uasin Gishu Railway. Consideration was given to a telegram from Sir E. Northey, dated 4th July", strongly recommending that the line to Soi should be constructed from Mau Summit instead of Nakuru, and that part of the saving in cost might be expended on a branch line from Nakuru to the lower Molo Valley. This proposal was strongly recommended to the Governor by Mr. Gailey and Mr. Macdonald (Sir J. Norton Griffiths's partner and engineer respectively), the General Manager of the Uganda Railway, and the Director of Agriculture who had been Chairman of the Committee appointed to make an economic survey of the Nakuru route. In view of this strong body of opinion it was agreed that the alternative Mau Summit route should be surveyed at once. The figures and estimates given in the Governor's telegram were, however, obscure, and it was considered that fuller information should be awaited before deciding definitely to abandon the Nakuru route which had been adopted by the Sub-Committee and the Committee with Sir E. Northey's full concurrence.
Railway Policy in Central Africa.-In view of the proposed appointment of a special commissioner to investigate railway questions in Kenya and Tanganyika, it was agreed that this question should be referred to the commissioner for his advice.
Development of British Guiana. The Committee considered a memorandum by Mr. Clementi, dated 11th June,t recommending that the issue in England of a development loan of £2,000,000 or £3,000,000 should be authorised provided that the Secretary of State and under him the Governor, were given full financial control over the Colony until the debt was extinguished. Mr. Clementi attended to give further evidence in connection with this sugges- tion. He explained that the memorandum was only intended to give a broad outline of the policy required for the development of the Colony, and that he had not attempted to submit a schedule showing how the loan money should be spent, His intention certainly was, however, that the expenditure should not be confined to measures for the improvement of the conditions on the coast (sea defence, drainage, water supply, sewage disposal, etc.), but should also cover the construction of motor roads into the interior and the encouragement of immigration. A delegation from India would shortly visit British Guiana to report on the prospects offered to Indian immigrants, and it would be satisfactory for them to know that steps were to be taken to improve the health conditions on the coast. The present taxation was light, amounting only to $13,33 (£2 15s.) per annum per head of population (1918 revenue $4,145,401, population
• Not printed.
† No. 20, page 95.