A
203
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
885/26
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
14
SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT OF UASIN GISHU RAILWAY SUB-COMMITTEE TO MAIN COMMITTEE.
Sir Edward Northey wishes to put in the attached copy of a memorial which he has received, signed by most of the leading settlers interested, urging that the surveyed route from Nakuru should be adopted and not the alternative route from Mau Summit.
He also wishes to place on record, with regard to the native labour likely to be available for the contractor for the construction of the line, that while the Government would give all the assistance possible, a definite guarantee of sufficient numbers is impossible and the onus of finding the necessary labour must be on the contractor, who, if unable to obtain enough in British East Africa must be allowed to bring in labour from German East Africa (Tanganyika Territory) and Portugese East Africa.
Sir J. Eaglesome desires to put in the following notes on the Sub-Committee's report:- Major Grogan's letter dated 28th January, 1920, states that he is prepared to accept responsibility subject to certain conditions, of putting 20,000 tons of wood per annum, pre sumably including firewood sold to the railway, on to the Uganda line. He is also prepared "to pay 50 cents per timber tou over the new line to Nakuru provided that a through export
rate is charged on timber consigned from his mills to the sea for export..
**
The rate mentioned verbally by Major Grogan at our interview was one Rupee per ton "mile over the new section and not 50 cents or 8 annas. As for the through rate for export timber, this would be what the traffic could stand, as presumably cedar cut up for pencil "manufacture could bear a very much higher rate than sleepers or logs.
"The value of Major Grogan's forest property will be very much appreciated by the con- "struction of this railway, and it would be necessary to obtain an undertaking that any
guarantees would continue in the event of the sale or transfer of this property.
14
"I attach great weight to the views expressed from first-hand knowledge by Sir Edward "Northey, the Governor, as to the rapid development which is likely to take place in the near future on the plateau, provided a railway is constructed to Soy. If the railway is not con- structed this development would be slow. The advantages, apart from the increased customs, general revenue, and railway revenue, will be the increase in the value of the Protectorate as a property out of all proportion to the capital expended.
LI
T
Page 2 (b) Bridging being reduced as far as possible by deviation.' It will be necessary **to fix a curvature of minimum radius after examination of the plans in consultation with the Colony, as economy might easily be carried too far by putting in curves which would be too sharp for economical working. In the event of a curve being, permitted of less radius than the minimum, a corresponding alteration would have to be made in the estimate."
20th February, 1920.
Annexure.
To His Excellency Gen. Sir Edward Northey,
C/o Colonial Office, London.
YOUR EXCELLENCY,
P. H. EZECHIEL,
Secretary.
Nakuru, B.E.A.
2nd January, 1920. WE, the undersigned, beg to urge on you the great importance of constructing the branch Failway to the Uasin Gishu, along the already surveyed route, i.e., the Nakuru-Mumias route, for the following reasons:--
(1) This route will tap both timber and agricultural areas-Mau route will tap timber areas only the agricultural areas the Nakuru-Mumias route will tap are largely productive at the moment, and if the railway goes through, a larger acreage will come under cultivation. This route will serve at least half a million acres of highly productive agricultural land, which will probably support in the near future nearly 1,000 European settlers; the Mau route will benefit only the timber owners and a few cattle farmers whose produce can walk to market. We believe that when the Thika line was under discussion the then Governor, Sir Percy Girouard, sent the Director of Agriculture to report on the two surveyed routes to the Thika, with a view to ascertaining which route would benefit the country most agriculturally, and on this report chose the present foute.
(2) The grades as surveyed on the proposed Nakuru-Mumias line show that one-third bigger load can be hauled on the new line than can be hauled on the existing Uganda Railway, and this fact alone, over a period of years, will make a consider- able difference.
(3) We are of opinion that although the Mau route may be cheaper, the extra money expended on the Nakuru-Mumias line would be amply repaid, in that this line will be a revenue producer directly the metals are laid, which revenue will increase yearly. This fact will make it easier for the Railway Administration to cut the Uasin Gishu rates.
(4) The Mau route not yet having been surveyed, a lot of expense and delay will be
avoided by adopting the surveyed route, i.e., from Nakuru to Mumias. Finally, we would point out that several cables have been sent to Your Excellency, all except one pressing for the Nakuru-Mumias line, the one dissentient cable being that sent by HI.E. Acting-Governor.
We have, &c.,
* No. 5, page 69,
15
(II.)
IMPROVEMENT OF KILINDINI HARBOUR.
REPORT OF SUB-COMMITTEE TO MAIN COMMITTEE.
The Sub-Committee, consisting of Sir H. Read, Sir Owen Philipps, Sir E. Northey, Sir J. Eaglesome, and Sir W. Mercer, with Mr. Ezechiel as Secretary, have held four meetings at the Colonial Office, on the 4th, 15th, and 29th of March and the 10th May. Mr. Bottomley of the Colonial Office was present at all the meetings, and evidence was furnished by Major II. Blake Taylor, late General Manager of the Uganda Railway, and Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice of the firm of Messrs. Coode, Matthews, Fitzmaurice and Wilson, the consulting engineers employed by the Government of the East Africa Protectorate.
2. At present the trade of the port is dealt with entirely by means of lighters, the vessels lying at anchor in the harbour either above or below a projecting point on Mombasa Island named Ras Kilindini. The desirability of providing alongside accommodation for vessels wa recognised for some years before the war, and a scheme for a deep-water pier was studied in 1912 and rejected as impracticable. In 1913 the consulting engineers mentioned above pre- pared, after investigation on the spot by Mr. Wilson, one of the partners, a scheme for the construction, on Government land immediately to the north of Ras Kilindini, of a continuous quay providing for seven 500-ft, berths, with transit sheds, cranes, railway connexions, Customs and port offices and dwelling accommodation, and godowns situated on the cliff some 600 yards behind the quay. They recommended, in the first instance, the construction of four berths at a cost which was then estimated at £700,000 in all, and which must now be amended to at least twice that amount. Steps were taken to obtain tenders for this work from four experienced firms, but before the tenders could be completed the war reached such a stage that the matter was postponed till its conclusion.
3. During the war there was a considerable congestion of traffic at the port, but this was largely due to military requirements, and with better management and with improved facilities, such as the provision of better electric lighting to enable work to be carried on at night, Sir E. Northey considers that it should be possible to cope with the traffic for the present and until the completion of the Uasin Gishu railway. Within a very few years from the present time however--with the growth of the traffic on that railway, the development of the cotton industry in Uganda, which is expected to increase rapidly, and the general development of both Protectorates the existing lighterage system will not be sufficient, and it is important. therefore that early steps should be taken now for the provision of deep-water berths.
4. The main alternative to the Government scheme referred to above is the scheme proposed by Major E. S. Grogan, who owns an area of about 220 acres of land at Mbaraki Creek, an inlet lying on the same side of Mombasa Island as Ras Kilindini, about 1 miles below it. The history of this land has an important bearing on the matter, as will be seen from later paragraphs of this Report. In 1904 the Government executed with Major Grogan an agree- ment for a lease of about 100 acres at Mbaraki Creek to enable him to provide facilities (including the construction of wharves and railway sidings) for shipping his own timber from the large Eldama Forest (on the route of the proposed Uasin Gishu railway), of which a lease was given to him about the same time. Some years later negotiations took place in relation both to the forest and to the land on Mombasa Island, as a result of which he agreed to give up about 50 acres of the latter and was promised a lease of the remaining 50 acres (which i included in the area of 220 acres which he owns in all in the neighbourhood of the Mbaraki Creek) "free from all conditions." This lease, though the drafting of it has recently been carried to an advanced stage, has never yet been executed; but the Sub-Committee are informed that in the view of the Colonial Office the Protectorate Government are in honour bound by the terms negotiated, and are not free either to prevent him from constructing wharves and sidings on his land for the accommodation of traffic other than his own timber, or to refuse to allow him connexion with the Uganda Railway for general traffic.
5. Early in March, Major Grogan placed at the disposal of the Sub-Committee plans and a description of a scheme prepared by Messrs. Pauling to carry out his own ideas for the con- struction of five berths at the mouth of the Mbaraki Creek. This scheme, which was considered at the second meeting of the Sub-Committee, may be referred to as Major Grogan's first schepe. It provided for reinforced concrete pile island wharves accommodating five vessels, two on one side and three on the other side of the entrance to the creek, and also a lighterage wharf, with extensive godown accommodation on the cliff immediately behind and a direct conveyer system for loading and unloading between the quay platform and the godowns. Messrs. Pauling's engineer estimated that one berth on either side of the creek entrance could be completed with sufficient public services for £100,000 each, and that other berths would cost about £75,000 each. Sir M. Fitzmaurice pointed out the following objections to this scheme:-
(1) The conveyer system is unsuitable for handling mixed cargo, consisting of a succes-
sion of packages of different weights, sizes and shapes.
(2) If the machinery went wrong, the cargo could not be dumped on the wharf.
(3) The scheme assumes that cargo would be lifted from the hold by ship's gear and deposited either on the platform outside, or, in the case of heavy lifta, into lighters; but all ships have not tackle to handle their heaviest packages in this way.