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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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أسانسيا
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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7. An examination of the cost of working the Government motor service between Limbe and Zomba and Zomba and Fort Johnston, taking present prices of petrol, oil, tyres and other maintenance and establishment charges, shows that it is about 2s. 6d. per ton mile, the rate being lower between Limbe and Zombo, on which 8-ton Packhards are used, than between Zomba and Fort Johnston, where only light lorries can be employed. The cost for carriers between Zomba and Fort Johnston, which it is necessary to employ in addition to the light lorry service, appears to be about 1s. 9d. per ton mile. In both cases there is some difference between the Transport Department figures and those furnished by the African Lakes Corporation.
8. I may here compare the cost of those forms of transport with the railway charges as now revised, and for the purpose I will rely on those of the Shire Highlands Railway on which the difficulties and cost of running and maintenance must be appreciably greater than they will be on a railway from Luchenza to the Lake. This latter line, approximately 125 miles long, falling from 2,400 feet above sea level at Luchenza to 1,700 at the Lake, is for the greater part of its distance straight, with no gradients steeper than 1 in 80 and no curve of shorter radius than 10 chains with compensation. On the Shire Highlands Railway, 113 miles, the gradient for a considerable distance is about 1 in 40 with 6 chain uncompensated curves. In the year ending 31st December, 1919, the local working expenses of this railway amounted to £21,254 and local receipts to £48,148. Taking the three pre-war years, 1912 to 1914, they totalled respectively £38,723 and £86,067. The rates in 1919 were for imported goods and general merchandise 673d. per ton mile, for the chief items of export, cotton, tobacco, &c., 443d. per ton mile. The rates have recently been increased and now stand at 11-14d. and 702d. respectively, with a through export rate over both Shire Highlands Railway and Central Africa Railway to Chindio of 666d. per ton mile. Passengers, 1st class, were carried in 1919 at 4d. per mile, now at 6d. per mile. Passengers by the Government motor transport service are carried at la. per mile.
9. I offer these observations in their bearing on railway charges which may reasonably be levied on the Lake extension, both in relation to other railway rates and to the charges it would be necessary to levy for motor or human carriage (animal traction is impossible by reason of tsetse fly) on a substituted road service. It may be noted further that if the Lake extension is made, goods for Zomba and areas north thereof and west of the Lake will be carried 21 miles less over the Shire Highlands Railway (the distance between Luchenza and Limbe), while the distance from Limbe to the Lake by road is practically the same as by rail from Luchenza to the Lake, namely, 125 miles.
10. It is with some diffidence that I approach the subject of probable traffic for the Lake extension, both immediately and five years hence as suggested by Your Lordship. I can find no previous estimate, but recent changes in conditions would, in any case, have rendered such estimates worthless. I have not had time to refer to all those whose interests in the matter are concerned to ascertain their views, but I enclose a rough calculation of the traffic which might be expected at the present time, or, at any rate, if construction were immediately proceeded with, will be available by the time the railway is opened. What it may become five years later it is not easy to conjecture, and all whom I have consulted hesitate to offer an opinion. There can be no question, I think, that there will be an increase in output from all the existing estates served by the railway and more particularly described in the detailed calculation. There are no grounds for supposing that further tracts of land will not be taken up in the interval; there are several pending applications, and a commencement with the railway or a pioneer line, as I suggest, should give an immediate stimulus to further settlement of the vast areas west, north and east of the Lake which offers such an extensive waterway of about 360 miles. Then, too, an expansion of native cultivation of rice, cotton and other crops should ensue which has been restricted in the past for lack of readily accessible markets. While I look forward hopefully to a considerable extension of cultivation and production, one must not lose sight of probable limitation of labour which may become increasingly difficult in the Shire Highlands. This must be met by labour-saving appliances. On the other hand, cheap transport from the Lake should move new settlement of Europeans farther north where an ample labour supply is at hand.
11. My estimates for goods traffic on the completion of the railway work out to some 500,000 ton miles of produce for export and 600,000 of imports and general merchandise, I have shown above what the cost of motor transport or human carriage by road is. Even with the lowest, tenga-tenga at 1s. 6d. a ton mile, there is a large margin above existing railway rates; but this class of transport is to be deprecated at all times. It is dilatory, it involves breaking bulk, it exposes the goods to risk of loss by theft or damage from the weather, but above all it is wasteful of man-power which could be more profitably employed in other pro- ductive labour. The present through rate for exports on the Shire Highlands Railway and Central Africa Railway to Chindio is 666d. per ton mile. If this be maintained on the Lake extension it would yield, on my estimate for this class of goods, £13,875. The rates for imports and general merchandise on the Shire Highlands Railway is now 11 14d. per ton mile and 6d. on the Central Africa Railway; but it should not be impossible, with a combined working of the three railways, to agree to a uniform rate of 8d. or 9d. If so, the 600,000 ton miles on the Lake extension, at 9d., would yield £22,500. I have made no allowance for passenger traffic and I have no definite data on which to proceed with an estimate, but I can hardly suppose that, with the opening the Lake extension and the Trans-Zambesi line will give to Beira and the South African system to areas north, east and west of the Lake, together with local move ment, it will be less than the Shire Highlands Railway has been able to command in the past. Taking its accounts for the five years preceding the War, 1910 to 1914, when normal conditions
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obtained, it would seem that passenger receipts averaged about 20 per cent. of the goods traffic receipts. Adopting a like figure for the proposed Lake railway, passengers may be anticipated to produce £7,275. My estimate of receipts is then, for the period immediately following the opening of the line:-
Goods-Produce for export
Imports and general merchandise
Passengers
£
13,875
22,500
7,275
£43,650
With only a narrow-gauge light railway or tramway some abatement off the passenger receipts may be necessary; much will depend on the accommodation it may be possible to provide.
12. In attempting an estimate of the probable working expenses of the line to the Lake,. I can only base myself on the figures yielded by the existing railways, and for this purpose it is best, I think, to rely on the Shire Highlands Railway. The Central Africa Railway has been subject to heavy expenditure arising out of floods and wash-outs, as well as a competition by river transport during six to seven months in the year. I propose also to discard the Shire Highlands Railway figures for the war period when the circumstances were abnormal. Taking the five pre-war years 1910 to 1914 the average local receipts and expenditure were:-
Receipts.
Passengers
Goods
Baggage and parcels
Maila Telegraphs
£ 4,015
Expenditure
£
Permanent way
3,973
21,096
Traffic Department
2,391
1,123
Locomotive Department
4.740
340
Local management
2,895
240
£26,814
£13,999
13. The cost of working the line, 113 miles, was therefore at the rate of £124 per mile per annum. The figure for the Central Africa Railway (61 miles) for the three years 1913-1918 was somewhat higher, but this, as I state above, covered heavy expenditure at times on repairs due to flooding and wash-outs, not likely to occur on the Lake line. While something must be added for the higher cost of materials and running expenses at the present time there should be a set-off on account of the easier running of trains on the Lake line to that of the Shire Highlands Railway with haulage from 200 to 4,000 feet above sea level, up steep gradients and round sharp curves; the wear and tear of permanent way and rolling stock must be con- siderably increased thereby. I propose, therefore, to put the figure for working expenses on the Lake extension at £150 per mile. The account will then stand as follows:-
Receipte Working expenses
Balance
£43,650
£18,750
£24,900
available to meet interest charges on capital outlay. To this may be added the sum involved in the existing guarantee of the Central Africa Railway, which expires in 1923, making an estimated provision of £44,900, and Government transport savings to which I refer hereafter.
14. This will certainly go but a little way to meet such a charge as would be involved in the construction now of a full-gauge railway; but if materials for a light railway or tramway can be procured at a reasonable sum and Mr. Pratt's estimate for construction of the earth- works and the laying of a light railway thereon, £500,000, is not exceeded, it seems probable that this pioneer railway will be able to pay its working expenses, and provide interest and sinking fund for amortisement of the loan required for the work.
15. I trust that, in view of this representation, Sir Herbert Read's Committee may be able to reconsider the opinion they have arrived at, that it is inexpedient to contemplate either the immediate construction of earthworks for the complete line or the employment in the first instance of a pioneer line. I feel strongly with the Director of Public Works that no outlay such as would be required to put the substitute road in a condition to carry heavy motor traffic should be incurred if other arrangements affording better and cheaper railway facilities can be made. The heavy expense of working motor traffic on the Fort Johnston-Zomba-Limbe road would unquestionably act as a deterrent to further settlement in areas we desire to see opened up, and hinder an extension of the production of cotton and other raw materials the Empire standa in need of.. One other important factor to bring into the consideration of the question is the release for production of labour which is now absorbed in tenga-tenga carriage and will continue to be until cheap rail transport can be provided. The ordinary human load is 56 lbs., or 40 carriers to the ton, and the distance carried will not on the average exceed 15 miles a day for any protracted period. Mr. Pratt touches on two other points which call for notice. The cost of Government transport should be reduced appreciably. Some transport of that character will still be required, unless the light railway or tramway is continued into Zomba, but, taking
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