88
the quantities I give in the estimate attached, the price for 39,000 ton miles now carried by motor would be reduced from about 2s. 6d. per mile to 9d., giving a saving of £3,400, and some 57,000 ton miles for the Transport Department and Public Works Department now carried by tenga-tenga from about 1. 9d. to 9d. producing a further saving of £2,850. The other point is the introduction of cheap food from the Lake area, releasing a good deal of land in the southern area for more remunerative products. It will be within Your Lordship's recollection that the recent measure (Ordinance No. 11 of 1920) giving the Government control over the disposition of surplus native stocks of foodstuffs in that area was atoutly resisted by the planters and the Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce.
I have, etc.,
Bond.
6. Namwaras-Liwonde ...
Enclosure 3 in No. 17.
G. SMITH,
Governor.
89
Distance. Hate. Coat.
Bemarks.
240
7. Zomba to Zomba Railway Station from turning of Liwonde Boad.
8. Palombe-Magomero...
Miles.
£
£ 60 600 36,000
5 400
2,000
30
I insert this item not that I think it would be wise to construct such a road, whose alignment would be totally altered as soon as the railway comes, and possibly shortened to some 40 miles or so, but to make it clear that this area, which has already attracted some 30 or more settlers, depends
for its opening up upon the railway or upon the construction of this road. No bridges and few culverts.
GOO 18,000 Tapping the plain between Zomba and Fort Lister, and running between the Namadzi and Mombexi rivers to Magomero, and thence to the Zomba- Blantyre Road. This road, as far as Magomero, would be a feeder to the Lake Railway, but there is not enough settlement in this area to justify ita construction yet.
269,350
LIST B.
SOUTHERN ROADS.
To feed the existing railway.
10
600
6,000
38
450
17,100
1,000 }
11. Blantyre-Katungas to Mbami
10
700
12
7,000
10,000
50
700 85,000
Already under construction. To be continued later
to Matope, 27 miles further. There is only one bridge on this road, which follows ridge for a great part of its length, and fewer culverts are needed than the average.
More than the average number of bridges and
culverte required on this road. Includes two bridges, 100 ft. and 75 ft. respectively,
and two 20 ft. spans.
This road follows the foot-hills of the Shire High-
lands, and streams have to be bridged to allow for rapidly rising flood waters. The route has never been surveyed. A great deal of traffic would come this way, and it would possibly be a suitable route for a tramway.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, Zomba, to the ACTING CHIEF SECRETARY, Zomba.
24th September, 1920.
1. The query raised in paragraph 9 of His Excellency's minute is extremely difficult to answer. It is obvious that a system of roads to replace the railway must be entirely different from a system of roads to feed the railway. The general trend of the former would be north and south, that of the latter east and west. The following considerations have also to be borne in mind:-
(a) Light car transport over long distances for heavy goods such as cotton, tobacco and
grain is out of the question even at present high prices for these products. (b) Three or four ton lorries (gross weight six or eight tons) would be needed, involving heavy steel bridge work and expensive metalling. Even then, motor transport over long distances at present high prices of cars, tyres, and fuel, could only be carried on as a commercial proposition so long as cotton and tobacco maintain their present prices.
(c) At a very rough approximation, the cost of metalled roads of the required standard, including European supervision bridges and culverte, would be £600 per mile at least. It is obvious that such roads must be considered in conjunction with the railway system of the country, and not as replaceable by a railway in a few years. 2. If, however, such roads are to be built, communication with the Lake is the first consideration, and I place the roade to serve the areas now being settled in the following order. It is, however, an impossible task to evolve a programme of road construction which shall take the place of a future railway, and, at the same time, act as a feeder system to it, when constructed,
LIST A.-NORTHERN ROADS.
Replacing or feeding projected Lake Railway.
9. Blantyre Luasu
10. Limbe-Luchenza (Cholo)
Kwakwazi Bridge
***
12. Limbe-Mlanje (Mikalongwe
Bection).
13. Chikwawa-Chiromo...
14. Replacing existing bridges, Luchenza-Milanje metalled road by 10-ton bridges.
15. Fort Lister Mlanje Road
(Likulesi Road).
1
10,000
Road.
Distance. Rate. Cost.
Milen
£
£
1. Zomba-Liwonde
33
350
Liwonde-Fort Johnston-Bar
54
GOO
32,400
€
Remarks.
11,550This road would, of course, be useful after the railway we constructed, but parallel lines of communication a few miles apart are a luxury the Colony can hardly afford.
2. Liwonde- Balakas-Nohon-
86
600
61,600
Dedra.
3. Domira Bay-Fort Jameson... 125 600
Bus Bridge, say 550 ft. at £20
75,000
—
၊
-
4. Lilongwe Dowa
5 Tchangale-Piralongwe
---
(Bouth-west arm of Lake).
11,000
28
600
16,800
2253
600
15,000
The Zomba-Liwonde section is already bridged
to 6 tons and metalling is available close beside the road. Long stretches on the Liwonde Bar section are at a long distance from metal, and there are many bridges. A permanent bridge over the Shire ́is excluded, as it would be futil. to put this up without reference to the next item. All but the last mile or two of this road would be necessary as a feeder to the railway when con- structed. A bridge over the Shire would be needed. This route has never been surveyed. I have else- where recommended a tramway as prefefable to a road. The Bus bridge estimate is a rough figure only and based on the size of the river at the Fort Jameson road croming. It is possible that s narrower and better place would be available on the Domira Bay route.
This road gives the planters now settling round Lilongwe Bocess to the road under item 3 and so to the Lake. Land is being taken up in the area indicated under Liwonde-Fort this item, westward of the
Johnston road. Ita natural outlet when the railway is constructed would appear to be Fort Johnston, but if item No. 1 is undertaken,and until the railway is built, it should connect up with the nearent installed road, ie., Liwonde-Fort Johnston.
22206
1. Lichonya-Mloan.
Continua-
13 600
tion of Luobenza-Manje metalled Road.
Bridges (extra), Lichenya---
Buo.
17. Mwanza Valley-Blantyre
600
T
13,200
This arom is rapidly opening up, and owing to the swampy nature of the plain between Fort Lister aad Zombs, its outlet would probably be vid Manje and Luchenza, although further investiga- tion might possibly prove route to the new railway at Magomero vid Item No. 8. In either case, land is taken up all along this line, and a metalled road is very desirable at whichever end connection with a railway may be made later on 7,800The area beyond the existing metalled road to Mlanje is closely settled already, and this road might further bring in a good deal of Portuguese trafic, which would help to ease the liabilities of this Government on the railway to Beira. A great deal of produce comes down this road to Lachenza Station, and a tramway would probably be the best solution.
5,000
8,000
This estimate is a very rough guess, as the country is extremely difficult, descending from the Kirk Plateau, and the river crossings have never boen investigated. There is some good country round Drobwe Mountain, as also in Portuguese territory to the westward.
50 (Est.)
600
30,000
Shire Bridge
Wankulumadzi Bridge
6,000
List A...
156,100 269,350
425,450
3. I have now dealt with all the areas mentioned by His Excellency. It should, however, be pointed out that many of these routes have not been surveyed, and my estimate is based simply on my knowledge of the country from cycling through it once or twice. In particular, bridge estimates may be a long way out, according as foundations may be easy or difficult, and the price of girder work may fluctuate. The bridge estimates have been based on a price of £20 per foot run. This is not sufficient at the present prices of steel and cement, but timber decking, to be replaced later by steel, could be used. It should also be borne in mind that the cost of labour tends to increase rapidly.
26790
G 3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
19
Reference :-
885/26
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
11
!