CO882-(3-4) — Page 709

To Te Tz Ti.

سلسانيا

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH——NOT TO

73

Nánu-oya railway, it must be remembered that in 1884, when the line was first opened the traffic had not developed, and that for some months afterwards, everything connected with the working that line being then more or less of an experimental nature, two engines were invariably run with each train; whereas, experience having since been gained, light trains are now run with one engine only. I venture to predict, therefore, that the returns for 1885 will show much more favourable results than those which are now dealt with.

22. Taking the figures as they stand, however, it will be observed that the cost of locomotive power per train mile on the Nanu-oya railway is, as nearly as possible, double that on the Darjeeling railway, and this is, as pointed out in paragraph 6 of this meino- randum, for drawing trains whose maximum capacity for dealing with the traffic is 4-75 times that of the trains on the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway. This very favour. able result cannot in any way be due to the higher cost of fuel on the latter line; for the cost of the Bengal coal used as fuel on the Darjeeling railway is given in the reports at Rs. 18 per ton (the amount used in 1884 being 1,684 tons), equal to 30-60 lb., costing Rs. 0.2375 per train mile.

it

Now, reducing the wood so largely used as fuel on the Ceylon railways generally into coal, at the accepted proportion of 12 cubic yards of wood equal to I ton of coal.

that appears upon the whole system fuel equivalent to 7,576-77 tons of coal was used, costing Rs. 139,903-66, or Rs. 18:46 per ton; the consumption thus being 27.8 lb. per train mile, costing Rs. 0227, or actually less than on the Darjeeling railway, although the cost of the fuel per ton was Rs. 046 in excess of the price paid on that line. the Nánu-oya line during 1884 the cost of fuel was Rs. 071 per train mile, giving an average consumption of 869 lb., but for the reasons given in paragraph 21 of this memorandum, I confidently anticipate the returns for 1885 will show a much more favourable result. It furthermore appears that the administration of the Darjeeling railway, as compared with that of the Ceylon railways, was during 1894 especially costly; the charges under the heads of " General" and "Special and Miscellaneous" expenses amounting to Rs. 60,335, equal to Rs 048 per train mile, or to Rs. 1,206-7 per mile of open line, and absorbing 13.87 per cent. of the receipts; while on the Ceylon railways generally, which are, it will be remembered, three times the length of the under the heads "General," Police," Darjeeling line, the expenses included

56

"

Telegraph," and "New Works," are only Rs. 106,174, together equal to 17 cents per train mile, or to Rs. 6976 per mile of railway open, and absorbing ouly 4.1 per cent. of the receipts.

23. The general results of working the three lines, the accounts of which have thus been analysed, are shown on Table IV., the principal points demanding attention in which are, that the net earnings (Rs. 146,766) of the Darjeeling railway, which are at present equal to a return of 544 per cent. on the capital outlay, would, as explained in paragraphs 11 and 17 of this memorandum, entirely disappear, and leave an annual loss of Rs. 20,607, equal to Rs. 0.167 per train mile, if for any reason the company were compelled to lower their rates for goods and passengers to those ruling in 1884 on the Nanu-oya railway; while a reduction to the rates at present in force upon the latter line would result in the larger annual loss of Rs, 60,901, equal to Rs. 0.49 per train mile. It is clear that this reduction in rates could not affect working expenses, which would remain unaltered, whether the rates for each passenger and each ton of goods were one cent or one rupec per mile; and it is perhaps needless to remark that, conversely, if circumstances permitted the Government to raise the fares and rates on the Ceylon railways to those ruling on the Darjeeling line, the nett returns would be enormously increased. I may perhaps further mention that, if owing to the absence of a road on which to make the railway, the Darjeeling line had cost Rs. 90,000 per mile to construct, the present net earnings of Rs. 146,766 would, instead of 5:44 per cent. as at present, yield a return of only 3.02 per cent. on the capital expenditure.

24. It is further worthy of remark that the Ceylon railways, which in 1884 yielded a return of 3.62 per cent. upon the total capital expended upon the lines then open for traffic, actually yielded a return of 1127 per cent. upon the remaining sum then expended on the open lins, on which interest had to be paid, and for which a sinking fund had to be provided. This is perhaps not an improper way of looking at the question, if it be the fact, as I understand it really is, that the whole of the capital amount raised for the Colombo and Kandy railway was paid off out of the surplus revenue from that line, and that after this, the balance of that surplus railway revenue remaining afforded funds for the construction of the Kalutara and Nawalapitiya branches without any charge on the finances of the Colony,

25. If, as I imagine, the practical purpose for which this memorandum is required is to enable a judgment to be formed as to the suitability of a railway similar to the

K

79

Darjeeling railway being adopted for the extension to Haputalé, it will not be out of place for me to remark that on that railway an annual goods traffic of 26,820,* equal to 1,052 tons per mile per annum, is anticipated by the general manager of the railway. No returns of the probable passenger traffic are given, but though, as I have stated, the line itself passes through an uninhabited country" (by which I meant simply that there are no towns or villages actually on or very close to the railway trace itself), it is evident that this must be very considerable, possibly not less than on the Nánu-oya railway, where I have estimated it at being approximately equal to 4,889 persons per mile per annum, when it is remembered that at Haputalé Pass railway accommodation for a Province containing 170,000 inhabitants is provided.

26. In considering the question of the suitability of a railway on the Darjeeling type for the extension to Haputalé, it will, I think, not be necessary for me at all to touch upon the inconvenience and cost attending a break of gauge at Nánu-oya, though they would be undoubtedly enormous and difficult of exaggeration, yet they are of auch a nature that the data at my command do not enable me to exactly compute them; and I prefer, therefore, to base my consideration of such a proposal solely upon the actually known and ascertained facts, especially those relating to the revenue accounts dealt with in this memorandum.

In the first instance, therefore, it is, I consider, self-evident that, no road being available, the cost per mile of such a railway to Haputalé must be largely in excess of that of the Darjeeling line, as the expense of the earthworks, culveris, and bridges, which were already provided for that line, would have to be met. I have already stated that I cannot put this at less than probably Rs. 40,000 per mile, thus raising the total cost of such a line to at least Rs. 90,000 per mile. In the absence of surveys, it is however of course impossible to speak accurately upon this point. Secondly, on reference to the map showing the course of the Haputalé railway, it will be noted that its general direction from Nanu-oya to its terminus at the pass is nearly straight; the free adoption of curves (70 feet in radius), in order to minimise the cost of the works as much as possible, must necessarily, therefore, largely increase the length. To what extent this would be the case I am, in the absence of an actual survey of such a line, unable to speak with confidence; but, from the results of the survey for the proposed cart road made by the Public Works Department in 1883, which was intended to be 30 miles in length, I have no hesitation in stating that the increase in length would probably be four or five miles. For carriage of goods over this increased mileage no additional charge beyond those already proposed could, I think, be made, as the rates are at present fixed as high as they can be without inducing competition by carts. In the third instance, we have the fact that upon the Darjeeling railway, to carry the very small traffic of 623 passengers and 335 tons of goods per mile per annum, it is necessary to run 36,500 passenger train miles per annum, equal to one train each way per diem, and 86,705 goods train miles per annum, equal to somewhat more than two goods trains each way per diem, including Sundays. It follows, therefore, that to accommodate the goods traffic on the Haputalé railway, which is estimated to be 1,052 tons per mile per annum, equal to more than three times that on the Darjeeling railway, it would be necessary to run at least six goods trains each way daily, including Sundays, while to meet the demands of the passenger traffic, which I have estimated at 4,889 persons per mile per annum, or nearly eight times the number carried on each mile of the Darjeeling line, it would be necessary to run about eight passenger trains each way per diem, including Sundays, making together a total of fourteen trains each way daily, a number probably about three times as many as could be safely worked on a single line of railway

of such a character.

27. I regret the length to which this memorandum has extended, but my excuse must be the number and complex nature of the figures dealt with, and also the fact that the value of such an analysis and comparison as I have attempted to make must necessarily entirely depend on the extent and thoroughness to which it is carried, and without which the data given might result in the formation of the most erroneous conclusions respecting

F. J. WARING,

Chief Resident Engineer.

them.

Railway Extension Office,

Dimbula, Kotagala, 17th April 1886.

• See Sessional Paper XI. of 1885, page 5.

M 2

80

APPENDIX.

TABLE NO. 1.