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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TPELLICO. 882

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

4 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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MEMORANDUM REFERRED TO.

1. Traffic. The traffic of Ouvah may be estimated at 20,250 tons (up and down traffic in all), that is to say, 9 cwts. per acre on 45,000 acres cultivated in Haputella, Badulla, Madulsima, and Moneragalla. The rate of 9 cwts. per acre is arrived at, not by compiling returns and estimates supplied by planters, but by reference to railway reports of actual traffic, as follows. The traffic of 111,780 acres cultivated in Dimbula, Diehoya, Masheliya, Kobmalie, and a small part of Dolosbagie is concentrated at Naualapitia. It is almost wholly estate traffic, because there is very little other population in those districts. The railway reports show that in 1884 the amount of it was 52,193 tons, and in previous years somewhat similar amounts were carried. The Ouvah districts are more fertile, and contain a large native population in addition to that of the estates, and we may, therefore, safely assume a rate of 9 cwts. per acre for them. The tonnage thus arrived at is much less than that of any other published estimate, except that of Mr. Pearce, who adopted the same mode of calculation, but reckoned on half a ton per acre.

2. Of this traffic, all the railway reports show that about three parts out of four is up traffic, and the chief article is rice.

3. Rates of freight.-I have adopted for second class of goods, which form the bulk, and may be taken as representing the average character of the traffic, Rs. 5 per ton on the Ouvah section, and Rs. 19 per ton on the 129 miles below Nanoo Oya a through rate of 24/.

For up traffic 7/50 and 27/50: a through rate of 35/.

These rates are lower than those of the Railway Commissioners.

Mr. Pearce, the general manager of the railways here, in his estimate for a Haputella line, recently adopted Rs. 33/50 and Rs. 41/90 per ton.

Rs. 24 is equal to 40 cents per bushel of coffee. Coffee has this season been taken at 50 cents from Badulla, but this low rate is owing to the number of carts driven off the Dimbula and Diehoya roads by the opening of the railway, and it is said that cartmen cannot afford to go on with it when their present stock of bullocks needs replacing.

The rate of Rs. 35 per ton for up traffic is equal to Rs. 1 per bushel of rice, and is very low.

I do not think that carts could compete with these rates, especially because railway transport of produce downwards affords greater security from theft, and from tampering with goods, besides the saving of time, which means a saving of interest on money. And

carts were unable to obtain return loads, it would not pay them to take loads up. In any case, however, these rates, on a narrow gauge line, would bear a great reduction if necessary.

4. Coaching and miscellaneous traffic. On the Colombo and Kandy line this traffic is about one-third that of goods. On the Naualapitia and Peradenia branch it is more than half that of goods. On the Matale branch it exceeds that of goods.

Reckoned per mile line open on the Colombo and Kandy line it was Rs. 6,021 per mile in 1884. On the Naualapitia and Peradenia Rs. 6,002 per mile. Matale line Rs. 3,454 per mile.

On the

The population of Badulla is larger than that of Matale, and the estate population and general population of the Badulla districts are double those of the Matale districts.

I think, therefore, that the estimate of Rs. 3,000 per mile is not a high one.

5. Working expenses. I have estimated these on the Ouvah section at 70 per cent., and on the 129 miles below Nanoo Oya at 40 per cent., of the receipts. As regards the latter, I may mention that the Railway Commissioners estimated them at only 25 per cent., the traffic being all additional gain to a railway already in existence.

Seventy per cent. on the Ouvah section is equal to more than 19 cents per ton per mile. The Railway Commissioners' estimate for a Dimbula line was 16 cents per ton per mile, to be reduced to 12 cents if the line were extended.

In 1884 the working expenses on the Colombo and Kandy line were 45 per cent. of

"

Naualapitia branch

Matale

19

receipts.

of receipts.

19

58 per cent.

"

71 per cent. of

receipts.

On the Darjeeling narrow gauge railway in 1885 the working expenses were Rs. 2/46 per train inile, against Rs. 2/53 on the Colombo and Kandy line, and Rs. 3/54 on the Naualapitia and Talaunhillie section in 1884.

The Darjeeling expenses,

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however, are unduly swelled by general office charges, and Mr. Prestage states that if it were worked as part of one of the connected lines the total expenses could be reduced to Rs. 1/69 per train mile.

On the Darjeeling line the expenses during the first half of 1885 were 67 per cent. of the receipts. The receipts were no doubt at a much higher rate per ton than is possible in Ceylon, but the Darjeeling line competes with cart and pony traffic, and has recently driven a great deal of it off the roads. It is very unlikely that Ceylon cartmen can work more cheaply than Darjeeling cartmen. The high rates of freight and of cart line at Darjeeling are obviously natural rates, due to the length and steepness of the acclivity. And it is probable that the lower rates of freight on the much easier track in Ouvah might be accompanied by a corresponding reduction of working expenses.

The general office charges, Rs. 30,000 in the Darjeeling accounts, would, if we may judge by our Naualapitia accounts, be represented on a Haputella line by a sum not much exceeding Rs. 9,000.

6. Cost of narrow gauge line.-The Darjeeling line of 50 miles cost, including plant and rolling stock, &c., Rs. 2,670,000 = Rs. 53,400 per mile. My estimate of Rs. 70,000 is founded on Mr. Prestage's offer to the Ceylon Government, published in the "Observer" of 21st April 1886. Mr. Prestage's offer was to construct and equip a railway from Nanoo Oya to Ouvah on 2-feet gauge, equal to a traffic of 500 tons per day each way, but provided at first with rolling stock for the transport of 50 tons each way per day, for 2,6501. per mile. (For an additional 50 tons per day an additional sum of 950%. per mile would be required, and so on.) He undertook to provide for this sum rolling stock and engines such as should carry with ease a paying load of rice or grain of 40 tons per train. The gradient to be not steeper than 1 in 30, nor the curves of less than 70 feet radius.

The track, which he estimated to cost 2,350l. per mile, making in all 5,000. per mile, would have to be made by the Ceylon Government. It should be a "well-ballasted "bridle path" of 8 feet in width. Mr. Prestage remarks that this would cost only half as much as one of 11 feet, or only one-fourth as much as one of 16 feet width.

7. Doubts have been expressed as to a narrow gauge line being able to carry the traffic. The tonnage to be provided for is about 20,000 tons of goods. The Colombo and Kandy line in 1884 carried over 100,000 tons of goods, and is of course capable of carrying much more. But works of its character are not wanted for Ouvah, where the average traffic in goods may be about 65 tons per day. As above stated, Mr. Prestage guarantees that a 2-feet railway would carry 500 tons each way per day.

In 1885 the Darjeeling line carried 461,476 maunds, that is, somewhat more than 16,500 tons. As is the case on the Ceylon lines, the most important article was rice, of which 122,021 maunds were carried. Rice is a heavy article, but the line is well adapted for the carriage of tea, which is comparatively light and bulky. It is the next largest item in the accounts, 99,778 maunds of it having been carried in 1885. The number of passengers in 1885 was 31,194.

The Darjeeling trucks weigh less than. I ton, and they contain about 34 tons of rice. Our Ceylon trucks weigh from 4 tons to 5 tons 12 cwt. each, and carry only about 6 tons of rice. The proportion of non-paying loads on our lines is, therefore, enormous.

The Darjeeling trucks measure 10 feet 2 inches by 5 feet 8 inches, by 5 feet 4 inches inside measurement. As they are so light in proportion to their capacity, they are particularly suitable for tea, cinchona, and coffee. But, as I have already stated, the bulk of the traffic is up-traffic, of which rice is the most important article, and rice is the most convenient to carry.

8. Wear of rails.—Mr. Prestage states that, as a result of a very careful investigation recently made at the request of the Government directors, it was ascertained that the rails on the Darjeeling line, even at the sharpest curves, after five years' use, were in good condition, and likely to last many years.

9. Transference of loads from one train to another. This is done without difficulty at some continental stations where there is a break of gauge. We have no military operations to provide for here. The Ceylon goods, chiefly rice, coffee, cinchona, and tea, are all such as could be easily transferred. A bag of such goods, which must in any case be loaded and unloaded five or six times, during its journey, can surely bear one additional transference without loss.

Kandy, June 7, 1886.

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