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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

PEPET mmimmim C.O. 882

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

GENTLEMEN,

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Enclosure 1 in No. 308.

Chief Resident Engineer's Office, Kowloon, September 28, 1906.

1. I AM in receipt of your wire, dated the 26th September, “Cetocre Governor sayom progress lalacory canjos wormal," meaning "Governor is not satisfied with progress. Advise by telegraph what is the cause; write full particulars by next post." To which I have replied “Creces Sermonish Labareda cannot import till season improves," meaning, "We are having a great deal of sickness. Labour here is very poor. Cannot import till season improves."

2. There are two main causes why work is not progressing as fast as it might in another country. Malarial fever is worse here than I have ever seen anywhere. The months from May till the end of October are most unsuitable for starting work, as men get sick in about a week when sent out into the new territory. Contractors cannot be persuaded to start work during these months and, under ordinary cir cumstances (say in India, where I have had most of my experience), no attempt would be made to do so, considering the climate.

3. I have been greatly against starting any work except the tunnel during these months, and it was only under pressure from His Excellency that I tried to do so. My attempts have failed, simply due to the fact that contractors won't tender for work except at exorbitant rates which I was not prepared to accept.

As I do not think there will be the slightest difficulty in getting the remainder of the line finished long before the tunnel, I did not see the necessity of giving exorbitant rates to contractors to build the line and have it idle for a couple of years waiting for the completion of the tunnel.

4. On the tunnel works, which I have tried to carry out as fast as possible, malarial fever has handicapped me to an enormous extent.

For such work skilled miners are an absolute necessity to timber the shafts and headings and to be always on the work. Up to date I have had to trust to men picked up in the Colony, in fact, to beachcombers. I need not dilate on the character of such men. They came, got sick, or took to drink, and went away again. More came and did the same, but a constant supply could not be kept up. The difficulty of keeping the shafts going under these circumstances can only be under- stood by the engineers who are on the ground. At one time at the south face all three miners were in hospital at the one time. This face I tried to keep going in preference to the north side.

5. At the north side of the hills the fever was very bad, much worse than at the south side. I tried here to keep Italian miners, but these men could only be kept about a week at a time on the works when they went into hospital.

No hold could be kept on these beachcombers, as could be done on men coming out under an agreement from England, so each man, after being in hospital twice, used not to come back again.

6. I have been in the tropics on railway construction for a good many years and never have I been asked to start work in the summer months as I have been done here. Having once started in the cold weather, I do not think there will be any difficulty in keeping the works going next summer. Starting, as I consider I have been forced to do, in the summer months, has only resulted in giving the railway works a bad name and will increase the difficulties in the future.

7. As I found local labour so bad and expensive, I managed to import 150 Tientsin coolies, but in a very short time as many as 36 per cent, were down with malarial fever at once. This alone will prevent my importing from the north, as the bad report will very quickly reach Tientsin and no more will be persuaded to come.

8. Another reason why work could not be started at once on the arrival of the engineers was that there were no working plans. All I had to start with was a list of levels and a line drawn on a plan 8 inches to mile, which line had no tangent points of curves marked. This necessitated the line being set out again and re- levelled. The country was so hilly and rugged that it had all to be cross-sectioned before work could be started. The reasons for this can only be understood by an engineer experienced in actual railway construction. Delay was caused in Kowloon by re-alignments rendered necessary on account of difficulties in the purchase of land.

9. His Excellency has criticised my work very unfavourably at times, of which

I will give a few instances.

He said he did not see the necessity of sinking shafts. I did not decide to.

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sink these shafts without due deliberation. I saw that with the labour in the Colony and the sickness which I was told was prevalent in the district, I would not be able to get and keep sufficient coolies together to push the approach cutting through quick enough. I came to the conclusion that could more easily keep a few shaft coolies together than a large gang of earthwork coolies. Events have proved that I was right, as the north shaft was bottomed when the approach cutting had only about 75 feet excavated. The south shaft is not yet quite finished, but I hope to have it completed long before the cutting.

Another time he said I was not laying the metre gauge rails fast enough. I bought 14 miles in the Colony, which was only being delivered at the rate of about 300 yards at a time. To begin with, the platelayers had to be trained to the work, and then, if they laid the 300 yards before the arrival of the next lot, the men, who were on piece-work, would get scattered and lost, and I would have to collect and train another gang..

He is also very anxious to see bridge foundations excavated. This I never like to do till a good deal of material is on the ground and till I see that there is no chance of running short till the foundation is finished. I also am putting the actual excavation off till the thunderstorm season is over.

10. The above are a few instances, and the fact that His Excellency has cabled that the work is not getting along quick enough shows me that he was not satisfied with my reasons.

11. I have had instructions from you to execute the work departmentally. The fact that there is no great hurry with the line (except the tunnel) renders departmental construction very economical. I had no instruction from you that the work of construction should be pressed on, so to speak, regardless of expenses. and so I have been trying to work economically and keep down the rates.

12. My first duty on arrival in the Colony was to start the tunnel, which I have done as best I could with the labour and materials to hand. My next duty was to check the line and prepare drawings and estimates, so as to be ready to start work at the beginning of working season. This I have been doing as fast as possible, but have been very much bandicapped by prevalence of malarial fever in the outlying districts.

13. In order to arrive at rates for the estimate, I have got tenders from most of the local contractors, most of which I consider absolutely exorbitant; I, therefore, am making arrangements for the importation of labour, which ought to arrive when the working season begins. I do not feel called upon to criticise the rates or the reasons of their being so high and can only do my best to keep them as low as possible and try and break the rings by importing men from other parts. This is of necessity a slow process and won't show any return for the time and trouble spent till the working season begins.

14. I do not wish it to be thought that I shirk criticism, but I have been criticised in a way which shows want of confidence in my experience on railway construction.

15. My instructions are to report to you, to whom I consider I am alone respon- sible; this I do every English mail. I did not report these criticisms of His Excel- lency, as I thought he was satisfied with my answers. By the cable which he has sent, I see he was not satisfied with my explanations. I understand Mr. A. J. Barry has left England and may shortly be expected in the Colony. I will lay the whole matter before him and he can then judge as to whether I have been in any way to blame for the apparent slowness of the work.

Sir J. W. Barry and Partners,

Consulting Engineers.

YOUR EXCELLENCY,

Enclosure 2 in No. 308.

Yours, &c.,

G. W. EVES.

FOUR causes are specified in the Chief Resident Engineer's letter for the unsatisfactory progress made with the work. They are:-

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Sickness.

(b) Poor quality of labour.

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