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PUBLIC

וווןווון זדון זו!

PECORD

me treg

OFFICE

Reference -

C.O.882/12

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE. LONDON

"ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE Br REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-}

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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23. It may be held, because the money spent on petrol leaves Mauritius, when the country is in direct need of all its cash, whilst motor-spirit is producible locally from molasses, that the preservation of the Railway, even at the expense of limiting road transport, would not be an entirely unsound policy.

The question

of road versus rail transport is common to nearly every country in the world, and a measure of protection is not a novel, untried. unfair, or ineffective scheme for dealing with it.

"

Electrical.

24. With reference to paragraph 22, page 144, of the Com- missioners' report, as an ex-Railway Commissioner, I was one of those who recommended the electrification of the Plaine Lauzun Workshops and set an example of increasing the strain on the balances of borrowing power of the Colony, by undertaking new capital expenditure when it was not absolutely necessary to do so." The Financial - Commissioners were not well informed on this subject, possibly because they did not discuss it with the Govern- ment Electrician or with me. The facts are these. The steam for the engines to supply the power to Plaine Lauzun was pro- vided by two comparatively new Locomotive boilers ordered in 1925, i.e., during the richer years, for Locomotive boiler replace- ments, but diverted to replace the old worn out and scrapped vertical boilers. Power, to the extent of 100 B.H.P. was necessary to work the Granary machinery, the existence of which, as I have pointed out in a separate Report, appears to have escaped the notice of the Commissioners. A separate Granary power installa- tion, would have cost at least Rs.30,000. Power, to the extent of 65 B.H.P. was required to drive the new centrifugal drainage pumps, where another power generating installation would have been required. A separate oil engine for the Government Printing Office was also in use. All Government establishments in Port Louis, moreover, were supplied from yet another independent, costly and obsolete oil-engine-driven Generating Station which supplied electricity for lighting and fans, etc. In the year when the electrical changes at Plaine Lauzun were made, five new Locomotive boilers were required for the Locomotives by the Rail- way Department. The requisition for these was cancelled, three only being ordered, the other two, at a saving of Rs.17,460 each, being obtained by rediverting the two comparatively new boilers used for power purposes, to their proper use. The actual total expenditure in the Plaine Lauzun Workshops Electrification Scheme was Rs.29,600, so that not only was Rs.5,200 less spent than it otherwise would have been, but a saving in operating costs of over Rs.16,000 will be realised in the first year of working. Besides that, the Granary was provided with power at a capital outlay of Rs.12,000, thus saving Rs.18,000, and a saving of Rs.8,000 on the Pumping Station and an actual saving of R¥8,500

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on the cost of power for lighting and driving the fans for Govern- ment Offices, have been secured. The following table shows the financial effect of the Electrification Scheme.

Capital Expen-

diture that would have

been necessary

Electrification.

Rs.

Establishments.

Capital Expenditure

incurred by the Electrification.

in absence of

Rs.

29,600

*34,800

12,000

8,000

8,000

Rs. 57,600

* 2 boilers.

Plaine-Lauzun Granary Pumping Station

Government Power Station

Totals

30,000 28,000

-

Rs. 92,800

Annual Savings on Working Expenditure

with Electrification.

Rs.

16,267

Not available.

7,000 7,000

Rs. 30,267

so that in the first working year the Colony will have saved in capital Rs.92,800 less Rs.57,600, plus Rs.30,267 in operating costs; Rs.65.467 in all. In spite of the capital outlay I think the Financial Commissioners would now agree that the measure adopted was not only financially and commercially sound, but as urgent as it was necessary. There was a good deal of bad, but very little good, machinery scrapped.

I have, &c.,

N. C. M. AUSTEN,

General Manager, Railways, and Harbour Engineer.

The Honourable

Enclosure 2 in No. 77.

MEMORANDUM B.

RAILWAY OFFICES,

PORT LOUIS,

20th July, 1932.

The Colonial Secretary,

GENERAL MANAGER OF RAILWAY'S MEMORANDUM ON CONFIDENTIAL DESPATCH FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE, DATED 4TH MAY,

1932.

1. With regard to the Bois Cheri Light Railway-paragraph 2 of the despatch, as indicated in paragraph 15 of my Report dated 11th April, 1932, by increasing the cane rates, as now arranged over the first three miles of transport from 45 to 60 cents per ton, with an estimated tonnage of 16,800 tons, and adding general goods traffic, a total revenue for 1932-33 of Rs.15,340 should be

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